March 28, 2024

Boone blanks Cards

BOONE — One of Class 4A’s top pitchers handed Newton its sixth shut-out loss of the season Tuesday night.

Newton hitters couldn’t solve Boone pitcher Sam McIlwain, who entered the game leading 4A in innings pitched and was sixth in strikeouts. She added to those totals against the Cardinals by pitching all five innings and striking out nine in her team’s five-inning, 10-0 victory.

Boone (21-11-1) benefitted from a balanced offensive attack that saw five different players drive in runs.

The Toreadors scored in every inning but the third. They broke the game open in the second inning by scoring five runs and taking a commanding 7-0 lead. Back-to-back doubles from Gabbie Woods and Liz Sternberg started the second for Boone, which batted around the order in the inning.

Newton had a chance to score the game’s first run in the top of the first when Lizzie Stock led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Alex Hutchinson. Stock never advanced from second, however, as she was stranded on base following a strike out and a ground out to end the inning.

The Cardinals (6-20) struggled throughout the game with runners in scoring position, finishing 0-for-6 with four strikeouts in those situations.

After the Cardinals left two runners on base in the top of the fourth, Boone followed with one run in the bottom half thanks to Dianna Slight’s second triple of the game. Slight later scored on a sacrifice fly from Breanna Hunter to make it 8-0.

McIlwain again stranded a runner on second to end Newton’s half of the sixth by striking out Katie Chisholm, Stock and Hutchinson to end the inning. That gave her nine strikeouts, equaling her sixth nine-strikeout performance of the season.

The Toreadors ended the game in the bottom of the fifth when Sternberg scored on a wild pitch from Newton pitcher Ashton Hoffman with two outs for Boone’s 10th run.

Hoffman gave up nine hits in the loss and walked three.

Newton’s only other hit after Stock’s lead-off single at the start of the game was another single in the fifth inning from freshman Bailey Davis.

Newton plays today at home against Oskaloosa at 7:30 p.m.