Storm Lake falls 13-9 to Newell-Fonda in 10-inning opener
Storm Lake’s bats answered every punch, but a six-run sixth and four-run 10th left the Tornadoes exposed in a 13-9 opener loss to Newell-Fonda.
Storm Lake showed enough offense to hang with Newell-Fonda, but the Tornadoes also showed why closing out a long game remains a test. At Tornado Field on Tuesday, May 26, the season opener turned into a 10-inning slugfest before the Newell-Fonda Mustangs pulled away late for a 13-9 win in Buena Vista County.
The Tornadoes grabbed control early when Avery DeHaan launched a three-run home run in the third inning. That blast helped Storm Lake build a 4-0 lead after another run scored on a groundout, giving the home crowd a glimpse of what the lineup can do when it strings together pressure at the plate. Storm Lake kept producing throughout the night and finished with 12 hits, including a 4-for-6 performance from DeHaan with a homer, a double and five RBI.
Newell-Fonda answered as the game tightened, then swung the momentum hard in the top of the sixth. The Mustangs scored six runs in the inning to take an 8-4 lead, turning what had looked like a comfortable Storm Lake start into a chase. The Tornadoes responded immediately in the bottom half, plating five runs of their own to retake a 9-8 lead and keep the opener in full doubt. The two teams combined for 11 runs in the sixth alone, a burst that defined the night.
Storm Lake could not make the late lead stand. Newell-Fonda pushed the game to extra innings and then broke it open with four runs in the 10th, finishing with 14 hits and handing the Tornadoes a loss that was less about a lack of offense than about the final innings. Jocee Walsh pitched seven innings for the Mustangs and earned the win.
The result fits a familiar recent pattern between the programs. Bound’s matchup page had Newell-Fonda ahead 12-4 in games since 2007 entering the meeting, and Storm Lake’s 2025 season opener at Newell-Fonda ended in a 5-1 Tornadoes victory. This one looked different from the start, but it still carried the same lesson for Storm Lake: the offense can trade blows, yet the last few innings will decide whether those swings become wins.
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