The Clear Lake Lakers and the Aitkin Steam finished off their suspended game from May 31st on Saturday morning as both teams are competing in this weekend’s Freeport Black Sox Classic Tournament. The game was picked up in the top of the 5th inning with Clear Lake holding a 2-0 lead. The Lakers had gotten a 2-run double from Blake Brown in the bottom of the 1st prior to the suspension of the game in May.
When the game resumed, not much happened in the 5th and 6th innings, but in the top of the 7th, the Steam got a 2-out single from Aiden Flanagan to bring the potential tying run to the plate. But Lakers pitcher Jackson Phillipp got Thorin Dunham to hit into an inning-ending groundout to shortstop Alex Schroeder.
Clear Lake picked up a couple of hits in the bottom of the 7th on singles from Cooper Kosiba and Jordan Golombiecki with 1 out, but Aitkin pitcher Zack Ehnstrom got Alex Schroeder on strikes and then got Nick Berglund to ground out to 2nd baseman Aiden Flanagan to end the 7th with Clear Lake still leading 2-0.
Jackson Phillipp retired Aitkin in order in the top of the 8th and Clear Lake managed a 1-out single from Matt Korte in the bottom of the inning but that was it as the game moved to the 9th with the Lakers needed 3 outs for the win.
Aitkin’s Nolan Dotzler opened the top of the 9th with a single, followed by a double from Zack Ehnstrom to put the tying run in scoring position with no outs. The Steam got on the board when Noah Janzen grounded out to 2nd baseman John Brew, scoring Dotzlet to make it 2-1 and moving Ehnstrom to 3rd with 1 out. After Jackson Phillipp got the 2nd out on a pop up to Alex Schroeder at shortstop, Aiden Flanagan singled to right, scoring Ehnstrom to tie the game at 2-2. Jackson Phillipp then fanned Thorin Dunham to end the inning, but the Steam had tied things up.
In the top of the 9th, Ben Brown cracked a lead-off double to left to set things up for the Lakers. Quinten Dukowitz then singled, advancing Brown to 3rd. Jordan Golombiecki then hit back to the pitcher Zack Ehnstrom, who was able to throw home and get Brown at the plate for the 1st out. Clear Lake now had runners at 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Dukowitz was able to steal 3rd, then Alex Schroeder delivered the game-winning walk-off rbi single to center to plate Quinten Dukowitz and give Clear Lake the 3-2 win.
Aitkin 2 9 0 – 2
Clear Lake 3 11 0 – 3
WP: Jackson Phillipp 9.0 IP 2 runs 9 hits 5k 1bb
LP: Zack Ehnstrom 4.1 IP 1 run 7 hits 1k 0bb
Thorin Dunham 4.0 IP 2 runs 4 hits 4k 1bb
Lakers:
Nick Berglund 1-4 run
Caden Johnson 1-4 run
– Drew Anderson 0-0
– John Brew 0-0
Matt Korte 1-3 bb
Blake Brown 1-4 2B, 2 rbi
– Matthew Primus 0-0
Owen Kolbinger 0-4
– James Boyle 0-0
Cooper Kosiba 1-3
– Ben Brown 1-1 2B
Quinten Dukowitz 2-4 run
Jordan Golombiecki 2-4
Alex Schroeder 1-4 rbi
Steam:
Nathan Ehnstrom 2-4
Drew Paulbeck 0-2
– Keyon Wesner 0-2
Landon Janzen 0-2
– Nolan Dotzler 1-2 run
Zack Ehnstrom 1-4 run
Jake Ince 2-2
– Noah Janzen 0-2 rbi
Jake McGuire 0-1 bb
– Jack Jacobson 0-2
John McGuire 0-1
– Aiden Flanagan 3-3 rbi
Owen Foday 0-1
– Thorin Dunham 0-3
Carson Kullhem 0-3