Wolves double Mustangs

Charlie Sorrells - Sentinel Sports Editor
ARMSTRONG — Harris-Lake Park baseball mentor Jared Rahe took one glance at the American flag in right-center in Armstrong, and adjusted his batting order’s offensive strategy Monday.

Kyle Ingwersen closed his right-handed batting stance and delivered a game-best four hits and two RBIs to help guide the visiting Wolves to an 8-4 Corn Belt Conference victory over the Armstrong-Ringsted Mustangs.

“With that strong of a wind blowing in directly from left field, there was no way that a right-handed hitter was going to hit one with any authority into that,” said Rahe, a former top-notch hitter from North Kossuth High School. “Take the pitch to right.”

That’s exactly what Harris-Lake Park’s top three hitters – leadoff batter Nate Bruggeman, left-handed swinging Jay Duitsman and Ingwersen – did en route to producing three runs in the top of the first and three more in the second to build an early 6-1 edge.

“They just hit the ball where we weren’t today,” said Mustang head coach Ryan Luedtke.

Bruggeman and Duitsman opened the game with back-to-back singles before Ingwersen plated Bruggeman with an RBI single to the right side of center. Duitsman later crossed the plate on Kyle Kruger’s run-scoring fielder’s choice before Ingwersen slid home on a throwing error.

Armstrong-Ringsted, however, did capitalize on Harris-Lake Park’s lone error to tally a solo run during the home half of the first.

Brett Tigges reached on a one-out miscue, advanced 90 feet on Tyler Tonderum’s single, wheeled to third on a wild pitch and scored on Logan Anderson’s RBI groundout.

A Mustang error on Jake Ihnen’s grounder, a hit batter and back-to-back RBI doubles to right from Duitsman and Ingwersen triggered the Wolves’ three-run at-bat in the second.

Ingwersen later singled and scored on Cody VanderVeen’s perfectly-executed suicide squeeze bunt in the fourth to widen Harris-Lake Park’s lead to 7-1.

Armstrong-Ringsted, however, displayed its mettle by rallying for one run in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

Spencer Clausen, who went 2-for-3, drilled a leadoff double, tagged and moved to third on Ethan Eisenbacher’s deep flyout and scored on a wild pitch during the home half of the fifth.

Logan Anderson and Ridge Christiansen each collected their second hits of the game during the Mustangs’ sixth at-bat before both moved into scoring position on a double-steal. Shaun Ash then delivered both Anderson and Christiansen with a clutch two-run single with two out.

Christiansen and Clausen produced a pair of defensive gems for the Mustangs by turning back-to-back 6-4-3 double plays in the fifth and sixth before Clausen ended the seventh with a double play in the opposite direction. With the bases loaded, Clausen snagged a looping liner at second base and pegged a strike to third to double off the lead Wolves runner.

Anderson, Christiansen and Clausen each produced two hits for the Mustangs, while Jay Duitsman supplied three hits, including a double, and two RBIs for the Wolves.

Harris-Lake Park right-hander Nate Bruggeman allowed four runs – two earned – one eight hits, recorded seven strikeouts and did not issue a walk in seven innings of work to earn the complete-game victory.

Mustang starter Dillion McBride gave up seven runs – four earned – on 11 hits, struck out one, walked two and hit three in six innings to take the loss.

Eisenbacher gave up one unearned run on three hits and struck out two in one inning of relief.

Armstrong-Ringsted (5-5, 3-2 Corn Belt) faces Iowa Class 1A No. 3-ranked North Sentral Kossuth at 6 p.m. Thursday in Lone Rock, Iowa.

Harris-Lake Park (7-8, 2-2) plays host to Ruthven-Ayrshire at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Lake Park, Iowa.

HLP 330 100 1 – 8 14 1

A-R 100 012 0 – 4 8 4

Nate Bruggeman (WP) and Kyle Kruger. Dillion McBride (LP), Ethan Eisenbacher (7) and Tyler Tonderum.

LOB–Harris-Lake Park 11, Armstrong-Ringsted 5. 2B–Spencer Clausen (AR), Jay Duitsman (HLP), Kyle Ingwersen (HLP), Cody VanderVeen (HLP). SF–Kruger (HLP). SAC–Vander Veen (HLP), Jesse Duitsman (HLP).

Emmetsburg Tournament

Armstrong-Ringsted lost a pair of close games during Saturday’s tournament in Emmetsburg, Iowa.

Emmetsburg scored an 8-5 win over the Mustangs in Game 1.

Logan Anderson homered and singled with two RBIs for the Mustangs, Ridge Christiansen doubled, while Ethan Eisenbacher added an RBI hit.

Craig Tigges allowed eight runs on eight hits in seven innings. He struck out two and walked three for A-R.

Class 2A No. 9-ranked Westwood-Sloan squeezed out a 1-0, eight-inning decision over A-R in Game 2.

Christiansen took the loss, allowing one unearned run on seven hits in eight innings. He struck out 14 and walked three.

Dillion McBride and Brett Tigges each batted 3-for-4 for A-R.

Westwood-Sloan scored its run on a single to left with two out in the top of the eighth inning.

Game 1

A-R 200 012 0 — 5 6 4

E’burg 101 033 x — 8 8 3

Game 2

W-S 000 000 01 — 1 7 0

A-R 000 000 00 — 0 9 3

Prep Softball

Armstrong-Ringsted 6, Harris-Lake Park 0 — Ace right-hander Amy Leach hurled a two-hit shutout to engineer the Mustangs’ 6-0 Corn Belt Conference softball triumph over the Wolves on Monday night in Lake Park, Iowa.

Leach registered 10 strikeouts and issued two bases-on-balls in seven innings inside the chalked circle to earn the complete-game victory.

Lisa Pelzer triggered the Mustangs’ eight-hit offensive performance by going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while teammate April Gunderson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Bri Gonzales supplied a triple, while Logan Evans and Megan Sander each delivered RBI singles for A-R.

Armstrong-Ringsted (9-1, 5-1 Corn Belt) travels to Pocahontas, Iowa, on Thursday.

A-R 010 110 3 – 6 8 3

HLP 000 000 0 – 0 2 5

Amy Leach (WP) and Megan Sander. Jenna Peters (LP) and Lindsey Reese.

The North Sentral Kossuth Eagle softball lineup posted a 1-1 record during Saturday’s tournament in Algona, Iowa.

The Eagles downed Bishop Garrigan 10-0 in its first game.

NSK right-hander Jayna Blome fired a one-hit shutout over five innings of work, while striking out four. She also batted 1-for-1 with three runs scored and a stolen base.

MiKayla Valvick was 2-for-2, including a double, with a pair of RBIs for the Eagles, while teammates Jordan Vaske, Kelsey Mino, Courtney Haag, Shayna Geitzenauer and Amber Goraczkowski added hits. Vaske and Haag produced doubles.

Algona High defeated the Eagles 4-0 during second-round action.

Mino and Blome collected NSK’s only hits on the contest.

Blome allowed three earned runs on eight hits in five innings. She struck out two.

Geitzenauer gave up one earned run on three hits in one frame of relief.

North Sentral Kossuth plays host to Twin River Valley at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Fenton, Iowa.

Legion Baseball

Eagle Lake 6, Fairmont 2 — Joe Kopel tossed a five-hit complete game to lead Eagle Lake to a 6-2 win over Fairmont Post 36 during American Legion baseball Monday night in Mankato.

Kopel struck out nine and allowed two hits in seven innings to net the victory.

Brennan Holm took the loss for Fairmont, allowing five runs on six hits in five frames. He struck out four, walked three and hit three batters.

Tieg Arens allowed one run on one hit with one strikeout in one inning of relief for Post 36.

Martin Tow and Holm each had two hits for Fairmont, while Josh Fitzgerald came up with the other.

Fairmont (0-1) travels to Worthington on Wednesday night for a 7:30 p.m. game.

Fmt. 000 001 1 – 2 5 3

E. Lake 300 201 x – 6 7 3

Brennan Holm (LP), Tieg Arens (6) and Mark Origer. Kopel (WP) and Drew Schumacher.