The Class 3A #4 Pella baseball team secured the series win in the 2025 edition of the Tulip City Showdown Friday night, sweeping cross-town rival Pella Christian 8-1 and 5-0 in a doubleheader heard live on the KRLS2 stream.

The Dutch struck first in the opener with a Samuel Carlson RBI single in the bottom of the first inning, only for the Eagles to answer back and tied the game in the top of the second with Eliot Menninga RBI single. The Pella offense began to pull away from Pella Christian starting in the bottom of the second, as the Dutch plated one run in each of the second and third innings, before Lake Cowman blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to push the lead to 5-1. Pella added on some insurance runs in the sixth inning, plating another three runs before recording a 1-2-3 top of the seventh to secure the game one win.

The nightcap featured a pitchers duel between Pella’s Hayes Lautenbach and Pella Christian’s Grant Kelderman. Both pitchers cruised through the first three innings of a 0-0 ballgame, combining to allow just three base runners on two hit by pitches and one hit. The Dutch finally broke through in the fourth, as Carlson drew a walk, advanced to third on an Eagles error, and scored on a wild pitch to push Pella in front 1-0. The Dutch used patient at-bats in the fifth inning to load the bases with two walks and a hit-by-pitch, and after a Pella Christian pitching change, Nathan Carey drew another walk to plate a run before Cowman cleared the bases with a double to end the scoring in game two.

Pella got two complete game victories from their starters, with Nathan VandeLune recording nine strikeouts while allowing just one unearned run on four hits in the opener, and Lautenbach posting 11 strikeouts while allowing just three hits and no runs on 86 pitches. Menninga suffered the loss in game one for Pella Christian, while Kelderman took the game two loss.

Carlson and Cowman led the Dutch offense in the two wins on the night. Carlson reached base safely in five of his six plate appearances, going 3-4 at the plate with a walk, a hit by pitch, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Cowman went 4-6 in the doubleheader with a home run and a double, while adding seven RBIs and a run scored. Menninga and Josiah Vink were the lone Eagles to have multi-hit games, as Menninga went 2-3 with an RBI in the opener and Vink went 2-3 in the nightcap.

Pella improved to 10-3 overall and 6-2 in the Little Hawkeye Conference with the sweep, while Pella Christian fell to 2-9 overall and 0-7 in the conference. The Eagles baseball team is back in action today at the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont tournament, while the Dutch are off until traveling to Ballard Monday for a 7 pm game.