(Glenwood) Glenwood’s fast start proved to be the difference in a 9-6 victory over Atlantic in a Hawkeye Ten Conference baseball matchup Thursday in Glenwood. The win was the fourth straight for the Rams and avenged an earlier loss to the Trojans on May 28.
Glenwood scored nine runs on four hits. Ben Carlo, Max Koehler, Charlie Hutchcraft, and Brennan Anderson each contributed a single. Jaxon Erickson earned the win on the mound, striking out eight and walking one over five innings. Carlo recorded the save, allowing one run on two hits while pitching the final two innings.
Atlantic finished with six runs on nine hits. Kale Jensen led the Trojans offensively, blasting his fifth home run of the season and adding a single. Hudson McLaren went 2-for-3 with two singles, while Cooper Woolsey was 2-for-2 at the plate. Zayden Parker, Sawyer Tarrell, and Grant Petty each added a hit for Atlantic.
McLaren took the loss despite striking out seven and walking four in four innings. Keston Schmitt and Jensen provided relief work for the Trojans.
Atlantic grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Following a flyout to left field by Sawyer Tarrell, senior Kale Jensen stepped to the plate and launched a solo home run over the left-center field fence for his fifth homer of the season.
Glenwood quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning, scoring four runs. Ben Carlo and Max Koehler opened the frame with back-to-back singles, Graham Newberry reached on an error, and Charlie Hutchcraft followed with another base hit to spark the Rams’ rally.
McLaren settled in after the first inning, retiring the Rams in order in the second and keeping Glenwood off the scoreboard in the third.
Atlantic cut into the deficit in the top of the fourth inning when Zayden Parker singled to reach base. Pinch runner Zander Killion then stole second and third before scoring on a Glenwood error, trimming the Rams’ lead to 4-2.
Glenwood answered in the bottom half of the inning with two more runs. A pair of walks to Myles Stanton and Benn Christiansen helped ignite the rally as the Rams extended their advantage to 6-2 heading into the fifth inning.
The Trojans mounted a strong rally in the top of the fifth inning, scoring three runs on four hits. Grant Petty sparked the surge with a perfectly placed bunt single and beat the throw to first base. Sawyer Tarrell and Kale Jensen followed with back-to-back singles as Atlantic loaded the bases and put pressure on the Rams’ defense. All three runners eventually crossed the plate, with Cooper Woolsey driving in one of the runs, trimming Glenwood’s lead to 6-5.
Glenwood responded to Atlantic’s rally with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning and added two more in the sixth to build a 9-5 advantage. The Trojans pushed across a run in the top of the seventh, but reliever Ben Carlo shut the door from there to secure the Rams’ 9-6 victory.
With the win, Glenwood improved to 7-7 on the season and will host St. Albert in a doubleheader Monday. Atlantic dropped to 4-9 and returns to action tonight at home against Iowa City Regina.
