The Clayton Ridge/Central baseball team went 1-3 last week, splitting a June 1 doubleheader at Kee for their first win of the 2026 season.
A late-inning rally fell short in an 11-10 loss to the Hawks in game one. Senior Dominique Mast singled and doubled for the WarEagles, driving in one run. He also walked three times. Sophomore Kasten Oberbreckling contributed an RBI double, walked three times and scored a run. Senior Carson Ruegnitz was 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs, while sophomore Mason Loan singled twice, walked and scored two runs. He had two of the team’s seven stolen bases.
Owen Hammersland took the loss, allowing 10 hits, two walks and nine earned runs in one and two-thirds innings. Oberbreckling pitched the remaining four and one-third innings, holding Kee to four hits, three walks and one earned run while striking out six batters.
CRC roughed up Kee 12-1 in game two, scoring 10 of their runs in the final two frames. Ruegnitz earned three RBIs on a pair of doubles and drew one walk. Senior Seth Kregel was 2-for-3 with a single, double and hit by pitch. He drove in two runs and scored twice after stealing two bases. Sophomore Griffen Hammersland also singled and doubled, knocking in two runs and scoring twice. He was among team leaders with three steals. Loan led that column with four, reaching base on two singles and a hit by pitch. He had one RBI and two runs scored.
Kregel led the pitching staff with an 11-strikeout performance in six innings. He allowed just four hits, two walks, two hit batters and two earned runs.
Similar to game one against Kee, the WarEagles suffered another one-run loss on June 3—this time versus North Fayette Valley. CRC was trailing 5-3 when they forced extras with runs in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings. The TigerHawks pushed the go-ahead run across in the top of the eighth inning, and the WarEagles were unable to respond, falling 6-5.
CRC players combined for 12 hits, led by two-hit performances from Mast, Griffen Hammersland and Colton Hoeger. RBIs were recorded by Mast, Loan, Ruegnitz, Owen Hammersland and Brody McGuine.
The WarEagles were also busy on the bases, with eight steals. That included two apiece by Tate Hoeger, Colton Hoeger and Myka Bries.
Tate Hoeger pitched four and one-third innings for CRC, allowing just two hits, four walks and one earned run. He fanned five TigerHawks. Griffen Hammersland gave up six hits, four walks, two hit batters and four earned runs across three and two-thirds innings. He too collected five strikeouts.
CRC closed out the week with a 10-5 loss to undefeated South Winneshiek on June 4. The Warriors scored in every inning but the first while compiling five hits, seven walks and two bit by pitches against the WarEagles. Another two batters reached on errors. The team was also relentless on the base paths, completing all 10 of its steal attempts.
The WarEagles actually had more hits, with nine, but drew no walks and struck out 12 times. Ruegnitz was a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBIs, a stolen base and a run scored. Loan singled and was hit by a pitch, stole a base and scored a pair of runs. Kregel picked up two hits, while Owen Hammersland doubled and scored.
This week, CRC (1-6) will finish out a game at Waukon on June 9, then travel to New Hampton June 10. They will welcome Postville for a twin bill on June 12. Those games will be at the Dittmer Sports Complex in Elkader.
