The Crookston Pirate Baseball team finally gets their season underway and look to start off with a win as they travel to Fertile to take on the Fertile-Beltrami Falcons. The game starts at 5 PM, with the pregame show at 4:30 PM on KROX Radio.
FIRST INNING-
The first inning for the Pirates started off great, with Dexter Janek and Greyson Ecker each getting singles. After a double steal, a groundout from Gavin Hlucny scored Janek to make it 1-0 Pirates. Steven Sather would then get a strikeout and a foulout to end the inning, keeping the damage at just one.
The Falcons got off to a similar start, as a walk and a base hit, followed by a double steal, put runners on second and third with nobody out. this time, Hlucny threw a wild pitch that scored Bryer Strem, tying the game at 1. Caleb Sather would then walk, and then after a strikeout, a shallow flyout kept runners on the corners. However, another wild pitch would score the run, making it 2-1. Then, Kane Oistad would deliver an RBI single, making it 3-1 Falcons at the end of the inning.
SECOND INNING-
The Pirates got a leadoff single from Isaiah Donarski to start the inning, but after a groundout to short moved his courtesy runner up to second, a great pickoff move by Steven Sather got the runner out at second, A strikeout would then end the inning.
In the bottom of the frame, Bryer Strem would get things started with a one-out single. He would then swipe second, and then third base, before a two-out RBI single from Caleb Sather, extending the lead to 4-1 Falcons. The Falcons would get another runner on via error, but a strikeout would end the inning.
THIRD INNING –
In the third inning, the Pirates’ bats began to wake up. Aiden Delage singled and Dexter Janek doubled to put two on, and after a strikeout, Hlucny would walk to load the bases. Then, the hits would keep on coming. Lucas Perala drove in a run, then Cody Demerais would drive in two, followed by Donarski driving in another run, giving the Pirates a 5-4 lead before another out was recorded. Nolan Cassavant was next up, and he hit a sacrifice fly to give the Pirates a 6-4 lead, before a strikeout ended the inning.
Brady Bjerk led off the bottom of the inning with a single, and then Kane Oistad reached on a fielder’s choice. Braxton Paul laid a beauty of a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over, and then for the third time, the Falcons were able to score on a wild pitch, cutting the lead to 6-5. Hlucny was able to bounce back, getting back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
FOURTH INNING-
After a groundout to start the inning, Dexter Janek walked and stole second. This allowed him to score on an RBI Single by Greyson Ecker, making it 7-5 Pirates. The Pirates got a two-out walk from Perala before a diving play at third by Teegyn Johnson ended the rally with just one run.
The Falcons got a one-out walk for their first baserunner of the inning, but then, Dexter Janek made an incredible diving catch for the second out. The runner was then picked off at second base by Hlucny, ending the inning with the minimum faced.
FIFTH INNING-
After two outs, the Pirates got a baserunner with a walk, but the runner would be picked off, ending the inning quickly.
IN the bottom of the inning, an error followed by a single from Brady Bjerk put two on. Then, after a force at third, Braxton Paul would walk to load the bases. Hlucny would get a strikeout, but then get pulled for Dexter Janek. He would allow a two-run single from Bryer Strem to tie the game at 7, followed byu a single from Sather to give the Falcons an 8-7 lead, before a groundout ended the inning.
SIXTH INNING-
SEVENTH INNING-
Crookston
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| Crookston | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 2 | |
| Fertile-Beltrami | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 1 |
OFFENSIVE LEADERS –
Crookston –
Fertile-Beltrami –
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB/HBP | K |
| Gavin Hlucny – Crox | 4.2 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 4/ | 6 |
| Dexter Janek – Crox | 1.1 | 3 | 1/ | |||
| Steven Sather – FB | 3 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 1/0 | 3 |
| Drew Gullickson – FB | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4/ | 1 |
