ORANGE CITY/KINGSLEY — Kingsley-Pierson’s baseball pitching was sharp during victories on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Jackson Nissen pitched shutout baseball in the last six innings of Tuesday night’s 7-1 win over Unity Christian at MOC-Floyd Valley’s diamond. Twenty-four hours later, Landon Koch had a perfect game going for the first four innings of an 11-1 win over Sioux Central at Stevens Field.
Nissen, Huisinga shine against Unity
Jackson Nissen pitched a lot like his old self as the Panthers avenged a 2-0 loss to Unity Christian which occurred on May 25 at the Marv Thelen Memorial Tournament hosted by Remsen St. Mary’s.
Nissen (3-2) yielded a first-inning run, but was stunning the rest of the way, striking out seven in the victory that ended a two-game losing streak. He allowed seven hits and two walks.
Nissen had gone 6-0 as a both a sophom*ore and a junior for Kingsley-Pierson squads that reached the semifinals of the Class 1A state tournament.
“He threw a gem,” said Kingsley-Pierson coach Taylor Doeschot. “He gave up three hits to the outfield and three infield hits. Unity Christian has a lot of speed, so there were a few hits a little softly to the infield and they beat it out. He had command of his three pitches, painted the zone really well and when you do that, you’re going to have success.”
The six third-inning runs which the Panthers scored was their second-highest total of the season. Wyatt Huisinga contributed to two-thirds of the scoring in the frame.
Huisinga was a member of the KP-WC-RV shuttle hurdle relay team that competed at the Class 2A state meet and a sixth-place finisher in the discus (158-01). He had drilled a three-run double and shortly after recording his second double of the season, he stole home.
“His three-run double opened up the game for us,” said Doeschot. “I don’t know the last time we had a six-run inning where we hit the ball and runners were moving, stealing bases and kept the pressure on for a stretch of eight or nine batters. It was much needed. The boys got really energized after that. It was an awesome night for Wyatt.”
Five of Kingsley-Pierson’s eight hits came from the No. 5 to No. 8 batters. Huisinga, the No. 7 batter, was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and stole two bases. Jameson Sistrunk (No. 5) singled while Kevin Wright (No. 6) and Colton Kurtz (No. 8) each singled in the fifth inning, Wright scoring his second run of the night on a balk.
Howe loses perfect game, but K-P wins
Landon Howe flirted with perfection Wednesday night.
The sophom*ore right-hander from Kingsley-Pierson had not allowed a hit or walk in the first four innings. He lost his perfect game when Sioux Central’s Peyton Otto singled to lead off the fifth inning and eventually scored.
Still, it was a sharp outing for Howe, who allowed one hit and three walks while striking out seven as Kingsley-Pierson improved to 14-10 on the season with an 11-1, five-inning non-conference win over the Rebels at Stevens Field. Howe (4-0) is the pitching staff’s win leader headed into the final week of the regular season.
“His fastball was really lively tonight,” said Kingsley-Pierson coach Taylor Doeschot. “He kind of felt good with that, so he rode with that most of the night. When he needed to command his curveball, he did that as well. It was a great all-around performance for Lando.”
Tyler Koch was 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the Panthers’ second straight win. Koch, a .333 batter who delivered an RBI double in the first inning, gave the home team a walk-off win, leading off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run.
It was the first home run of the season for Koch, the No. 3 batter in the Panthers’ order.
“Koch has barreled a lot of balls with a lot of them being caught in deep left field,” said Doeschot. “He finally caught that perfect spot on the barrel and got one out. I’m super-happy for him because he is a guy who has been close a lot of times this year.”
The Panthers began to put the game out of reach in the third inning, stretching a 2-0 lead by scoring five runs. Kevin Wright, sixth in the batting order, belted a two-run triple in the frame while No. 9 batter Wyatt Klaschen delivered a two-run single.
Wyatt Huisinga hit an RBI single in the Panthers’ three-run fourth inning. Easton Nissen drove in two runs while Howe singled and walked twice.
