Playoff baseball returns to 106.1 FM tonight as a pair of area teams are eyeing a spot in the district championship. Sigourney welcomes the Lone Tree Lions in the second round of the Class 1A playoffs and it all goes down on KCII.

The Savages made quick work of English Valleys in round one, eliminating the Bears 18-0 in three and a half innings. Twelve of the team’s 14 hits came from Jake Moore, Cole McKay, and Caden Clarahan, who were each perfect at the plate with 4 RBIs. This included Clarahan’s sixth home run of the year. While the top of the Sigourney lineup did its thing, Reid Molyneux allowed just two hits on the mound, striking out eight. Evidently unphased by losing their last two regular season games, the Savages bumped their team average to .347, sixth-best in 1A. Sigourney’s offense is also top 10 in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs, doubles, and RBIs. They’ve paired this with a team ERA of 2.78. Caden Clarahan, Chase Clarahan, and Reid Molyneux have been the primary options at pitcher, each with at least four wins on the bump.

In the opposite dugout tonight are the Lone Tree Lions, returning to Sigourney after their opening-round win over Highland 9-3. Tied at 2 apiece in the second inning, Lone Tree added two runs in the third and four in the fifth to separate themselves from the Huskies and keep their season alive. Ethan Bockelman knocked in three of those runs and scored one himself as part of a 3-4 evening. Six Lions had multiple hits Saturday, giving pitcher Jack Patterson ample support. In six and a third, the junior fanned nine before freshman Owen Eden earned the last two outs. Lone Tree is hitting .265 as a team, led by Emmett Burke at .483. The Lions average four fewer runs per game than the Savages, with nearly half the total bases. Patterson has tossed more than 40 percent of Lone Tree’s innings on the mound for a staff that holds a 7.21 ERA. These teams have met twice in the last 15 years, splitting the contests. The Savages earned the latest win, a 12-2 decision in 2022.

Hear live playoff action on FM 106.1, the KCII1 App, or KCIIradio.com tonight when the Savages and Lions clash in the district semifinals. Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with first pitch live from Sigourney at 7.