Photo by Jake Olson: North Union's Max Merrill celebrates his lone hit during Monday night's contest against Lake Mills at Bancroft Memorial Field.

BANCROFT – Logging four strikeouts in a single inning is an oddity in the sport of baseball. Lake Mills pitcher Leif Rogne saw this happen twice during his start against North Union on Monday night.

Rogne picked up his 12th strikeout of the contest following his dazzling fifth and sixth inning performances. Fanning eight of nine Warrior batters in that stretch, the sophomore’s shutout showing helped the Bulldogs claim a 3-0 victory at Bancroft Memorial Park.

“We need to be consistent in all phases; fielding, pitching, and hitting,” North Union head coach Cory Rezac said. “Tonight, the hitting just wasn’t there, at least timely hitting, but overall, our numbers weren’t as good.”

Timely hitting was the sole difference in this contest. Lake Mills just slightly out-hit the Warriors eight to five. However, the Bulldogs made it count with runners on second or third. North Union failed to do so.

Lake Mills got things started with the help of some speed on the basepaths. After a quick 1-2-3 inning from Wiley Stevens on the mound, Stephen Brandenburg’s leadoff single in the second was quickly followed by a stolen base and a passed ball.

Lance Sprecher made the run official with his drive through the left side of the infield plating the game’s first run. Stevens managed to strand three runners after forcing Nash Delger to ground out to his middle infield.

The epitome of North Union’s offense on Monday boiled down to the second and third innings. The Warriors recorded four hits and drew a walk in this frame, but ultimately left all five runners on base. Multiple chances to drive in a game-tying or leading run that just fell short.

Rogne got out of the final jam with an emphatic strikeout on Cole Nicoson to leave the bases loaded in the third frame.

Stevens’ night ended after giving up two more Bulldog runs in the fourth. Mason Helgeson and Asher Reese struck quickly on the junior with consecutive singles at the bottom of Lake Mills’ batting order.

Delger added to his team’s lead with a deep sacrifice flyout to center field, giving Helgeson plenty of time to jog and touch home plate. Rogne helped himself out by slashing his first hit of the night towards left field. The pitcher slid into second base as the Bulldogs’ second and final run of the inning jogged back to their dugout.

Stevens’ final stat line showed three earned runs and five hits, striking out one. Max Merrill aided the Warriors with his relief appearance in the fifth. The junior did his part in holding Lake Mills scoreless the rest of the way, including a runners on first and second situation in the seventh inning that gave North Union one more chance. Merrill finished with four strikeouts and three allowed hits over the final stretch.

But Rogne kept settling into the game. After a three-up, three-down inning in the fourth, Rogne threw his pair of four-strikeout frames to close out his night. Braylon Hanson got the nod to close things out and did just that. Three quick outs forced by the freshman helped the Bulldogs seal things off.

North Union now awaits its first action of the 2026 postseason. The Warriors will travel to the Westfork Baseball Complex this Friday to take on West Hancock in the opening round of the IHSAA 1A, Substrate 2 bracket. This winner will take on Newman Catholic next Tuesday.