Sports
Bottineau wins two of first three games
Matthew Semisch
06/17/2014
Bottineau’s American Legion baseball team didn’t have quite as long a season-opening homestand as first thought, but Post 42 still enjoyed a promising start to its 2014 campaign.
The team was hoping to begin its season with four consecutive home games. However, four turned to three Friday when poor lighting meant that Bottineau and Washburn only played one of two scheduled games.
Bottineau’s Legion team’s week - and season - started on Monday, though, with a doubleheader against Rolette.
The visitors opened up a tight first game in the top of the fourth inning with six two-out runs in the frame.
Bottineau then went some distance toward recovering thanks to five runs in the bottom of the seventh and final inning. It was too little too late, though, as the game ended 10-6 to Rolette.
Rolette then picked up a pair of runs in the top of the first inning in Game 2. Bottineau’s bats responded, however, with the hosts picking up four runs in the bottom of that same frame.
Post 42 then scored another four runs in the bottom of the second to open up an 8-2 lead over Rolette. The advantage was pushed up to 10-2 thanks to two more Bottineau runs in the third inning.
Rolette scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 10-5. Sadly for the visitors, they couldn’t shrink Bottineau’s lead any further.
Rain then threatened Bottineau’s scheduled doubleheader Friday against Washburn. The teams were able to take the field, though, at Dakota College at Bottineau’s Lumberyard ballpark.
Both teams scored one run in the top of the first inning. The score stayed that way until an RBI single from Parker Engelhard in the bottom of the fourth inning gave the hosts their first lead of the day.
Washburn then went up 3-2 in the top of the fifth inning off two hits and one Bottineau error.
In the bottom half of the fifth, Post 42 retook the lead. Lee Schneider tied the game back up after scoring from third on a wild pitch, and Jesse Heil drove Kellen Lagerquist home with an RBI single to put Bottineau back in front.
Bottineau then scored another three runs in that same inning on a Washburn error. The visitors’ third baseman missed on a throw to first, and the mishap proved catastrophic for Washburn.
Brody Moum was named the winning pitcher after striking out six Washburn batters through five innings.
Post 42 head coach Derek Aus said after the game that he was pleased with his team’s early results.
“I’m very happy with the start we’ve had to our season,” Aus said. “We have a very busy next four weeks of the season here, so it’s important for us to get the momentum rolling early here at the start of the summer, and I think we’ve been able to do that.”