97th Article at the Independent

SECTION 3A BASEBALL: Eight-run innings propel LQPV and MCC to victory in Section 3A tournament

CHRIS DRUMMOND

cdrummond@marshallindependent.com

MILROY — All facing elimination, the Murray County Central, Dawson-Boyd and Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove baseball teams knew they needed to put together a solid performance in order to keep their seasons alive. MCC squared off against Dawson-Boyd while RRC/WWG took on Lac qui Parle Valley and there were two things that were eerily similar from both contests of the Section 3A baseball playoffs. First, both games ended in five innings and lastly, both teams that won used an eight-run inning to secure the victory.

In game one, after DB went 1-2-3 to open the game, the Rebels put three runs on the board with a Abram Paulzine RBI double that was smoked past the second baseman and went into left-center field. Teammate starting pitcher Peyton Coulter hit a two-run single to left field, giving the Rebels a 3-0 lead after the first.

DB starting pitcher Tygan Long had a sacrifice fly to put them on the board, but that is all they would score. The very next inning the Rebels scored eight runs including a line drive single to center field scoring two runs by outfielder Carter Benda and culminating in hitting another double all the way to the wall by Paulzine, which drove in three more runs and put the game out of reach with a 12-1 lead after three innings. Paulzine would lead the team in RBIs with four and hits with two. The Rebels would go on to win 12-1 in five innings.

MCC head coach Nathan Wieneke spoke on the team’s performance in the game.

“It was a do-or-die situation and I could tell on the bus ride here, we were locked in, focused,” Wieneke said. Wieneke added that the word resilient really fits this team well now and also added that the message to the team is that every game is do-or-die and he will be proud of the team regardless of the result but wants the team to enjoy the win and get locked back in for Saturday

DB head coach Daren Swenson talked about his team’s season coming to an end and what can they improve on for next season.

“Right away they came off hitting the ball, a few errors killed us today too but MCC is a good hitting team,” Swenson said. “The best thing we talked about is to be able to just move on to the next pitch, don’t dwell on the past, just continue to execute and move on to the next pitch.”

DB celebrates five seniors on the team in Codie Johnson, Ryan Lund, Brayden Hahn, Aric Gruwell and Braxton Hahn.

MCC advances to the next round where they will play the Lac Qui Parle Valley Eagles in Milroy on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

In game two, despite both LQPV and RRC/WWG scoring in the first inning with one run apiece, it was the Eagles that took charge of the game. The Eagles would score eight runs in the next inning, giving them a 9-1 lead after two innings. The Falcons would score one more run, but was completely overmatched by the offense of the Eagles. The Eagles scored six more runs in the ballgame and would go on to win 15-2 in five innings of play.

RRC/WWG head coach Derrick Jenniges assessed his team’s play as their season came to an end.

“I thought the first inning was an intense inning and seven innings of that would have been a fun night,” Jenniges said. “The second inning we made errors, gave bases and when you do that you’re going to give up runs. We just couldn’t get the hits that they were able to get. It was a great run and we’ve got a lot of young players here for next season.”

Jenniges added that he wants his players to play in the summer, which will improve their game and sharpen their skills for the next baseball season. He feels that’s the only way to improve is to play over the summer. Lastly, Jenniges talked about the impact of the seniors on the team.

“Seniors on every team has been through a lot, missed sophomore year due to COVID-19,” Jenniges said. “To see them play a full season and help their team win a couple of playoffs games two years in a row is something to tip their hat on. We wish them the best in the future and hope they created memories and friendships that last a lifetime.”

RRC//WWG celebrates seven seniors in Orion Knakmuhs, Gavin Hesse, Brandon Hensch, Jackson Shannon, Cole VanDeWiele, Joseph Strock and Ben Hansen.

Game 1

DB 010 00 – 1

MCC 318 0x – 12

Hitting: MCC (Benda 1-4, 2 RBI; Paulzine 2-3, 4 RBI; Tentinger 1-3, 2 RBI; Coulter 2-3, 2 RBI; Degreef 1-3, RBI; Graphenteen 1-3); DB (Hahn 1-2, Swenson 2-3; Johnson 1-2; Gruwell 1-2).

Pitching (IP-R-ER-H-BB-SO): MCC (Coulter 5-1-1-5-2-7); DB (Long 0.3-3-3-3-1-0; Johnson 2-9-0-5-1-3; Hahn 1.1-0-0-0-1-1)..