The Opole Bears capped off a highly successful weekend with a 14-2 win in 7 innings at Upsala on Sunday afternoon. That win comes on the heels of Saturday night’s 7-0 shutout of the Pierz Bulldogs, highlighted by Tate Lange’s near-Perfect Game. On Sunday, it was Sam Butler’s turn on the mound, and he went all 7 innings and allowed just 3 hits to the Upsala offense while striking out 8. Masyn Patrick, just back from competing in the Minnesota High School Baseball Coaches Association All Star Series in Chaska where he helped the North All Stars to a 2-1 record for the weekend, going 1-6 with 2 rbi in the 3 games he played, returned to the Opole lineup on Sunday and drove in 4 runs while Brodi Huls went 4-5 with an rbi and stole 5 bases.
Opole took early control of this game, building a 10-0 lead after just 2 1/2 innings. In the top of the 1st, Masyn Patrick reached on an error, followed by a Brodi Huls single to send Patrick to 3rd. After Huls stole 2nd, Alex Lange drove in Patrick with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 1-0 off Upsala starter Matt Swanson. Swanny then fanned Luke Bieniek for the 2nd out, but then gave up a Drew Lange rbi single to left to make it 2-0 as Huls scored on the hit. Swanson then struck out Chris Ebnet to end the inning.
Bears starter Sam Butler came out and worked a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the 1st, getting all 3 outs on ground balls.
In the top of the 2nd, Opole went back to work. Mavrick Novitski led off with a single to right, followed by a Dominic Hoikka single to right. A Dierks Opatz sacrifice bunt moved runners to 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Masyn Patrick then drove in Novitski with a ground out to 2nd to make it 3-0. Brodi Huls then singled to drive in Hoikka to make it 4-0.
In the bottom of the 2nd, Sam Butler again set down the Bluejays in order with a pair of strikeouts and another ground out.
The Bears then broke the game wide open in the top of the 3rd with a 6-run outburst. Luke Bieniek got it started with a lead-off double to left, followed by a Drew Lange single. Chris Ebnet made it 3 straight hits with an rbi single to right to score Bieniek and make it 5-0. Mavrick Novitski then put down a sacrifice bunt and reached on an error to load the bases with no outs. Drew Lange then scored to make it 6-0. With Brady Yourczek now on the mound for Upsala, Youczek got the 1st out of the inning with a strikeout of Dominic Hoikka. After Dierks Opatz walked to reload the bases, Masyn Patrick cracked a bases-clearing triple to center to bring in Ebnet, Novitski and Opatz to make it 9-0. After Yourczek fanned Brodi Huls, Masyn Patrick scored on a wild pitch to make it 10-0.
Upsala got their first hit and first baserunner off Sam Bulter in the bottom of the 3rd on a 1-out single from Colton Burggraff. CJ Clear then reached on an error, followed by a run-scoring double from Brady Yourczek to score Burggraff and make it 10-1. Justin Cichon then drove in Clear with an rbi groundout to make it 10-2 before Butler got the final out of the inning on a strikeout of Matt Swanson and it was 10-2 after 3 innings.
In the top of the 4th, Opole scored again, this time on an rbi single from Chris Ebnet that brought in Luke Bieniek to make it 11-2.
Sam Butler came back and allowed just a 2-out walk to Brady Burggraff in the bottom of the 4th.
After scoreless 5th and 6th innings, Brodi Huls singled with 2 outs in the top of the 7th. Huls then stole both 2nd and 3rd, followed by a walk to Alex Lange. Alex Lange then swiped 2nd base and Luke Bieniek delivered a 2-run single to center to score both Huls and Lange and make it 13-2. Drew Lange then singled to move Bieniek up to 2nd, and Will Eichten then came off the bench for a pinch-hit rbi single to drive in Bieniek and make it 14-2.
In the bottom of the 7th, Sam Butler came back out and finished off the game with another 1-2-3 frame, getting Jeremy Mugg to ground out to shortstop Brodi Huls, thyen striking out both pinch-hitters Reese Johannes and Jake Leners to complete the Bears 14-2 win.
Opole 14 17 1 – 14 7 innings
Upsala 2 3 2 – 2
WP: Sam Butler 7.0 IP 2 runs 3 hits 8k 1bb
LP: Matt Swanson 2.0 IP 8 runs 8 hits 2k 0bb
Brady Yourczek 5.0 IP 6 runs 9 hits 6k 3bb 1hp
Bears:
Masyn Patrick 2-5 3B, 4 rbi, 2 runs
Brodi Huls 4-5 5 sb, rbi, 2 runs
– Austin Lange 0-0
Alex Lange 0-3 bb, sac fly, sb, rbi, run
Luke Bieniek 2-4 2B, hp, sb, 2 rbi, 3 runs
– Hunter Boeckermann 0-0
Drew Lange 3-5 sb, rbi, run
Chris Ebnet 3-4 2B, 2 rbi, run
– Will Eichten 1-1 rbi
Mavrick Novitski 1-3 bb, sac, 2 runs
Dominic Hoikka 1-4 run
Dierks Opatz 0-2 bb, run
– Sam Butler
Bluejays:
Brady Yourczek 1-3 2B, rbi
– Isaac Gapinski 0-0
Justin Cichon 0-3 rbi
Matt Swanson 1-3 2B
Jaxon Bartkowicz 0-3
Brandon Welinski 0-3
Brady Burggraff 0-2 bb
– Caden Beseman 0-0
Jeremy Mugg 0-3
Colton Burggraff 1-2 run
– Reese Johannes 0-1
CJ Clear 0-2 run
– Jake Leners 0-1