Patriots split with Rangers
The Pequot Lakes Patriots' baseball team split a Mid-State Conference doubleheader at Crosby-Ironton on Monday, May 17. The Patriots won the first game 8-5 while the Rangers came back to win the nightcap 2-1.
In the opener, Pequot Lakes took advantage of nine C-I errors to win. The Patriots had seven hits, including two each by Nathan Lehman, Jordan Severance and Kurtis Moody. Severance was also the winning pitcher as the Rangers finished with six hits.
In the second game, C-I pitcher Mark Hoge tossed a one-hitter while striking out eight Patriots. Bryan Yackley was the losing pitcher against the Rangers, who finished with six hits. Hoge was 2-for-3 at the plate for C-I, which committed six errors.
The Patriots, 1-7 in the conference and 2-9 overall, were scheduled to host Aitkin in a Mid-State game on Tuesday, May 18, are scheduled to host Pine River-Backus on Friday, May 21, and then play at Sebeka on Monday, May 24.
DL sweeps Patriots
Pequot Lakes, which hadn't played a game in almost two weeks because of inclement weather, returned to action on Friday, May 14, at home against Detroit Lakes.
The Patriots lost the opener 10-2 as the Lakers pounded out 11 hits and three home runs. In the second game, Pequot Lakes enjoyed a 3-0 lead before Detroit Lakes rallied with four runs in the seventh inning to win 4-3.
In the opener, the Lakers scored in the first inning when Lehman hit the leadoff batter, and Connor McLead belted a two-run homer. They eventually added another run for an early 3-0 lead.
The Patriots pulled to within 3-2 in the third when Nick Lindner walked, Jacob Box singled and Severance rapped a two-run double.
The Lakers added a single run in the fourth on a Tyler Fode home run, and another run in the sixth to make it 5-2.
The visitors then put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh with five more runs, sparked by T.J. Manning's two-run homer, and Andy Pedersen's two-run double.
Brock Johnson was the winning pitcher while Lehman took the loss. The Patriots' Severance finished with two doubles and was 3-for-4 while Yackley was 3-for-3. The Lakers enjoyed an 11-9 advantage in hits.
In the second game, the Patriots scored three times in the fifth against Lakers' pitcher Alex Guetter. It started when Yackley singled with two outs, Travis Noska belted an RBI single, Jacob Box added an infield single and later scored on a wild pitch, and Michael Van Kleeck drilled an RBI single.
The runs gave Pequot Lakes' pitcher Tom LaRue a 3-0 advantage heading into the final inning. LaRue had allowed just three singles through six innings, including retiring the first nine hitters of the game. He also received help from teammates who played errorless ball through six innings.
In the seventh, LaRue walked the Lakers' leadoff batter, before striking out the second batter. He then had full counts on the next two hitters before walking them both to load the bases.
Bret Provo then lined a bases-loaded double to make it 3-3. Connor McLead then singled in the winning run for Detroit Lakes. Pequot Lakes coach Kyle Spray then brought in Yackley and he struck out T. J. Manning for the final out.
"The second game was a tough loss for us as Tommy (LaRue) had pitched a great game," Spray said. "I might have left him in as pitcher too long."
The Patriots did have a promising start in the bottom of the seventh when pinch-hitter Cole Humphrey doubled to left-center off the base of the fence, and Lindner reached on an infield single. But Pequot Lakes wasn't able to score and the threat ended.
Yackley was 2-for-3 and Box 2-for-4 while Provo was 3-for-4 with three RBI for the Lakers.
