After a tough start to the season on Monday, the Clippers headed south for the second ever baseball trip to Myrtle Beach for the Ripken Experience on Wednesday for fun, sun, and a lot of baseball. Across Thursday and Friday, the guys played 6 total games (4 Varsity and 2 JV) and hopefully created some great memories along the way. We came away empty handed in 2024, but this time around, we were able to bring a win back to the 44408.
The JV squad kicked off all of the action bright and early on Thursday at 8:30 against Blazer High School from Ashland, Kentucky. The Clippers did take a 7-3 loss, but freshmen Jackson Davis, Carter Griffith, and Stephen Varkony each contributed 2 hits; including a double apiece from Griffith and Varkony. Freshman Carson Chaney gave some valuable innings on the mound, going 3 & 1/3, given up just 2 earned runs while striking out 4. Sophomore Thatcher Smith threw a strong inning of work, striking out 2 while allowing no runs.
The second game of the day was the first Varsity game of the trip, when the Clippers would take on fellow OVAC members, the Oak Glen (WV) Golden Bears. The Clippers would drop the contest 6-0, as the offense struggled to get things moving; but, we did get singles from senior Sam Inboden, junior Avery Young, and sophomores Ethan Lehnerd and Beckett Wilson (first career varsity hit). Inboden, Young, and Lehnerd each stole a base as well. Young had 6 strikeouts in his 4 & 2/3 innings of work, while junior Nick Klindworth gave up no runs in his 2 innings pitched. Lehnerd struck out the only batter he faced in the game.
Game 3 was another Varsity matchup, but with Waupun High School from Wisconsin. This was definitely the toughest game of the trip for the Clippers. However, especially at the beginning of the game, there were some positives to take away. Junior Drennen Bosela got the start and handled some adversity, well I might add, along the way. He would strike out 6 in his 3 innings pitched. Klindworth would come on to get 3 outs on 4 pitches to put an end to a very tough 4th inning. Bosela would add a hit to his stat line, at the plate. Sophomore Liam McElwain contributed the other hit for the Clippers. Young added another stolen base to his total in the game.
After a tough game like that, we needed some grub, so we headed over to Carolina Roadhouse which has treated us well in our two trips to Myrtle. This time gave the players the opportunity bond away from the field and eat some great food while doing so. And then they had some time to hang out on the beach, including playing some Spike Ball.
Friday would the day of resiliency, and it even included a trip to PopStroke! It started off with a JV game against fellow Ohioans from Bowling Green High School. The Clippers did only come away with 1 hit, from freshman Jacob Conway. But, some positives on the mound were that sophomore Thatcher Smith and newly coined pitcher freshman Carter Griffith combined to give up just 2 earned runs in their 3 and 2/3 innings of work. Smith struck out 4 Bobcats, while Griffith punched out 2. Along with Conway, fellow freshman Jackson Davis scored the other Clipper run in the 10-2 final.
Between the Friday JV game and Varsity games, the guys headed over to PopStroke; a state-of-the-art mini-course course heavily focused on realism. The guys had a great time, and they even had food brought to them on platters which disappeared in minutes. This was a great way to bond and fuel up for what would be an exciting (and at times, interesting) night.
Our first Friday Varsity game would be against Honeoye Falls – Lima High School from New York at the Ripken Experience facility on a field modeled after the old Ebbets Field. After a tough Thursday, the Clippers began the game in a 7-1 hole in the 3rd inning; we very easily could have rolled over, but that was not the case. The Clippers showed incredible resiliency and fought all the way back to tie the game in the top of the 5th. And then we scored 8 in the top of 6th and another in the top of the 7th to take a 16-7 lead. Things got hairy in the bottom of the 7th, but the Clippers did manage to come away with a huge 16-13 win. Senior Sam Inboden got the start on the mound and gave us a much needed 6 & 1/3 innings on 109 pitches, before the junior Nick Klindworth would come on to get the final two outs. The game would end on an electric punch out by Klindworth to end Lima’s hopes with the tying run at the plate. Fellow junior Avery Young was 4 for 5 in the game with 3 RBIs (including 1 to tie the game); he even stole 4 bases. Another junior Drennen Bosela had 3 hits including a triple and an RBI (the go ahead run); he also stole a bag and scored twice. Sophomore Ethan Lehnerd had 2 hits including the a huge double over the left fielder’s head to cut Lima’s lead to 1; Ethan would score 4 of the Clippers’ 16 runs. Fellow sophomore Liam McElwain had a hit, but he also made productive outs, driving in a total of 3 RBIs. Another sophomore Beckett Wilson, who did a phenomonal job behind the plate, recorded a hit and scored a run. Freshman Stephen Varkony had a single (first career varsity hit) and an RBI; he also scored 2 runs. And though they did not put a hit in the books, seniors Hunter Davanzo and Sam Inboden, along with junior Rocco Mediate (who scored the Clippers first run of the year) combined to score 6 runs and drive in 2.
After a huge win, the night cap was more interesting than anything. The Clippers still had a lot of momentum from the win, though going down 2-1 early. In the bottom of the second inning, the power blew out at Ebbets Field causing a long delay and forcing us to move over to Crosley Field across the complex. Unfortunately, the wind came out of the sails a little bit. The Clippers would fall by a final of 9-4. But, we still had some major positives including a two-run blast by the senior Inboden; he would have a double as well and he scored a run. Young also added in 2 hits and added in an RBI and scored a run. The junior Bosela would an another hit to his great week in the contest. And, sophomores Wilson, Lehnerd, and Thatcher Smith (first career varsity hit) each added singles. Lehnerd went 5 strong innings giving up just 4 earned and recorded 7 strikeouts. Klindworth would throw the final 2 innings to close out his busy week of work, striking out 2.
On Saturday morning, prior to heading home, some Clippers went over to The Track for some Go Kart racing to close out the trip.
Overall, some great times were had by all. And, as mentioned, we had several players collect their first varsity stats in the contests. And, we were able to come home with a victory in the books. Now, it is time for some good ol’ northeast Ohio weather and baseball, starting this evening when the Varsity squad will host East Palestine and the JV squad will head over to Crestview. Both games will begin at 5:00 PM #ClipThat
After a tough start to the season on Monday, the Clippers headed south for the second ever baseball trip to Myrtle Beach for the Ripken Experience on Wednesday for fun, sun, and a lot of baseball. Across Thursday and Friday, the guys played 6 total games (4 Varsity and 2 JV) and hopefully created some great memories along the way. We came away empty handed in 2024, but this time around, we were able to bring a win back to the 44408.
The JV squad kicked off all of the action bright and early on Thursday at 8:30 against Blazer High School from Ashland, Kentucky. The Clippers did take a 7-3 loss, but freshmen Jackson Davis, Carter Griffith, and Stephen Varkony each contributed 2 hits; including a double apiece from Griffith and Varkony. Freshman Carson Chaney gave some valuable innings on the mound, going 3 & 1/3, given up just 2 earned runs while striking out 4. Sophomore Thatcher Smith threw a strong inning of work, striking out 2 while allowing no runs.
The second game of the day was the first Varsity game of the trip, when the Clippers would take on fellow OVAC members, the Oak Glen (WV) Golden Bears. The Clippers would drop the contest 6-0, as the offense struggled to get things moving; but, we did get singles from senior Sam Inboden, junior Avery Young, and sophomores Ethan Lehnerd and Beckett Wilson (first career varsity hit). Inboden, Young, and Lehnerd each stole a base as well. Young had 6 strikeouts in his 4 & 2/3 innings of work, while junior Nick Klindworth gave up no runs in his 2 innings pitched. Lehnerd struck out the only batter he faced in the game.
Game 3 was another Varsity matchup, but with Waupun High School from Wisconsin. This was definitely the toughest game of the trip for the Clippers. However, especially at the beginning of the game, there were some positives to take away. Junior Drennen Bosela got the start and handled some adversity, well I might add, along the way. He would strike out 6 in his 3 innings pitched. Klindworth would come on to get 3 outs on 4 pitches to put an end to a very tough 4th inning. Bosela would add a hit to his stat line, at the plate. Sophomore Liam McElwain contributed the other hit for the Clippers. Young added another stolen base to his total in the game.
After a tough game like that, we needed some grub, so we headed over to Carolina Roadhouse which has treated us well in our two trips to Myrtle. This time gave the players the opportunity bond away from the field and eat some great food while doing so. And then they had some time to hang out on the beach, including playing some Spike Ball.
Friday would the day of resiliency, and it even included a trip to PopStroke! It started off with a JV game against fellow Ohioans from Bowling Green High School. The Clippers did only come away with 1 hit, from freshman Jacob Conway. But, some positives on the mound were that sophomore Thatcher Smith and newly coined pitcher freshman Carter Griffith combined to give up just 2 earned runs in their 3 and 2/3 innings of work. Smith struck out 4 Bobcats, while Griffith punched out 2. Along with Conway, fellow freshman Jackson Davis scored the other Clipper run in the 10-2 final.
Between the Friday JV game and Varsity games, the guys headed over to PopStroke; a state-of-the-art mini-course course heavily focused on realism. The guys had a great time, and they even had food brought to them on platters which disappeared in minutes. This was a great way to bond and fuel up for what would be an exciting (and at times, interesting) night.
Our first Friday Varsity game would be against Honeoye Falls – Lima High School from New York at the Ripken Experience facility on a field modeled after the old Ebbets Field. After a tough Thursday, the Clippers began the game in a 7-1 hole in the 3rd inning; we very easily could have rolled over, but that was not the case. The Clippers showed incredible resiliency and fought all the way back to tie the game in the top of the 5th. And then we scored 8 in the top of 6th and another in the top of the 7th to take a 16-7 lead. Things got hairy in the bottom of the 7th, but the Clippers did manage to come away with a huge 16-13 win. Senior Sam Inboden got the start on the mound and gave us a much needed 6 & 1/3 innings on 109 pitches, before the junior Nick Klindworth would come on to get the final two outs. The game would end on an electric punch out by Klindworth to end Lima’s hopes with the tying run at the plate. Fellow junior Avery Young was 4 for 5 in the game with 3 RBIs (including 1 to tie the game); he even stole 4 bases. Another junior Drennen Bosela had 3 hits including a triple and an RBI (the go ahead run); he also stole a bag and scored twice. Sophomore Ethan Lehnerd had 2 hits including the a huge double over the left fielder’s head to cut Lima’s lead to 1; Ethan would score 4 of the Clippers’ 16 runs. Fellow sophomore Liam McElwain had a hit, but he also made productive outs, driving in a total of 3 RBIs. Another sophomore Beckett Wilson, who did a phenomonal job behind the plate, recorded a hit and scored a run. Freshman Stephen Varkony had a single (first career varsity hit) and an RBI; he also scored 2 runs. And though they did not put a hit in the books, seniors Hunter Davanzo and Sam Inboden, along with junior Rocco Mediate (who scored the Clippers first run of the year) combined to score 6 runs and drive in 2.
After a huge win, the night cap was more interesting than anything. The Clippers still had a lot of momentum from the win, though going down 2-1 early. In the bottom of the second inning, the power blew out at Ebbets Field causing a long delay and forcing us to move over to Crosley Field across the complex. Unfortunately, the wind came out of the sails a little bit. The Clippers would fall by a final of 9-4. But, we still had some major positives including a two-run blast by the senior Inboden; he would have a double as well and he scored a run. Young also added in 2 hits and added in an RBI and scored a run. The junior Bosela would an another hit to his great week in the contest. And, sophomores Wilson, Lehnerd, and Thatcher Smith (first career varsity hit) each added singles. Lehnerd went 5 strong innings giving up just 4 earned and recorded 7 strikeouts. Klindworth would throw the final 2 innings to close out his busy week of work, striking out 2.
On Saturday morning, prior to heading home, some Clippers went over to The Track for some Go Kart racing to close out the trip.
Overall, some great times were had by all. And, as mentioned, we had several players collect their first varsity stats in the contests. And, we were able to come home with a victory in the books. Now, it is time for some good ol’ northeast Ohio weather and baseball, starting this evening when the Varsity squad will host East Palestine and the JV squad will head over to Crestview. Both games will begin at 5:00 PM #ClipThat
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