Bucs hold off Huskies in BSC baseball game, 8-6

BLUE EARTH -- Blue Earth Area shifted gears from an offensive perspective on Friday, but still managed to exit the Veterans Memorial ballpark with a victory in hand.

The hometown Bucs combined six hits -- half of them for extra bases -- with seven drawn walks, two hit batters and five Jackson County Central errors to manufacture an 8-6 Big South Conference baseball triumph over the visiting Huskies in Blue Earth.

"We struggled producing the big hit with runners on base today, so we had to use a little 'small-ball' approach," said Blue Earth Area head coach Todd Schmidtke, whose potent batting order entered the league game averaging 17.3 runs in its first six games of the schedule. "Our situational strategy finally paid dividends in the bottom of the sixth to break the tie, but give Jackson County Central credit for battling to the very end."

Tied at 3-all, the Bucs capitalized on back-to-back walks from Huskies' second reliever Carter Ahrens to open their sixth at-bat. With Parker Meyers and Kean Hicks at first and second, respectively, Schmidtke opted to have No. 9 batter Luke Schonborn bunt to move both runners into scoring position.

The fleet-footed Schonborn dropped down a perfect bunt along the first base line and legged out a hit to load the bases for Keegan O'Brien.

Ironically, the Bucs plated back-to-back runs without putting the baseball in play. Huskies catcher Mason Pohlman sailed a potential pickoff throw into left field to allow Meyers to score the go-ahead run at 4-3. Hicks, who moved to third on the throwing error, then alertly raced home when O'Brien struck out and Pohlman threw to first base on the dropped third strike.

Adam Schavey then displayed his bat-handling skills by dropping down a perfectly-timed suicide-squeeze bunt to plate the hustling Schonborn for a 6-3 gap. JCC's final reliever Levi Lindley then plunked Anders Fering before Luke Mertens reached on an error.

Fering and Mertens, a pair of offensive linemen for the University of Wisconsin-Stout football team in the upcoming fall, then executed a double steal for another Buc run. Ryan Madetzke then drilled an RBI double to cap BEA's five-run outburst for an 8-3 lead after six completed innings.

The Huskies, however, answered with three runs in the top of the seventh to slice the final margin of victory to 8-6. Gabe Wolff was hit by a Logan O'Hara offering, Lucas Vesey reached on an error and Damien Phaly followed with an RBI single.

One out later, Payton Handevidt walked to load the bases for JCC before Lindley singled home a pair of runs to put runners on first and second. O'Hara, however, recorded a clutch strikeout and got a ground out to exit the mound with the win in relief.

O'Hara allowed three runs -- two earned -- on three hits in 2 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out three, walked one and hit two batters. O'Brien started on the hill, giving up three runs -- two earned -- on six hits in 4 2/3 frames. O'Brien struck out four and issued six walks.

The Bucs combined O'Brien's leadoff double with Fering's RBI single to grab a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

Schavey later was plunked, advanced 90 feet on an errant pickoff attempt at first base, reached third on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch to account for BEA's next solo run in the third.

Schonborn, who went 2-for-3, lined a one-out double, gained third on a wild pitch and later scored on Schavey's infield hit to third to generate the Bucs' third run in the fourth.

Lindley, Gavin Jacobsen and Phaly each collected two hits for JCC, with Lindley, Jacobsen, Leighton Polz and Wolff each smacking doubles.

Ahrens allowed three runs on one hit, walked three and did not record a strikeout in 1-plus inning of relief to absorb the loss for the Huskies.

Blue Earth Area (6-1) travels to Truman on Monday to face Truman/Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley-East Chain in a 4:30 p.m. non-league game.

Jackson County Central (2-2) hits the road to Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial on Monday for a nonconference contest.

JCC 010 020 3 -- 6 9 5

BEA 101 105 x -- 8 6 4

Logan Butzon, Trace Michelson (3), Carter Ahrens (5, LP), Levi Lindley (6) and Mason Pohlman. Keegan O'Brien, Logan O'Hara (5, WP) and Ryan Madetzke.

LOB--Jackson County Central 13; Blue Earth Area 7. 2B--Keegan O'Brien (BEA), Ryan Madetzke (BEA), Luke Schonborn (BEA), Levi Lindley (JCC), Gavin Jacobsen (JCC), Leighton Polz (JCC), Gabe Wolff (JCC). SF--Leighton Polz (JCC). SAC--Adam Schavey (BEA).

•

Luverne 3, Fairmont 2 -- Luverne scored the game-winning run on a Fairmont error with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning during Friday's Big South Conference contest in Luverne.

Trailing 1-0, Eli Anderson singled and later scored the equalizer when Landen Meyerdirk's fly ball to the outfield was dropped during the top of the fifth inning. Meyerdirk then scored the go-ahead run for Fairmont when Jackson Utermarck connected for an RBI double.

Luverne knotted the game at 2-all with a solo run in the home half of the fifth before netting the decisive run during its final at-bat of regulation.

Bailey Cowell tripled and scored a run for Luverne, Ethan Beyer singled and crossed the plate, while Brock Behrends doubled before courtesy runner Austin Ossefoort scored a run. Cade Wenninger collected two RBIs for Luverne via a sacrifice fly and a ground out.

Casey Sehr allowed one hit in 2 1/3 shutout innings of relief to notch the win for Luverne. Sehr struck out one without issuing a walk. Starting pitcher Connor Connell struck out eight and walked one in 4 2/3 innings of work to receive no decision. Connell allowed two unearned runs on three hits.

Jack Kosbab collected two of Fairmont's four hits.

Jacob Crissinger allowed three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits, struck out five and walked two in 6 2/3 innings of work to absorb the loss.

Fairmont (2-2) plays host to New Ulm in a 4:30 p.m. doubleheader on Monday at Herb Wolf Field.

Luverne plated the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to net a 6-5 decision over Fairmont during junior varsity action Friday.

Cooper Steuber doubled for two RBIs for Fairmont, while Preston Vaughn doubled home a run in the loss. Skylar Aukes added an RBI single for the visiting Cardinals.

Aden Welcome singled, while Cameron Schmidtke, Steuber, Welcome, Cole Wiemers and Tyler Kurt all scored runs.

Trevor Maakestad allowed three runs on four hits, struck out two and walked three in 5 1/3 innings pitched for Fairmont. Ben Moeller gave up three runs -- one earned -- on five hits, struck out four and walked one in 2 1/3 innings of relief.