Pella Christian writes a little baseball history in Newton

Steve Holwerda

According to unofficial baseball historians and official Newton residents, Pella Christian had never defeated Newton in baseball. History was written Monday when the Eagles defeated Newton 5-4 in the first game of a double header before dropping the nightcap 8-3.

Legendary football coach John McKay said, “You don’t beat people with surprises, but with execution.”

After three scoreless innings, the Eagles finally put themselves in a position where they could attempt a surprise play but it was their outstanding execution that allowed the ‘Boys of Summer‘ to claim their first-ever win over Newton.

Jon Holwerda led off the fourth inning with a walk and then stole second. After a sacrifice bunt moved Holwerda to third, two suicide squeeze bunts, a double by Zach Ruiter, and a third suicide squeeze gave the Cardinals more than they could handle. It also gave the Eagles a 5-0 lead that they would not relinquish.

Matt Vander Hart held Newton scoreless for five innings before allowing one Newton run in the sixth and three in the seventh. Vander Hart picked up the win, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out seven and walking one. Ruiter and Tyler Klyn each had two hits to lead the Eagles. Vander Hart and Alex Arkema added one hit each.

In the nightcap, the Eagles grabbed an early 2-0 lead on singles by Alex Arkema, Sam DeNooy, Jon Holwerda, and Zach Zylstra, and a groundout by Tom Bouwkamp. But Newton came back using timely hitting and good pitching to take an 8-2 lead after the five innings. The Eagles scored their final run in the sixth as Holwerda reached base on an error, went from first to third on a failed pick-off attempt, and scored on a single by Tyler Klyn.

Klyn, DeNooy, and Zylstra led the Eagle offense with two hits while Holwerda and Arkema had one hit. Arkema took the loss on the mound while pitching three innings and giving up six runs on seven hits. Bouwkamp and Ruiter came on in relief. Bouwkamp pitched two innings, allowing two runs on three hits, and Ruiter retired the side in order in the one inning he pitched.

The split left Pella Christian at 7-6 overall and 4-3 in the conference.

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