The West Liberty High School boys baseball team of coach Troy Wulf split games this past week capturing a pair of wins over Tipton on Monday, before falling to visiting Anamosa on Tuesday and getting nipped in extra innings at Northeast on Thursday.
The Comet record crept to 5-7 overall for the season and 5-4 in River Valley Conference play.
The Comets started their week with a double-header against visiting Tipton. The Tigers drew first blood in the opening inning with a single run and the Comets quickly responded in their half of the opening frame, scoring three.
The Tigers scored two more in the second inning, which the Comets matched. Pitcher Caleb Wulf held the Tigers scoreless from that point on as the Comets pulled away capturing the 8-3 victory.
Wulf fanned 11 on three hits and did not allow an earned run. The Comet junior also went one for three from the plate, recording two RBI’s.
In the second game, the Comet offense wasted no time. After the Tigers put across a run in the top of the first, the Comets responded with two of their own, then five more in the second inning.
The offense wasn’t done there, recording two more in the third and one in the fourth for a 10-1 lead. The game ended in the fifth, as Comet senior Lake Newton smashed a three-run home run, his first of the year, to give the Comets a walk off mercy rule victory over the Tigers in game two and a 13-1 win.
Ty Jones pitched a complete game for the Comets, striking out two on four hits and allowing one earned run.
The Comets played host to Anamosa the following night. The Blue Raiders scored two runs, and the Comets captured one of their own, trailing 2-1 after the first frame.
A five run third appeared to give the Comets the spark they needed, leading 6-2. The Raiders responded with a four-run fourth to regain the lead. Anamosa pushed two more across in the sixth to ice the 8-6 victory.
Drake Collins took the mound for the majority of the game for the Comets, pitching six and a third innings as the sophomore struck out nine on eight hits and allowed just two earned runs. He also led the Comet offense, hitting one for three but driving in two runs in the Comets defeat.
West Liberty ended the week with a Thursday night matchup against Northeast in Goose Lake.
The teams held each other scoreless until the third inning, where the Comets broke through with two runs. The Rebels responded in their half of the frame, scoring three runs to take the lead.
The Comets tied the game back up in the fifth, pushing across a run. The defenses prevailed as the game headed into extra innings before the Rebels pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.
Chance Thrasher and Colin Cassady combined efforts from the mound for the Comets, striking out six on five hits and giving up just one earned run. Drake Collins and Caleb Wulf both batted in runs for the Comets in the disappointing loss.
The Comets hit the road this week, heading to Monticello Thursday for a 7 p.m. outing and taking on hosting Bellevue on Friday. Their road trip will continue Monday as they head to Durant for a double header beginning at 5 p.m. and then getting back home against Cascade on Thursday for a 7 p.m. outing.