Robb Larson lays a tag on a New Hope runner who unsuccessfully attempted to steal on Grant Carlson...(Photo by Jen Baumgartner)

Outlaws-3 / Shoreview-2

It was a thin group of Outlaws as the team traveled to Shoreview to take on the Bombers.  The Bombers were nice enough to not charge the Outlaws an automatic out in the lineup for starting the game with 8 players.  So....with 8 men out, the Southwest crew began the weekend short handed.

Short handed or not the Outlaws drew first blood in the top of the 1st.  With one out Robb Larson drove a ball off the fence for a double.  Paul Oelrich followed up Larson's gapper with one of his own to drive in Robb and put the Outlaws up 1-0.  Paul was eventually left stranded at 2nd and the Outlaws took the field with 8 fielders.

The Outlaws played with two outfielders in the gaps to make up for the shortage of players.  The lack of Outlaw ballers didn't bother Sam Baumgartner who was the starting pitcher for the visitors.  Shoreview battled back to a 1-1 tie in the home half of the first using 3 walks and a hit batsman to push a run across.  

The two teams exchanged blank frames in both the 2nd and 3rd innings.  The only highlight offensively for the Outlaws was a Paul Oelrich single in the third.  The hit was Paul's second of the day.  Sammy also shut down the Bombers giving up only one hit and adding his 4th strikeout in the three innings.  

Jason Beckett started a rally for the Outlaws with 1 out in the 4th by reaching on an error.  Beckett showed some wheels by stealing himself into scoring position a few pitches later.  Sean Mangan put the Outlaws back on top 2-1 by lining a single to left field driving in Beckett.  Shoreview would then turn a double play to erase Mangan from the base paths and limit the damage to one run.

Baumgartner continued to build strength throwing shut out innings in the 4th and 5th adding three more K's upping his total to 7 on the day.  

The Shoreview pitcher kept the Outlaws hitters off balance in the 5th and 6th only allowing one base runner on a single by Sam Baumgartner.  

The Bombers opened the home half of the 6th with a base hit.  The Bomber runner then stole second base and one batter later scored on a single to once again tie the game at 2 each.  Sammy would get the next two bomber hitters to pop up and end the inning with a tie ball game.  

Chris Nelson who was in the middle of his 2014 debut...led of the 7th inning for the Outlaws by being plunked.  Ryan Meyer...(who arrived in the 6th and was allowed to enter the game as the Outlaws 9th player) then bunted Nellie into scoring position.  Nellie would advance to third on a Bomber error and eventually score on a passed ball to put the Outlaws back up by one run at 3-2.  

Baumgartner would take the one run lead to the bottom of the 7th in an attempt to secure a complete game victory for the Outlaws.  The Bombers refused to go quietly however as their lead off hitter reached base with a single.  He too was bunted over to second.  A walked batter and a passed ball had the Bombers in business with the tying run on third and the go ahead run on second with 1 out.  Sammy then pitched a ground ball out to the Outlaw's short stop Robb Larson, who looked the runner back and fired a strike to first for the 2nd out.  Sammy then sealed the Bombers fate by striking out the next hitter to end the game.  Phew!  With the win the Outlaws improved to 6-1 on the year. 

Sammy pitched all 7 innings for the Outlaws giving up only the two runs and striking out 8 Bomber hitters.  Paul Oelrich led all Outlaws hitters going 2-4 with a double and an RBI.  Sam Baumgartner also had a good day at the plate going 2 for 4 to pile onto his excellent day on the mound.  Robb Larson was 1 for 4 with a double and run scored and Sean Mangan was 1 for 3 with an RBI.

Outlaws-1 / New Hope -2

After the noon game with Shoreview was complete the Outlaws hopped in their vehicles and drove to the home field of the New Hope Bandits for game 2 on the day.

The Outlaws added a few players for game 2 and actually were able to field a full team.  They did run into a buzz saw of a crafty left handed pitcher for New Hope however.  Paul Oelrich took the mound for the visiting Outlaws.

The game would remain scoreless through the first 2 innings of play as the pitchers dueled.  The Outlaws got a 1st inning single from Oelrich and a 2nd inning single from Ryan Meyer, but failed to score.  Oelrich faced one batter above the minimum over the first two innings while striking out 2.  

In the bottom of the third the Outlaws began to show a bit of fatigue as they made 2 errors to assist New Hope in jumping out to a 2-1 lead.  

The Outlaws tried to battle back in the 5th when Grant Carslon singled with two outs and his brother Ryan Carlson worked a walk.  The Bandit pitcher struck his way out of trouble however and ended the mini-rally.  Oelrich would keep the Bandits from expanding the lead pitching through the 5th before being removed in favor of Ryan Carlson in the 6th.  Paul finished the day striking out 5 Bandit hitters and giving up the two runs.  

Ryan Carlson pitched a scoreless bottom of the 6th striking out 1.  The Outlaws attempted to battle back in the 7th with a Paul Oelrich single followed by a Mike Roth RBI double to deep left field.  The Bandit southpaw struck out the next Outlaw hitter to get the 2nd out with big Mikey on 2nd base.  Grant Carlson reached base after being hit by a pitch and Ryan Carlson loaded the bases after a drawn out at-bat earned him a base on balls.  No magical heroics on this afternoon however as one pitch later a bases loaded ground ball was fielded by the third baseman, who then stepped on third for the force out ending the game.  

Paul Oelrich once again had 2 hits in the losing effort going 2 for 3 with a run scored.  Mike Roth was 1 for 3 with the big RBI double.  Ryan Meyer, Grant Carson and Jason Beckett each had one hit each.  Paul pitched well going 5 innings and striking out 5.  Ryan Carson saw his first action on the hill in 2014, pitching the scoreless frame in the 6th and striking out 1.