The Pella baseball team secured the series win in the 2024 edition of the Tulip City Showdown Friday night, sweeping cross-town rival Pella Christian 11-1 in five innings and 9-4 in a doubleheader heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

The Dutch capitalized on every opportunity given to them in the opening game win, scoring 11 runs on five hits, three walks, four hit batters, and three Eagles errors to grab the run-rule victory. Pella held that momentum into the night cap, jumping out to a 2-0 lead at the end of the top of the second inning. Pella Christian tied the game back up at 2-2 in the bottom of the second, and that score held until the fifth. The Dutch broke through for four runs in the top of the fifth and the Eagles struck for two runs in the bottom of the frame, giving Pella a narrow 6-4 lead. With the outcome still hanging in the balance, the Dutch put the game away in the seventh, scoring three runs and recording a clean defensive inning to claim the season series.

Pella’s Isaiah Kettler terrorized the Eagles pitching staff throughout the doubleheader, going a combined 5-for-6 at the plate with six RBIs, five runs scored, two doubles, a triple, and a walk. Trevor Veenstra led the Pella Christian offense on the night, batting in three of the Eagles’ five runs in the two games. Samuel Carlson and Nathan Carey recorded the wins for Pella on the mound, while Grant Kelderman and Connor Van Zee suffered the losses for Pella Christian.

Both Tulip City baseball teams next compete against Norwalk, with Pella Christian hosting the Warriors on Monday and the Dutch hosting Norwalk on Wednesday.