Mohawks dampen Comets’ baseball season opener, 15-0

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

MASON CITY — It was like the game was played in a steam bath.

A cold steam bath if such a thing is possible.

After having their Monday season-opener against Clear Lake postponed due to threatening weather, the Charles City Comets baseball team began its season on the road against Mason City.

The weather for the Tuesday night game wasn’t threatening … rather annoying as a steady mist blowing in from the north plagued most the game that was called after three-and-half innings when the Mohawks established a 15-0 lead.

Mason City rallied for 7 runs in the second and 6 runs in the third while taking advantage of three Comet errors.

The big blow of the game came from Mason City senior Hunter Dingman — rhymes with Kingman as in Dave.

Like the former Chicago Cubs slugger, Dingman hit a towering 3-run shot off Charles City starter Carter Johanningmeier, which busted the game open while giving the Mohawks a 7-0 lead in the second inning.

The Comets came into the game after an abbreviated spring training.

“With the weather, we’ve only had three practices with a full team,” Charles City head coach Tyler Downing said. “We have a lot of guys just finishing their track, trap shooting and golf seasons.”

One bright spot for the Comets this season is they have virtually all of their pitchers who logged in the most varsity innings from last season. But most of these pitchers — sophomore Johanningmeier, junior Theo Arndt and seniors Nate Lasher and Drew Mitchell — had an extended season with the Comet golf team that advanced to the district round in the post-season.

Mitchell had Charles City’s lone hit, a double off Mohawk reliever Dylan Miller in the fourth inning.

Mohawk starter Kyle Lang pitched three innings of no-hit ball while striking out six. He did have to pitch out of a jam in the first inning after two Mohawk errors put two Comets in scoring position.

The Comets also return three of their top hitters — Arndt, Lasher and Mitchell — and Downing believes the hitting will come around once these guys get more accustomed to swinging baseball bats than golf clubs.

“But right now we need to concentrate on throwing strike one and playing errorless defense,” Downing said.

The Comets’ game against the Clear Lake Lions has been rescheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. at Lions Field in Clear Lake.