A few moments later the Webster City freshman was quickly flexing as he stood on second base as the hero of the moment.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth inning, Klaver busted up a 3-all tie against Saydel by belting a double into the gap in right-center that cleared the bases and put WCHS in the driver’s seat for good in a 9-4 victory.

Looking for a fastball from Eagles’ pitcher Dakota Ellis, Klaver stayed on the offering on the outside portion of the plate and drove it the other way.

“I’m just trying to put the ball in play and not strikeout,” Klaver, who went 2 for 3 with three RBIs and is 6 for 8 over the last two outings, said afterwards. “We’ve worked a lot this year on just trying to take it where the ball is pitched.”

Freshman Beau Klaver claps after clearing the bases with a three-run double in the fifth inning that gave WCHS the lead for good. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WCHS head coach Adison Kehoe wasn’t surprised his first-year starter came through in the clutch.

“We’ve done nothing but work on outside pitches for the last two weeks and he’s now reaping the benefits,” Kehoe said. “To do what he’s already done as a freshman this early in the season, that’s really promising.”

Another Lynx freshman did his part as well, as right-handed pitcher Zach Dyvig earned the first win of his career after going five innings on the bump. After a rocky opening inning in which he allowed two hits and three runs, Dyvig settled down and allowed just four more hits over the next four innings. With a biting curveball that had the Eagles flailing away, Dyvig struck out eight.

“Aside from that first inning, it was beautiful,” Kehoe said of Dyvig’s performance. “He’s got that pitcher’s mentality where you don’t really see him show much emotion, but he’s always ready to mentally grind. He just gets it.”

Trailing 3-0 before it came to bat, WCHS (4-3) got two back right away on a two-out line-drive single to center by Sean Carver that brought Tyler Olson and Elijah Killian, the courtesy runner for Devon Stoakes, to the dish.

WCHS freshman Zach Dyvig goes to work on the mound in the first inning against Saydel on Tuesday at Lynx Field. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

A lead-off double to deep left by Olson in the third set the stage for the Lynx to draw even at 3. Two batters later, Dylan Steen smoked a shot into center to score Olson.

“(Rallying from behind) feels really good because we haven’t been in that situation before,” Klaver said. “Coach Kehoe said we had to see what we were made of after the top of the first and we did that.”

Ahead 6-3, WCHS added three more insurance runs in the sixth inning to put Saydel (0-4) away. Ty McKinney, one of three eighth graders in the starting lineup, set the wheels in motion with a lead-off base hit down the left-field line and he eventually scored on an Olson fly ball to right field.

Steen, who went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, fooled the entire Saydel outfield when he sent an Ellis offering into orbit. None of the Eagles could find the ball in the dark sky and it landed deep in the gap in left-center for a two-run double.

Klaver took over on the mound for Dyvig in the sixth and allowed an unearned run. Saydel put two runners aboard to open the seventh inning when Kehoe gave the ball to Steen, a returning all-state pitcher. He quickly retired three straight batters to send WCHS to its second consecutive victory.

WCHS senior Dylan Steen (right) converses with head coach Adison Kehoe during a Saydel pitching change Tuesday night. Steen went 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs in the Lynx 9-4 win. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

The Lynx finished with 11 hits and stranded just four runners on base.

“The hits we didn’t get last week, we’re starting to get those now,” Kehoe said. “It’s been fun to see how our approach has changed even in a week.”

Carver joined Klaver with two hits. Devon Stoakes added a single and two runs scored. Caleb Olson beat out an infield single in the fifth and scored on Klaver’s gap shot.

The Lynx busy week continued last night when they hosted North Central Conference rival Fort Dodge St. Edmond. They’ll hit the road to take on Pocahontas Area this evening.

Webster City 9, Saydel 4

WCHS shortstop Tyler Olson makes a sliding backhanded stab at a hard shot in the hole against Saydel on Tuesday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Tuesday at Webster City

Saydel 300 001 0 — 4 9 1

Web City 201 033 x — 9 11 3

Cash Lee, Dakota Ellis (3) and Skylar Cardenas. Zach Dyvig, Beau Klaver (6), Dylan Steen (7) and Devon Stoakes. WP — Dyvig. LP — Ellis. Multiple hits — SAY: Cal Gebheart, Payton Swafford; WC: Steen (3), Klaver, Sean Carver. 2B — SAY: Lee, Dakota Ellsworth; WC: Steen, Klaver, Tyler Olson. RBI — SAY: Austin Pyles (2), Ellsworth, Cardenas; WC: Steen (3), Klaver (3), Carver (2), T. Olson.