Buffalo rallies on Jacket Baseball
Buffalo swept the season series with Cambridge-Isanti baseball by rallying for a 10-6 win in nine innings at Larson Field May 17. The loss put the Bluejackets in a tight spot in their pursuit of the Mississippi 8 crown, needing some help from other teams to make up the one-game deficit with a week to go.
The Bluejackets have M-8 games remaining at Rogers May 19 and home against Monticello May 24. Buffalo goes against Becker and Big Lake this week, while St. Michael-Albertville takes on Monticello and Big Lake. The BL Hornets are also still in the race at 9-5.
Against the Bison on Tuesday, C-I took a 4-0 lead into the seventh as Cole Bakke was cruising on the mound. But a leadoff walk followed by two batters reaching on bunts opened the door, and Buffalo began chipping away. A key play came when the tying scored when it looked like C-I catcher Ryan Epsen had him blocked out and tagged at the plate.
Both teams scored one run in the extra-inning eighth to keep the game going, then the Bison got to reliever Austin Karpen for 5 runs on 5 hits to pull ahead. The Bluejackets managed one run in the bottom of the ninth on Nick Johnson’s solo shot over the right-field wall, but that’s where their rally ended.
Bakke allowed 3 earned runs through eight innings for C-I, striking out 7 and walking 2. Johnson, Epsen and Matt Ziebarth all had 3 hits for the Bluejackets, with Reed Burns supplying 2 hits. Mike Henderscheid and Tom Selz both had 2 RBI.
St. Michael-Alb. 10, C-I 4
The Knights continued their hot late-season surge by rapping out 13 hits in the May 13 home win. The victory moved SMA ahead of the Bluejackets in the Mississippi 8 standings. Clayton Jennissen had 2 doubles for the Bluejackets. Ryan Miller took the loss after giving up 5 hits and 5 runs (2 earned) in 1.6 innings.
C-I 12, Becker 0 (5 inn.)
Trent Chromy threw a five-inning shutout, striking out 8 and allowing just 1 hit, in the May 16 win at Becker. Mike Henderscheid homered, and Jennissen went 3-for-3 to lead the offense. Reed Burns (3 RBI), Bakke and Brent Schoenwald doubled at the plate
M-8 Baseball
Buffalo 10-4, 10-6; St. Michael-Alb. 10-4, 10-6; Cambridge-Isanti 9-5, 10-5; Big Lake 9-5, 12-5; Monticello 8-6, 9-8; Zimmerman 6-8, 7-8; Rogers 4-9, 4-10; Becker 3-10, 3-11; Princeton 2-9, 2-9.
