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Three runs plated with two outs in the first inning for St. Michael-Albertville set the tone for an ever-growing deficit and a heavy 10-0 loss for Bemidji in just five innings on Tuesday in a Section 8AAAA baseball elimination quarterfinal at Cold Spring Baseball Park.
The Lumberjacks fell behind in the top half of the first inning despite a strikeout on the game’s first at-bat, as St. Michael-Albertville began what was a complete reversal of a 10-0 win in six innings for the Jacks in the teams’ previous meeting in early May. The Knights’ opening run came on a sharp base hit to right field with two outs.
An extension of the inning set up another chance with runners at second and third, leading to a two-run single off Bemidji starter Ty Lundeen. The ensuing throw home from center field was late, but a tag at second got the Jacks out of the inning down 3-0 on the scoreboard.
Walks and hit batters started to pile up against Bemidji in the second inning, setting the stage for the only hit of the frame–a two-run triple to right-center field that left the Jacks down 5-0.
New pitcher Hunter Brodina was able to settle in with help from a strikeout, but a wild pitch later in the second plated one more run for the Knights to lead 6-0 after two.
While the Jacks continued to struggle at the plate–including seeing runners erased on a pair of double plays–the Knights poured on four more runs in the third inning. A two-run double to take a 9-0 advantage was the main blow, as Bemidji suddenly found itself in danger of an early finish to the game.
A failure to ignite the offense over the next three innings left the Jacks going home with a five-inning loss–their largest margin of defeat all season by seven runs.
Bemidji finishes with a final record of 16-7 while graduating eight seniors: Ethan Biehn, Will Zellmann, Ty Lundeen, Ryan Loewe, Cam Justice, Hunter Brodina, Dan Clusiau, and Ben Corradi.
