Boy, did the Lions need that.
Lisbon baseball ended its 11-game losing streak with an incredible come-from-behind 16-15 win over New London on Thursday, June 27, at City Park.
Trailing 7-0 after one inning, 11-5 midway through the game, and 15-9 going into the final half-inning, Lisbon found a way.
“We really wanted this,” Dakota Clark said. “Two whole weeks and a couple days we haven’t won a ballgame.”
New London (6-13) used five hits – all singles, two hit batsmen, a walk and an error to plate seven runs in the first inning.
“It is never good going down 7-0,” Clark said. “But you can’t hang your head right away in the first inning. If you do that, you’re going to be out of the game.”
Starter Carew Kamaus, making just his second start of the season, was shaken, not stirred. He gave up four more runs over the next five innings.
“I thought he was a little nervous in the first inning,” Lisbon coach Lance Kamaus said. “Then he really settled down. I think he threw the next five innings and looked a lot better.”
Lisbon, offensively, kept chipping away at the Tiger lead.
Trailing 11-5 going into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lions sent eight batters to the plate. Luke Robinson had a bases-load walk to bring in a run, and then leadoff hitter Clark cleared the bases with a triple to make it 11-9.
That got the Lion faithful excited.
But the Tigers added four runs in the top of the seventh off relief pitcher Ehtan Stone. It was 15-9 when the bottom of the seventh began.
No. 9 hitter Robinson reached on an error. Then Clark singled. Wes Sadler came up with a two-run triple. He was hit in by Ian Whittenbaugh.
After a pair of ground outs, the Lions were down to their final out.
Aiden Jensen hit an RBI single and Ryan Ross hit an RBI triple. Kamaus, now catching, hit an RBI single and Robinson, up again, drew a walk.
That brought up Clark with the game tied, 15-15, and the winning run on third.
“I told Wesley, if I get up, the game is over,” Clark said. “I have the confidence, and I don’t want to be cocky, but if it comes to me, I have the confidence I can do the job.”
It is not “cocky” if you can back it up, and Clark did, hitting a chopper up the middle to walk it off for the Lions.
“Dakota admitted afterwards he had not been hitting the ball as well, lately, as he wanted to,” Kamaus said. “And then tonight. It is crazy how baseball works sometimes.”
Clark finished the game 5-for-6 at the plate with two triples, six RBIs and three runs scored. Ryan Ross had a double and a triple, and Sadler finished with a pair of hits.
“I can’t say enough about Ryan,” Kamaus said. “Coming into the week, if I’m right, he was 4-for-39 (a .103 average). He went 3-for-3 against Don Bosco, a good baseball team, and then tonight. … He’s really swinging the bat well. That’s perseverance as a senior.”
The losses had become a little hard luck for the Lions. On Monday, June 24, they lost twice at Midland, 2-1 and then 8-7 in 10 innings. “We left 23 players on base in the second game,” Kamaus said. “We left the bases loaded six times.”
Lisbon lost a 5-2 game at Don Bosco on Tuesday, June 25, and a 11-0 game Wednesday, June 26, at Wilton.
“Tonight was a good win, that’s for sure,” Kamaus said.
“It is good to get another win under our belt before playoffs,” Clark said. “Get things rolling again.”
Lisbon opens Class 1A district play on Saturday, July 6, against Maquoketa Valley at North Tama. They have a couple non-conference home games before that one. The Lions finished 4-8 in the Tri-Rivers East, in sixth place. Bellevue Marquette won the East.
New London 710 030 4 – 15 16 4
Lisbon 210 240 7 — 16 14 3
Owen Nehring, Sullivan Barron (7) and Tate Welcher; Carew Kamaus, Ethan Stone (6) and Stone, Kamaus (6). W – Stone. L – Barron. 2B – Gavin Menke-Bailey (NL). Gage Burden (NL), Ryan Ross (L). 3B – Michael Raines (NL), Bryce Boots (L), Dakota Clark 2 (L), Wesley Sadler (L), Ryan Ross (L).
Lions soar over New London 16-15
Ryan Suchomel, Sports Reporter
July 4, 2024
About the Contributor
Ryan Suchomel, Sports Reporter
Ryan Suchomel is a sports reporter for the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun.