Comets earn sweet sweep over conference rival Waukon

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — The Charles City Comets rallied for 5 runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the second game of Tuesday’s Northeast Iowa Conference baseball doubleheader against visiting Waukon before Tait Arndt’s walk-off bases loaded walk in the ninth inning completed the sweep for the home team.

With a 9-2 win in Game 1 followed by the 7-6 extra-inning victory, the Comets improved to 6-4 overall while evening their conference mark at 3-3.

The Indians fell to 2-6 and 0-4.

In the first game, the Comets led 1-0 through three innings but had left five runners stranded. They finally broke the game open with respective 3-run and 5-run rallies in the fourth and fifth innings.

That was more than enough for starter Theo Arndt to protect as he yielded just three hits in six innings of work.

Cole Reams was 3 for 3 with 2 RBIs, and Elliott Sinwell was 2 for 3 and pitched a scoreless inning in relief.

But the relief performance of the day came from Reams in the second game. After Waukon had taken a 6-1 lead through four innings, Reams came in to pitch 5 innings of shutout baseball while giving his team a chance to claw back into it.

He also got some help from his defense.

In the eighth inning, catcher Dylan Salinas made a diving catch of a pop-up hit by Indiana Nathan Benzing. Salinas had to shed interference by the home-plate umpire before making the play.

Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Comet shortstop Nate Lasher got a good jump on hard-hit grounder by Evan Armstead left of second base before recording a 6-3 inning-ending doubleplay.

Reams, Drew Mitchell and Jalen Jones each had two hits in the second game for the Comets.

Reams also doubled, and so did Salinas as his was good for 2 RBIs which tied the game at 6 in the sixth.

Game 1

Charles City 9, Waukon 2

WAUKON               AB  R  H BI  CHARLES CITY         AB  R  H BI

Abe Schwartz          2  0  0  0  Nate Lasher           4  1  1  1  

Tyler O’Neil          1  1  0  0  Cole  Reams           3  1  3  2  

Mitch Snitker         3  1  1  0  Drew Mitchell         3  0  1  1  

Colin Waters          3  0  1  1  Dylan Salinas         3  0  1  2  

Evan Armstead         3  0  0  0  Theo Arndt            3  0  1  0  

Brandon Regan         2  0  0  0  Wyatt  Stevenson      3  1  0  0  

Logan Sullivan        3  0  0  0   Tait Arndt           1  0  0  0  

Nathan Benzing        2  0  0  0  Colton Slinger        4  2  1  0  

Ethan Krueger        1  0  0  0  Elliott Sinwell       3  2  2  1  

Isaiah Welch          3  0  1  0   Alec Elsbernd        1  0  0  0  

                                 Noah Schlader         2  2  1  1  

TOTALS               23  2  3  1  TOTALS               30  9 11  8

WAUKON                        000 002 0 — 2  

CHARLES CITY                  100 350 x — 9  

LOB–WAUKON 4, CHARLES CITY 9. ERR–Colin Waters (2), Nathan

Benzing, Tyler O’Neil, Isaiah Welch (2), Garrett Garin, Drew

Mitchell. 2B–Mitch Snitker, Dylan Salinas. HBP–Brandon

Regan. SACF–Drew Mitchell, Cole  Reams. SACB–Tyler O’Neil.

SB–Noah Schlader (2), Colton Slinger, Elliott Sinwell (2),

Wyatt  Stevenson, Cole  Reams, Nate Lasher (2).

WAUKON                          IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR

Garrett Garin                  4.00    9    7    5    2    1    0

Nathan Benzing                 1.00    2    2    1    2    0    0

Logan Sullivan                 1.00    0    0    0    0    0    0

CHARLES CITY               

Theo Arndt                     6.00    3    2    2    2    3    0

Elliott Sinwell                1.00    0    0    0    0    2    0

PB–Abe Schwartz (2). SO–Evan Armstead, Ethan Krueger,

Nathan Benzing, Tyler O’Neil, Isaiah Welch, Nate Lasher.

BB–Abe Schwartz, Tyler O’Neil, Dylan Salinas, Noah Schlader

(2), Theo Arndt.

Game 2

WAUKON (6) AT CHARLES CITY (7)

WAUKON               AB  R  H BI  CHARLES CITY         AB  R  H BI

Abe Schwartz          5  1  1  0  Nate Lasher           5  1  1  1  

Levi McGeough         5  1  0  0  Cole  Reams           5  1  2  2  

Mitch Snitker         4  1  1  0  Drew Mitchell         4  0  2  0  

Colin Waters          3  1  1  1  Dylan Salinas         3  0  1  2  

Evan Armstead         4  0  1  1  Theo Arndt            4  0  1  0  

Isaiah Welch          4  0  1  0  Jalen Jones           3  0  2  0  

                     0  0  0  0  Colton Slinger        4  2  1  0  

Brandon Regan        1  1  0  0  Elliott Sinwell       3  1  1  1  

Tyler O’Neil          5  0  2  2   Tait Arndt           0  0  0  1  

Nathan Benzing        4  0  0  0  Noah Schlader         4  0  0  0  

Logan Sullivan        4  1  1  0  *Alec Elsbernd        0  1  0  0  

                                 *Ben Miller           0  1  0  0  

TOTALS               39  6  8  4  TOTALS               35  7 11  7

WAUKON                        202 200 000 — 6  

CHARLES CITY                  010 005 001 — 7  

LOB–WAUKON 11, CHARLES CITY 12. ERR–Colin Waters, Nathan

Benzing, Isaiah Welch, Dylan Salinas, Jalen Jones, Theo

Arndt, Drew Mitchell, Nate Lasher (2). 2B–Abe Schwartz,

Mitch Snitker, Dylan Salinas, Cole  Reams. HBP–Dylan

Salinas (2), Jalen Jones, Drew Mitchell. SB–Levi McGeough,

Mitch Snitker, Colton Slinger (3), Theo Arndt, Elliott

Sinwell.

WAUKON                          IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR

Levi McGeough                  8.00   10    6    6    4    1    0

Patrick Waters                 0.33    1    1    1    1    0    0

CHARLES CITY               

Jordan Kapping                 1.67    2    2    0    0    3    0

Carter Johanningmeie           0.67    0    2    2    2    0    0

Nate Lasher                    1.67    5    2    0    1    2    0

Cole  Reams                    5.00    1    0    0    2    6    0

PB–Abe Schwartz. WP–Patrick Waters, Jordan Kapping.

BALK–Cole  Reams. SO–Evan Armstead, Colin Waters, Nathan

Benzing (2), Levi McGeough, Brandon Regan, Logan Sullivan,

Tyler O’Neil, Isaiah Welch (3), Nate Lasher. BB–Evan

Armstead, Colin Waters (2), Nathan Benzing, Mitch Snitker,

Jalen Jones, Colton Slinger, Theo Arndt, Elliott Sinwell,

Tait Arndt.