sports

EAST GRAND FORKS SWEEPS CROOKSTON BASEBALL

May 14, 2024

The Crookston Pirate Baseball team gave up 11 runs in the third inning of game one and lost 14-2. In game two, East Grand Forks had a walk-off sacrifice fly for a 4-3 victory to finish the sweep of the doubleheader played at Stauss Park in East Grand Forks.

GAME ONE

FIRST INNING
Crookston’s Lucas Miller led off with a walk. After a strikeout, Greyson Ecker singled. After another strikeout, Blake Melsa hit a ground ball that the shortstop misplayed, allowing Miller to score. The ball rolled into center field, and he also misplayed it. Ecker scored on the second error on the play to give Crookston a 2-0 lead.
East Grand Forks’ leadoff batter, Rylee Hams, started the bottom of the inning with a walk. Drew Carpenter was hit by a pitch, and runners were at first and second base with nobody out. The next batter hit into a fielder’s choice, and Crookston got the out at third base. The next two batters struck out, and Crookston led 2-0.

SECOND INNING
Crookston was retired in 1-2-3 fashion with two strikeouts and a ground out.
The first two Green Wave batters were retired before Cole Schmiedeberg doubled. The next batter struck out.

THIRD INNING
Crookston was retired in 1-2-3 fashion with three strikeouts.
East Grand Forks blew the game open in the bottom of the inning with 11 runs. Hams singled, Carpenter walked, and Levi Anderson singled in a run. Another run scored on a wild pitch for a 2-2 tie. Jace Van Eps was hit by a pitch before Carson McDonald singled to score a run. Another run scored on a wild pitch for a 4-2 lead. Noah Frize and Jordan Nowacki walked before Cole Schmiedeberg singled to score two more runs. Hunter Varnson and Hams walked. A run scored on an infield fly, and Van Eps hit a three-run home run for a 10-2 lead. Van Eps scored a run later for an 11-2 lead.

FOURTH INNING
Crookston’s Matt Contreras started the inning with a walk before the next three batters were retired.
East Grand Forks added three more runs in the bottom of the inning when Nowacki singled and stole second base. Schmiedeberg walked, and Varnson doubled to score a run. Varnson scored on a wild pitch for a 13-2 lead. After two strikeouts, Anderson walked, and Van Eps was hit by a pitch with bases loaded, and the Green Wave led 14-2.

FIFTH INNING
Crookston’s Isaiah Donarski walked with one out before the next two batters struck out and East Grand Forks won the game 14-2.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Crookston	2	0	0	0	0	–	–	2	1	2
EGF	0	0	11	3	–	–	–	14	7	2

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Matt Contreras – Crox	2.1	5	10	10	9	4
Parker Kelly – Crox	1.2	3	4	4	2	2
Carson McDonald – EGF	5.0	1	2	0	3	12

Crookston leaders
Greyson Ecker – 1 for 2, run (Crookston’s only hit)

East Grand Forks leaders
Cole Schmiedeberg – 2 for 2, 2 rbi, run, walk
Jace Van Eps – 1 for 2, 4 rbi, 2 runs, home run
Rylee Hams – 1 for 2, 2 run, 2 walks
Jordan Nowacki – 1 for 2, 2 runs, walk
Hunter Varnson – 1 for 2, 2 runs, rbi, walk
Levi Anderson – 1 for 3, 2 rbi, run, walk
Drew Carpenter – 0 for 1, 2 walks, hit by pitch, 2 runs

GAME TWO

FIRST INNING
Crookston’s Lucas Miller walked, but the next three batters were retired.
Gavyn Hlucny started for Crookston in the second game and retired all three batters with a strikeout and two popouts in the inning.

SECOND INNING
The first two Crookston batters were retired before Hlucny singled up the middle. Carter Fee walked, but the next batter struck out.
The first two Green Wave batters were retired before Noah Frize walked. The next batter hit a blooper to shallow centerfield when Crookston’s Contreras made an outstanding over-the-shoulder diving catch for the third out of the inning.

THIRD INNING
The first two Pirate batters were retired on strikeouts before Greyson Ecker and Matt Contreras walked. The next Pirate batter struck out as Green Wave pitcher Jacob Stassen got out of the jam.
The home plate umpire became ill, and there was about a 10-minute delay before the umpire in the field put on all the protective gear to be the behind-the-plate umpire and would be one umpire for the remainder of the game.
EGF’s Hunter Varnson singled with one out, and he was followed by singles from Hams and Carpenter to score a run for a 1-0 lead.

FOURTH INNING
Crookston answered in the top of the fourth inning when Parker Kelly and Hlucny walked. Fee laid down a bunt in front of home plate, and the Green Wave catcher tried to get the out at third base, but the throw went into left field, and a run scored. Isaiah Donarski laid a bunt down the first base line, and nobody covered first base for a base hit, loading the bases before Lucas Miller walked to score another run. After a strikeout, Ecker knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead.
East Grand Forks’ Van Eps reached on an error, and Carson McDonald singled. Noah Frize bunted, and the throw to first base was dropped, allowing a run to score to get within a 3-2 deficit. The next batter grounded out. The following batter flew out to centerfield, and Crookston’s Miller caught the ball and threw a rocket to home, where Ecker caught the ball and had time to spare to tag out the Green Wave trying to score after tagging up at third base.

FIFTH INNING
East Grand Forks brought in Jace Van Eps in relief, and he retired the Pirates in 1-2-3 fashion.
The Green Wave’s Hams singled with one out, and Carpenter followed with another single. Anderson walked to load the bases, and Van Eps knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3-3.

SIXTH INNING
Crookston was retired in 1-2-3 fashion with three strikeouts. East Grand Forks’ Nowacki singled with one out. Schmiedeberg and Hams walked, and with two outs, the bases were loaded. The next batter hit into a fielder’s choice, and the game was tied at 3-3 going into the seventh inning.

SEVENTH INNING
Crookston’s first two batters were retired before Ecker walked. The next batter struck out.
East Grand Forks’ Anderson led off the bottom of the inning with a single and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Van Eps. Anderson advanced to third base on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by McDonald for a 4-3 victory to sweep the doubleheader.

Crookston drops to 4-8 on the year and will travel to Hawley on Friday, May 17. KROX will have the game on the radio with a pre-game show at 4:30 p.m.
East Grand Forks improves to 10-4 on the year.

CLICK BELOW for Coach Ben Parkin’s comments.