State-best W-G thieves swipe 12 more bags as Hawks douse Blazers

WOODWARD — “When we get on (base) we are going to run. All the time.”

The words of W-G baseball head coach Eric Evans, spoken before the season, continue to be played out with each contest, as the Hawks swiped 12 bases in 13 attempts to help the hosts knock off Iowa Christian Academy, 8-1, in a non-conference game Wednesday.

Now 97-of-103 in steal attempts this season, W-G (9-3 overall) is 19 thefts ahead of Clarke (78-of-85 through 10 games) for the top spot among all classes.

While certainly impressive, the Hawks will have to run with nearly reckless abandon to crack the Iowa all-time Top 10, as Montezuma (2013) and Van Meter (2007) are currently tied for steals in a season with 221. The best ever in Iowa? The Bears of BGM, who absconded with an amazing total of 332 bags in 2012.

ICA tried to shake things up early, as Wes Hall singled to open the game and promptly stole second. He scored on a Josh Dueker base hit, but Dueker was caught — catcher Jordan Pierce to shortstop Brady Aunspach — trying to steal second. Noah Szymanski singled one out later, but was picked off first by Hawk starter Alex Bodermann.

Bodermann walked, stole second, stole third and scored on a wild pitch in the first, with Aunspach doubling and scoring on a Dylan Garland RBI-base hit.

W-G scored on an error in the bottom of the second, with a Garland single a wild pitch and dropped third strike on a passed ball combining to allow three more Hawk runs to score in the third as the hosts moved into a 6-1 lead.

Marcus McConahay reached on an error and later scored on a wild pitch in the fourth to make it 7-1, with Bodermann singling and scoring an another Blazer errror in the sixth to account for the final Hawk run.

Bodermann walked a batter and hit another in the second and plunked a batter in the third as well but on both occasions was able to work out of trouble thanks to solid defense from Aunspach at shortstop and McConahay at second base.

ICA put two runners on in the sixth, but Bodermann’s fourth strikeout ended the threat. A two-out walk and a Hall single had two Blazers on base in the sixth off reliever Jackson Larson, but a ground out closed the game.

Bodermann helped himself with six stolen bases on offense while on the rubber the senior allowed one run on four hits in six frames. He walked two a fanned four, with Larson yielding a walk and a hit with one strikeout in one frame on the hill.

Szymanski suffered the loss. He allowed eight runs on six hits, with three runs unearned. He struck out two, walked four and was guilty of an unofficial six wild pitches.

W-G hosts Earlham tonight and is then off until a trip to Guthrie Center Monday.

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WOODWARD-GRANGER 8, IOWA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 1

at Granger, June 10

Team                    R  H  E

ICA   100 000 0 — 1  5  3

W-G  213 101 x — 8  6  0

ICA: Szymanski and Lehmann. W-G: Bodermann (6), Larson (1) and Pierce. WP: Bodermann. LP: Szymanski. 2B — ICA: Szymanksi; W-G: Aunspach. LOB — ICA: 7; W-G: 6.

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