(Guthrie Center, IA) — The AC/GC baseball pitching staff needed a pick me up after surrendering 34 runs in their first three games and Noah Kading provided that on Friday night. The Senior threw 6 shutout innings, allowed just three hits and struck out 15 leading the Chargers to a 4-0 win over Exira EHK.
Kading would walk Austin Rasmussen to start the game but he was unfazed — striking out the next six batters in a row. Rasmussen got the Spartans first hit with two outs in the 3rd inning but Kading got Josaiah King to bounce out to end the inning. Alex Hansen drew a leadoff walk in the 4th and stole 2nd and 3rd base but Kading struck out two in a row and after hitting Owen Juhl, he struck out the side again to end the inning.
After a strikeout to start the 5th, Blake Nelson got a base hit and moved to 2nd on a wild pitch but he would be thrown out trying to steal third and Kading struck out Rasmussen to retire the side for K number 12. He got number 13 to start the 6th but Hansen singled and stole 2nd and stole 3rd again. Kading ignored him and struck out Josh Nelson for the third time. He hit Anthony Young but struck out Juhl to strike out the side for 4th inning on the night. Payton Policky came in in the 7th and gave up a two out double to Blake Nelson but kept the Spartans off the scoreboard to preserve the shut out.
Alex Hansen was the starter for Exira EHK and he allowed only 1 hit in the first two innings but AC/GC broke through in the 3rd. Taytum Bates got a leadoff walk and after Will Skram popped out, Tommy Skram hit one to the wall in deep left for a RBI triple — Skram would score on Kading’s RBI grounder to make it 2-0.
In the bottom of the 5th, Bates got a one out triple to left and scored on a wild pitch. Will Skram would single and that knocked Hansen from the game. Josh Nelson came in and picked Skram off but he walked Tommy Skram who stole 2nd and 3rd and he would score on a wild pitch to Kading. That made it 4-0 Chargers and that is all Kading needed.
For Exira EHK, Hansen pitched well going 4 1/3 innings, allowing 3 ER on 4 hits, walking one and striking out 5. Blake Nelson was 2-3 with a double. Hansen was also 1-2 with 4 stolen bases.
For AC/GC, Taytum Bates was 1-2 with a triple and 2 runs. Ben Franzeen was 2-3 with a double. Tommy Skram was 1-2 with a triple, 2 runs scored, a stolen base and a RBI.
Line Totals
Exira EHK (0-3) 0 runs, 4 hits, 2 errors, 5 LOB
AC/GC (1-3) 4 runs, 7 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB
Kading (W) 1-0
Hansen (L) 0-1
