By Kohlton Kober
Index Sports Writer
The West Liberty baseball team split their four contests last week, going 2-2 with wins over Highland and Riceland while falling to Anamosa and Wilton.
On Monday, June 3, the Comets hosted the Huskies and ran away with a 6-0 victory. Freshman Joseph Delgado threw a two-hit shutout from the bump as he and five teammates tallied RBIs.
Wednesday featured special tournament action in Waterloo hosted at the Waterloo Bucks’ Riverfront Stadium.
Matching up first against the Blue Raiders, the Comets failed to score any runs while allowing four as they fell in the first matchup of the tournament. The loss would see the Comets pair with Riceland for their second game.
The Wildcats were an unfamiliar foe for the Comets, with this being their first matchup in recorded history, according to Varsity Bound.
The Comets were not intimidated, scoring one in the bottom of the first inning to take an early lead.
Riceland responded with one in the second and three in the third to pull ahead 4-1 heading into the bottom of the third inning.
An immediate one-run response from the Comets followed by two the next inning saw the game pull even.
Both teams went on to score four in the sixth. The Comets found their walkoff winner in the bottom of the seventh inning to squeeze out a 9-8 victory in their second game of the day.
On Friday, the Comets traveled to Wilton to take on the Beavers. The Comets found themselves training after the third when Wilton pushed across their first run of the contest.
West Liberty wouldn’t find their response until the sixth, plating two runs. The lead wouldn’t hold long, as the Beavers pushed across two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning before scoring another in the seventh.
When the dust settled from the previous week, the Comets’ record sat at 6-7. The team is looking ahead to a doubleheader against Wilton on Friday, Mid-Prairie on Monday, June 17 and Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Wednesday, June 19.
Season statistics summary
Batting Average
Ryker Dengler, .371; Alexis Michel, .333; Tytan Griffith, .317; Ryan Cassady, .225; Bryson Garcia, .206; Tully Griffith, .200; Seth Axsom, .195; Caden Laughlin, .190; Jake Underbakke, .182; Beckham Simon, .176; Joseph Delgado, .167; Jonathan Cardona, .125.
Hits
Ryker Dengler, 13; Tytan Griffith, 13; Ryan Cassady, 9; Seth Axsom, 8; Bryson Garcia, 7; Jake Underbakke, 6; Beckham Simon, 6; Tully Griffith, 4; Caden Laughlin, 3; Alexis Michel, 3; Joseph Delgado, 3; Jonathan Cardona, 2.
Extra Base Hits
Ryker Dengler, 4; Tytan Griffith, 3; Jake Underbakke, 2; Ryan Cassady, 1; Bryson Garcia, 1; Seth Axsom, 1; Tully Griffith, 1.
Slugging Percentage
Ryker Dengler, .571; Tytan Griffith, .390; Alexis Michel, .333; Tully Griffith, .300; Ryan Cassady, .250; Seth Axsom, .244; Jake Underbakke, .242; Bryson Garcia, .235; Caden Laughlin, .190; Beckham Simon, .176; Joseph Delgado, .167; Jonathan Cardona, .125.
Walks
Ryan Cassady, 11; Ryker Dengler, 9; Tytan Griffith, 9; Seth Axsom, 5; Joseph Delgado, 5; Bryson Garcia, 4; Jonathan Cardona, 4; Jake Underbakke, 2; Caden Laughlin, 2; Beckham Simon, 2; Alexis Michel, 1; Tully Griffith, 1.
Stolen Bases
Ryan Cassady, 10; Ryker Dengler, 7; Tytan Griffith, 7; Seth Axsom, 7; Bryson Garcia, 2; Tully Griffith, 2; Joseph Delgado, 2; Jonathan Cardona, 1; Caden Laughlin, 1; Jake Underbakke, 1; Beckham Simon, 1; Lleyton Simon, 1.
Pitcher Strikeouts
Tytan Griffith, 19; Joseph Delgado, 17; Ryker Dengler, 12; Ryan Cassady, 11; Seth Axsom, 10; Caden Laughlin, 6; Tully Griffith, 1; Beckham Simon, 1; Lleyton Simon, 1.
Pitcher ERA (Min. 5 IP)
Joseph Delgado, 0.79; Tytan Griffith, 2.86; Seth Axsom, 5.53; Caden Laughlin, 5.83; Ryan Cassady, 6.18; Tully Griffith, 7.00; Ryker Dengler, 8.13.
Pitcher WHIP (Min. 5 IP)
Joseph Delgado, 0.91; Tytan Griffith, 1.36; Seth Axsom, 1.42; Caden Laughlin, 1.50; Ryan Cassady, 1.94; Tully Griffith, 2.17; Ryker Dengler, 2.71.