And, boy, did it ever show.

A work of art it was not, but WCHS managed to survive and extend its North Central Conference winning streak to 27 games, 14-9. The Lynx trailed 4-0 early, but eventually built a six-run cushion by the sixth inning only to see it trimmed to one.

Still, a win is a win is a win, right?

“As a team effort, it wasn’t there,” WCHS junior shortstop Ty McKinney said. “We had some hits and we started off a little hot, but after that we acted like the game was over. We’ve got to keep the foot on the pedal the whole game and we didn’t do that.”

WCHS 8th grader Matthew Tesdahl makes the long throw from third to first for the out during a 14-9 win over Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Friday night. It was the Lynx 27th straight NCC victory. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WCHS (7-4, 3-0 NCC) extended its winning streak over CGD (3-8, 0-3 NCC) to 12 games, and the Lynx have outscored the Cowboys by an average of 10 runs over that span. CGD has not beaten WCHS since July 8, 2015.

The latest win was anything but easy though. CGD scored four times in its first at bat to put the Lynx on notice, and it finished with eight hits.

WCHS was pretty salty at the plate too. It answered the Cowboys’ early assault with four runs of its own in the first inning and then four more in the second to seize the lead for good. The first three batters in the order — McKinney, Devon Stoakes and CJ Hisler — were a combined 6 for 6 with three extra-base hits and five RBIs in the first and second innings alone. Hisler put a cap on the early onslaught with a three-run home run — his first of the season — to center field.

That all sounds good, and at times it was, but there were plenty of lulls as well. WCHS committed three errors that led to four unearned runs, all of them coming during the Cowboys’ five-run sixth frame that pulled them within 10-9.

Both teams had pitching staffs that were exhausted after a long week. Six hurlers combined to walk 15 batters and hit three others. It led to a game that took closer to three hours and two to complete.

WCHS junior CJ Hisler (right) is greeted by head coach Adison Kehoe as he rounds third following his three-run home run against Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Friday night in Webster City. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WCHS head coach Adison Kehoe wasn’t about to use the long week as an excuse though. Simply put, he says his team needs to learn how to be ready to go from the first pitch.

“I’ve heard some mutterings that it’s four games in a row, but we’ve got five next week,” he said. “The big thing I told the guys is we have yet to have a complete game. I don’t want to hear about being young or pitching … you have a jersey on for a reason. We were fortunate to be on the right side of the scoreboard in this one.”

Lynx starting pitcher Devon Stoakes had it on cruise control after the first-inning blip. He struck out 11 batters and owned a 10-4 lead when he hit his pitch limit with one out in the sixth. Keegan Hisler and Brady Asklund went the remainder of the way and held the Cowboys off.

CGD had the bases loaded and a chance to take the lead with one more hit in the top of the sixth when Asklund got Carsen Nesheim to bounce out to McKinney at short.

Two-RBI singles by Stoakes and Keegan Hisler in the bottom of the sixth extended the Lynx lead back to five runs, and Asklund worked out of a seventh-inning jam with a pair of strikeouts.

WCHS second baseman Trevyn Lyons (9) flips the ball to first base during Friday’s 14-9 victory over Clarion-Goldfield-Dows at Lynx Field. WCHS improved to 7-4 and 3-0 in the NCC with the win. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WCHS rattled off 14 hits, seven of which went for extra bases. Stoakes fell a home run short of the cycle and finished 4 for 4 with four RBIs. Connor Hanson went 3 for 5 with two doubles and an RBI. Briar Klaver joined McKinney and CJ Hisler with two hits. CJ Hisler drove in a game-high five RBIs.

Cael Chase led the CGD offense with a 3 for 5 performance that included a double and three RBIs. Mason Allen drove in two runs.

WCHS will make the trek north to take on Algona (6-7, 4-0 NCC) this evening at 7:30 p.m. The Lynx have won the previous five meetings since Algona handed them their last NCC loss, 5-4, on July 8, 2019.

Webster City 14, CGD 9

Friday at Webster City

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

CGD 400 005 0 — 9 8 2

Webster City 440 024 x — 14 14 3

Carsen Nesheim, Thane Jackson (3), Preston Gardner (6) and Mason Allen. Devon Stoakes, Keegan Hisler (6), Brady Asklund (6) and Josh Stansfield. W — Stoakes. L — Nesheim. Multiple hits — CGD: Cael Chase (3), Jackson; WC: Stoakes (4), Connor Hanson (3), Ty McKinney, CJ Hisler, Briar Klaver. 2B — CGD: Jackson, Chase, Caden Hankins; WC: Hanson (2), McKinney, Stoakes, Klaver. 3B — WC: Stoakes. HR — WC: CJ Hisler. RBI — CGD: Chase (3), Allen (2), Hankins, Nevan Foss; WC: CJ Hisler (5), Stoakes (4), K. Hisler (2), Hanson.

THE STREAK

A game-by-game look at Webster City’s current 27-game NCC winning streak.

Date Opponent Score

July 10, 2019 Humboldt 11-4

July 15, 2019 IF-Alden 11-3

June 15, 2020 H-D/CAL 4-0

June 17, 2020 Algona 7-6

June 22, 2020 Cl. Lake 8-1

July 1, 2020 CGD 16-0

July 3, 2020 H-D/CAL 12-2

July 6, 2020 Algona 15-5

July 8, 2020 Humboldt 5-2

July 13, 2020 IF-Alden 14-0

June 2, 2021 Cl. Lake 6-3

June 4, 2021 CGD 14-3

June 7, 2021 Algona 10-0

June 9, 2021 St. Ed’s 11-1

June 14, 2021 IF-Alden 3-2

June 16, 2021 Humboldt 11-1

June 21, 2021 Cl. Lake 10-1

June 23, 2021 H-D/CAL 15-9

June 28, 2021 CGD 12-0

June 30, 2021 St. Ed’s 10-0

July 2, 2021 IF-Alden 12-0

July 5, 2021 Humboldt 3-1

July 7, 2021 H-D/CAL 13-3

July 12, 2021 Algona 10-0

May 27, 2022 Humboldt 6-0

June 1, 2022 Cl. Lake 11-1

June 3, 2022 CGD 14-9