Chase Clarahan Clobbers a Grand Slam as the Savages Down the Lions 6-4

SIGOURNEY—On June 9, the #8 ranked Sigourney Savages hosted the Lone Tree Lions for the second round of the Class 1A-Substate 6 bracket. The Savages secured the 6-4 victory over the Lions, and will host the BGM Bears on July 13 for the District 12 Championship.

The Savages found themselves in unfamiliar territory early, as the Lions struck first. Lone Tree held onto this 1-0 lead until the second inning.

In the second, Isaac Bruns found his way home via a steal to tie the game up at one apiece. Two batters later, junior Brady Clark smacked an RBI single that brought home Lincoln Power from second base.

The most impactful inning for the Savages came in the fifth. Sigourney managed to load the bases for freshman Chase Clarahan. Clarahan waited for his pitch, then clobbered one over the left field wall for a grand slam. This was Clarahan’s first homer of the season.

After the game, Clarahan spoke on his approach as he stepped up to plate before his grand slam as, “I was just trying to get the ball in play. I didn’t want to hit one to the left fielder again, but this one was over the wall, so that’s okay.”

After the inning, Chase Clarahan then stepped onto the mound for the sixth inning. He got through all three batters in four pitches. The seventh was a different story. The Lions managed to squeak three runs in, and find the tying run on second base. 

Sigourney Head Coach Lee Crawford then made a visit to the mound to check on hsi freshman pitcher. Coach Crawford could see that Clarahan’s adrenaline was skyrocketing, and he needed to calm the young pitcher down. “You could tell his body language was off. He just needed to breathe. We had to crack some jokes up there just to get him to smile and relax a little bit,” explained Coach Crawford.

Chase Clarahan then zoned in, and secured the win for the Savages. Coach Crawford spoke on the overall mental toughness of his team with, “This team is competitive. There are a bunch of fighters on this team. You talk about Jake Moore, Reid Molyneux and Brady Clark all being wrestlers. The Clarahan brothers are going to fight. We have a bunch of competitors on the team. There was a time they came into the dugout, and they were not happy. They wanted the dugout moving and shaking. You could see the leadership come out.”

The Savages advance to the District 12 Championship against the BGM Bears on July 13 at 7 PM. The winner will advance to a neutral site for a chance to secure their bid to the 2024 State Tournament.