Clarinda baseball enjoys unforgettable experience, playing and winning at Busch Stadium
Members of the Clarinda baseball team come together for a picture at Busch Stadium. The Clarinda Cardinals played there Sunday, June 28, beating Atlantic 12-8.
“A dream come true,” and “it didn’t even feel real.”
Those are quotes from a pair of Clarinda baseball seniors, who got to play a game at Busch Stadium, the home of Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, June 28.
Kort Neal and Warner Schmitt said those words and were two of Clarinda’s major contributors in a 12-8 Hawkeye 10 Conference win against Atlantic, in front of a good Clarinda crowd that made the trip.
Neal was the winning pitcher, throwing six innings with five strikeouts. He gave up six hits and four runs, three earned. He also had a hit and an RBI at the plate.
Schmitt had a pair of two-RBI hits, driving in four on the evening. The other Clarinda senior, Jordan Butt, scored twice, and had a hit and drove in a run.
For Schmitt, this was his first time at Busch Stadium.
Clarinda senior Warner Schmitt makes a play at second base Sunday, June 28, during the Cardinals’ win over Atlantic at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
“When we first got to run out on the field, it didn’t even feel real,” Schmitt said. “The grass was so short it was like a putting green. It truly was an amazing experience being able to play on such a nice field.”
For Neal, he can always say he was the winning pitcher in a baseball game at Busch Stadium.
Clarinda senior Kort Neal pitches Sunday, June 28, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Neal was the winning pitcher, throwing six innings in a win over Atlantic.
“It was an unreal experience from getting to see the field for the first time and walking around the stadium and on the field was really cool,” Neal said. “The experience was a dream come true. Just looking around the stadium felt unreal. And the win made it even better.”
The Clarinda Cardinals arrived at the stadium late morning and were able to watch the St. Louis Cardinals’ game Sunday afternoon as they beat the Miami Marlins 2-1. The three Clarinda seniors were also able to watch Cardinals batting practice before the game from the field.
As for Clarinda’s game, which took place after the St. Louis/Miami contest, it couldn’t have started out any better when Nolan Wagoner smashed a double off the base of the wall in left field, and then Creighton Bird followed with a triple down the right field line. It was the first of two hits for both players as the Cardinals scored four runs in the first and added four in the second.
Clarinda senior Jordan Butt applies the tag on an Atlantic athlete Sunday, June 28, during a Cardinal win over the Trojans at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
For Neal, offense like that in any game, much less one inside a Major League ballpark, calms the nerves a bit for the pitcher.
“I would say I pitched pretty well and it felt good to give the team six strong innings,” Neal said. “I was able to relax since my teammates did a great job of putting runs on the board early and adding on throughout the game.”
Ryan Wagoner also had two hits for Clarinda, to go with three runs scored and an RBI. Hayden Hash doubled and drove in two runs. Hash and Ryan Wagoner also had a stolen base. Jake Smith also had a hit for Clarinda.
Connor Luzmoor and Baylor Hash also started for Clarinda. Emmett Comer and Dax Tomkinson each came to the plate and Wyatt Manes and Zander Berning came on as courtesy runners.
Clarinda controlled the game, leading 10-1 after 2 ½ innings and 12-4 going into the bottom of the fifth. Atlantic scored four off Schmitt in the bottom of the seventh for the final margin.
The teams had a set time limit to play and with time still remaining at the conclusion of the varsity contest, the junior varsity squads for both teams got to see some at-bats and play the field after the varsity game was complete.
Clarinda improved to 9-14 on the season and 7-12 in the Hawkeye 10 Conference. The Cardinals wrap up the regular season Thursday afternoon with a home game against Creston.
Schmitt said just being at Busch Stadium was incredible, saying the outfield view with the Arch in the background was awesome to see, but added playing and winning a game at Busch Stadium made everything an “unforgettable experience.”
