The Pierz Bulldogs moved above .500 with their 3rd win in 4 games, a 10-5 victory over the Royalton Riverdogs at Hellie Field-Pierz Legion Park on Sunday. Both teams had entered the game with identical 3-3 records and in a 3-way logjam with Opole in the middle of the standings.
Royalton got on the board with a run in the top of the 1st against Bulldogs starter Brayden Haberman when Drew Yourczek reached on a 1-out error, then stole 2nd. A Tyler Jendro rbi single to center brought in Yourczek to make it 1-0. Royalton had a chance for a big inning as Haberman then walked both Hunter Young and Joey Gaida to load the bases with 1 out, but Haberman then fanned both Keaton Nelson and Ryan Swenson to end the threat.
Riverdogs starter Keaton Nelson came out and had a 1-2-3 bottom of the 1st with a strikeout and a pair of pop-ups on the infield.
In the top of the 3rd, Royalton added to their lead when Hunter Young walked with 1 out, Joey Gaida singled, and with 2 outs, Ryan Swenson’s ground ball was misplayed for an error, allowing Hunter Young to score and make it 2-0.
The Bulldogs evened things up in the bottom of the 3rd when when Brayden Haberman walked with 1 out. After Keaton Nelson got Cooper Grashorn to pop up to catcher Drew Yourczek for the 2nd out, Reese Young ripped a single to left to advance Haberman to 2nd. Brian Kiel put Pierz on the board with an rbi single to left to plate Haberman and make it 2-1. Max Barclay then lined an rbi single to center to score Young and tie the game at 2-2.
Royalton threatened to regain the lead in the top of the 4th on a 2-out double from Kirk Yourczek and a walk Drew Yourcek. A wild pitch moved Kirk Yourczek to 3rd but Bulldogs catcher Teddy Dehler threw out Drew Yourcek trying to advance to 2nd to end the inning and keep it a 2-2 game.
In the bottom of the 4th, the Bulldogs took the lead when Cody Weiss led off by reaching on an error, followed by a double to right off the bat of Sawyer Lochner. Weiss was thrown out at the plate trying to score on the hit, and Lochner took 3rd on the throw home. Kyle Hastings then laid down a squeeze bunt that scored Lochner to make it 3-2. Brayden Haberman and Cooper Grashorn followed with singles, but Keaton Nelson got a ground ball force out from Reese Young to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 5th, Brian Kiel led off with a walk, then Max Barclay smashed a 2-run Homer to left to put the Bulldogs ahead 5-2. Royalton then changed pitchers, bringing in Kirk Yourczek. Teddy Dehler singled off Yourczek, then Cody Weiss grounded into a fielders choice, forcing out Dehler for the 1st out. Sawyer Lochner then sacrificed Weiss to 2nd with 2 outs. Kyle Hastings then sent an rbi single to center to score Weiss and make it 6-2 after 5 innings.
In the top of the 7th, Drew Yourczek opened the inning with a double , then Tyler Jendro cracked his second run-scoring hit of the day to score Yourczek and make it 6-3. Hunter Young then reached on an error to advance Jendro to 2nd with still nobody out. Reliever Reese Young then struck out Joey Gaida for the 1st out. A wild pitch then moved Jendro to 3rd and Young to 2nd. Keaton Nelson’s ground ball was booted for another error, scoring Jendro to make it 6-4. Another wild pitch put Hunter Young at 3rd and Keaton Nelson at 2nd. Ryan Swenson then drove in Young with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-5, with Nelson tagging up and advancing to 3rd with 2 outs. Reese Young then got the final out of the inning on a fly ball to left fielder Kirby Fischer.
In the bottom of the 7th, Max Barclay led off with a single, followed by another hit from Teddy Dehler on a bunt, with pinch-runner Ashton Poser advancing to 2nd. Kirby Fischer then sacrificed with a bunt and Pierz had runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Sawyer Lochner singled to center to score Ashton Poser and it was 7-5. Teddy Dehler stayed at 2nd on the play. Royalton pitcher Kirk Yourczek then tried a pickoff play at 2nd but the throw went into center for an error as Dehler went to 3rd and Lochner to 2nd. Kyle Hastings then delivered a 2-run single to center as the Bulldogs went ahead 9-5. Craig Luberts then came up as a pinch-hitter and singled to right to move Hastings to 2nd. Jackson Thielen then loaded the bases with a base hit to left. Reese Young sent a sacrifice fly to center fielder Ryan Snyder, allowing Kyle Hastings to score and make it 10-5 after 7 innings.
Royalton put 2 men on base in the 8th on a single by Kirk Youczek and a walk to Tyler Jendro but both men were left on base.
In the top of the 9th and still down 10-5, Joey Gaida led off with a walk, followed by a single from Keaton Nelson. But then Reese Young got Ryan Swenson to pop out to 1st baseman Teddy Dehler, then he struck out Ethan Albright and finished the game by getting Ryan Snyder to ground into a force out at 2nd to end the game and lock up the Bulldogs 10-5 win.
Royalton 5 8 2 – 5
Pierz Bulldogs 10 16 4 – 10
WP: Brayden Haberman 5.0 IP 2 runs 4 hits 11k 6bb
SV: Reese Young 4.0 IP 3 runs 4 hits 4k 2bb
LP: Keaton Nelson 4.0 IP 5 runs 7 hits 3k 3bb
Kirk Yourczek 4.0 IP 5 runs 9 hits 2k 0bb
Bulldogs:
Reese Young 1-4 sac fly, rbi, run
Brian Kiel 1-4 bb, rbi, run
Max Barclay 3-5 Hr, 3 rbi, 2 runs
Teddy Dehler 2-5 run
Cody Weiss 0-2 bb, run
– Kirby Fischer 0-1 sac
Sawyer Lochner 2-3 2B, rbi, 2 runs
Kyle Hastings 2-3 4 rbi, run
Brayden Haberman 1-2 bb, run
– Craig Luberts 1-1
Cooper Grashorn 2-3 2B
– Jackson Thielen 1-1
Riverdogs:
Kirk Yourczek 2-5 2B
Drew Yourczek 1-4 2B, bb, sb, 2 runs
Tyler Jendro 2-4 bb, 2 rbi, run
Hunter Young 0-3 2bb, 2 runs
Joey Gaida 1-2 3bb
Keaton Nelson 1-4 bb, rbi
Ryan Swenson 0-4 sac fly, rbi
Ethan Albright 0-5
Ryan Snyder 1-5