The Pierz Bulldogs picked up their 2nd win of the season with a 9-7 win at Royalton on Sunday, scoring in each of the first 4 innings to build an 8-1 lead. The Riverdogs rallied with 3 in both the 6th and 7th but could never quite fully catch up to the Bulldogs. Deegan Beck and Link Toops collected 2 hits a piece for Pierz while Teddy Dehler and Cody Weiss drove in 2 runs each. Cody Weiss, the first of 4 pitchers used by the Bulldogs, went 5 innings and got the Win. Brian Kiel worked the final 2 innings to earn a Save. Grayson Suska and Zack Cekalla had 2-hit games for the Riverdogs with Cekalla doubling and driving in 2 runs.
The Bulldogs scored twice in the top of the 1st when Craig Luberts walked with 1 out, followed by a walk to Mason Herold. Teddy Dehler singled to right to score Luberts and make it 1-0. Herold moved to 3rd on the Dehler hit and then scored on a Royalton error to make it 2-0.
Pierz put up another 2 runs in the top of the 2nd when Link Toops singled and stole 2nd. Sawyer Lochner then tripled with 1 out to score Toops to make it 3-0. Lochner then scored on a passed ball and it was 4-0.
Royalton scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the 2nd when Nick Henry walked and went to 3rd on a Nathan Psyck single. When Psyck stole 2nd, Henry raced home to make it 4-1 after 2 innings.
In the top of the 3rd, Teddy Dehler walked and then scored on a 1-out double by Brian Kiel to give the Bulldogs a 5-1 lead.
The Bulldogs kept it going in the top of the 4th, scoring another 3 runs. Cooper Grashorn led off with a single, then Sawyer Lochner reached on a walk and Craig Luberts reached on a sacrifice. Mason Herold then reached on a fielders choice, forcing out Grashorn at home. The Bulldogs had the bases loaded with 1 out. Teddy Dehler drove in Lochner with a groundout to make it 6-1, then Cody Weiss drilled a 2-run double to push the Bulldogs lead to 8-1.
It remained 8-1 until the last of the 6th when Royalton came up with 3 runs. Drew Yourczek singled, then Tyler Jendro got hit by a pitch. After a fly out to right advanced Yourczek to 3rd, Nick Henry singled home Yourczek to make it 8-2. Tyler Jendro would eventually score on a wild pitch and Nick Henry came home on a ground out to make it 8-4 after 6 innings.
An inning later, the Riverdogs were back at it. Ryan Snyder led off with a single, followed by a Grayson Suska base hit. Drew Yourczek grounded out to 1st to put men at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Tyler Jendro then walked to load the bases and bring the potential tying run to the plate. Joe Gaida delivered a sacrifice fly to right to score Snyder to make it 8-5. A walk to Nick Henry put the tying run on base with 2 outs. Zack Cekalla then cracked a 2-run double and it was 8-7 with runners at 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs. Another walk, this one to Nathan Psyck, loaded the bases again. But Royalton was unable to get 1 more big hit as reliever Cooper Grashorn got Kirk Yourczek to line out to shortstop Mason Herold to end the inning.
The Bulldogs threatened in the 8th when Link Toops singled with Michael Yanta entering as a pinch-runner, then Cooper Grashorn reached on an error on his bunt attempt. A bunt by Sawyer Lochner loaded the bases. Brayden Haberman then hit back to pitcher Tyler Jendro, who started a pitcher-to-home to-1st double play. Tyler Jendro then fanned Mason Herold to keep the Bulldogs off the board in the 8th.
In the bottom of the 8th, the Bulldogs brought in Brian Kiel to pitch and he got Ryan Snyder to line out to 1st. Grayson Suska then reached on a Pierz error and Royalton again had the tying run on base. Kiel got Drew Yourczek to fly out to right, but then a single up the middle by Tyler Jendro moved Suska to 2nd with 2 outs. Kiel got out of that jam by getting Joe Gaida to pop up back to the mound to end the 8th.
Pierz added an insurance run in the top of the 9th when Keegan Frisbie tripled with 1 out. After Tyler Jendro got a strikeout of Brian Kiel for the 2nd out, Deegan Beck singled to left to score Frisbie and make it 9-7.
In the bottom of the 9th, Brian Kiel got Nick Henry on strikes, then gave up a single to Zack Cekalla. Kiel then fanned Nathan Psyck for the 2nd out and then got Kirk Yourczek to ground back to the mound to end the game and give the Bulldogs the 9-7 win.
Pierz Bulldogs 9 11 1 – 9
Royalton 7 9 3 – 7
WP: Cody Weiss 5IP 1 run 2 hits 5k 3bb
Aeden Janson 0.1IP 3 runs 2 hits 0k 1bb 1hp
Cooper Grashorn 1.2IP 3 runs 3 hits 0k 3bb
SV: Brian Kiel 2IP 0 runs 2 hits 2k 0bb
LP: Nathan Psyck 2IP 4 runs 4 hits 1k 2bb
Grayson Suska 2IP 4 runs 3 hits 2k 2bb
Tyler Jendro 5Ip 1 run 4 hits 5k 0bb
Bulldogs:
Sawyer Lochner 1-3 3B, sac, bb, rbi, 2 runs
Craig Luberts 1-2 bb, sac, 2 runs
– Brayden Haberman 0-1
Mason Herold 0-4 bb, 2 runs
Teddy Dehler 1-4 bb, sb, 2 rbi, run
Cody Weiss 1-3 2B, 2 rbi
– Keegan Frisbie 1-2 3B, run
Brian Kiel 1-5 2B, rbi
Deegan Beck 2-5 2B, rbi
– Jordan Orton 0-0
Link Toops 2-4 sb, run
– Michael Yanta 0-1
Cooper Grashorn 1-4
Riverdogs:
Grayson Suska 2-5 run
Drew Yourczek 1-5 run
Tyler Jendro 1-1 3bb, hp, sb, 2 runs
Joe Gaida 0-4 sac fly, rbi
Nick Henry 1-3 2bb, rbi, 2 runs
Zack Cekalla 2-4 2B, bb, 2 rbi
Nathan Psyck 1-4 bb, sb, rbi
Kirk Yourczek 0-5
Ryan Snyder 1-4 run