Bad inning results in one-run loss at Gaylord
Posted July 13, 2020
The St. Peter town team held a 4-0 lead midway through the fifth inning Sunday at Gaylord but allowed six runs in the bottom half which eventually led to a 7-6 loss.
The Saints started the scoring in the first inning as Brad Morris walked, reached second on a passed ball, stole third, and crossed home on a sac fly by Austin Pinke. They extended the lead to 4-0 in the fifth as Hunter Wilmes walked and later scored on a single by Pinke. Billy Hanson took a two-out hit-by-pitch to load the bases and force an Islander pitching change. CJ Siewert ensued with a two-run single to score Morris and Pinke for a four-run lead.
Owen Little cruised through the first four innings on the mound but got into trouble in the fifth, allowing four hits and a couple walks, giving way to Sam Carlson with a 4-3 lead. Carlson walked and beaned four batters, allowing three more Islanders to cross home for a 6-4 advantage. The home team then tacked on another run in the sixth after a walk, single and double.
With minor league pitcher Brody Rodning on the mound in relief for Gaylord, the Saints took advantage of a couple Islander miscues in the eighth to make it a one-run game. Hanson and Siewert both reached on errors and advanced a bag on a Jeff Menk sacrifice bunt. Hanson then scored on a wild pitch and Tyson Sowder knocked home Siewert with a single to short right to make the score 7-6.
St. Peter nearly completed the comeback in the ninth as Jovan Rodriguez hit a two-out single and Pinke reached on a dropped third strike, but a sharp ground ball to third base off the bat of Hanson proved to be the final out.
Luke Regner pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth. Little suffered the loss after allowing five runs on nine hits with three strikeouts. Siewert led at the plate, batting 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI.
St. Peter (2-1 RVL) hosts Belle Plaine at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday for its home opener.
