In a week of two tightly-matched, thrilling, baseball games, the Maple Lake Lakers came up big with two victories. They kicked off the week on Friday, after being rained out on Wednesday, as they beat Sauk Rapids in the bottom of the ninth, and then on Sunday they travelled to Delano and picked up a North Star League victory.
Maple Lake vs. Sauk Rapids
Behind the arm of Todd Fuller, the Lakers’ defense took the field to start the game. Fuller, in his first start of the year, allowed two walks in the inning, but he fired back and struck the next player out. Offensively, the Lakers put the ball in play, but the Cyclones were able to make the defensive plays.
Fuller, in the top of the second, allowed two more walks, but once again he managed to get out of the inning without any damage done. In the bottom of the second, Fuller reached on a two-out single, but he would be left stranded on first.
While picking up two strikeouts along the way, Fuller pitched out of a bases-loaded jam to end the top of the third. The Lakers, however, couldn’t get any offense going as they went three-up and three-down.
Sauk Rapids struck the Lakers with two runs in the top of the fourth on two hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly. In the bottom half of the inning, the Lakers got their second base runner of the game as Keith Jerpseth reached on a walk, but he was left on at first base.
Fuller finished up his five innings of work as he and the Lakers’ defense put the Cyclones down one, two, three. The Lakers’ offense started to spark in the bottom of the fifth as Cody Decker ripped a single and Nate Johnson followed suit, but the Cyclones’ defense got out of the inning unharmed.
Ben Jungers came as a relief pitcher in the top of the sixth, and he allowed one run on two hits and one walk. With the score at 3-0 the Lakers were in need of some offense. Marcus Zahn led off the inning with a single, and they managed to load the bases up with two outs but they were left stranded.
The Lakers got out of the top of the seventh unharmed, and then in the bottom half of the inning they stepped up their offense and had two runs cross the plate.
More information appears in this weeks issue of the Messenger.
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