GRAND GREETING — NRHEG senior Dakota Thiele (18) is greeted by teammates at home plate after hitting a grand slam home run against Maple River Thursday, April 16 at Legion Field. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)
The NRHEG baseball team is off to a great start for the 2015 season under first-year head coach Drew Paukert.
The Panthers are 3-1 overall and 3-0 in the Gopher Conference after defeating Waterville-Elysian-Morristown and Maple River while dropping a game to Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton.
There were plenty of highlights for the local nine, especially on the offensive side, with seniors Dakota Thiele and Matt Jensen belting home runs.
NRHEG 12, WEM 11
The Panthers outlasted the Buccaneers in a wild Gopher Conference game at Legion Field in New Richland Monday, April 13.
Senior Jet Wayne provided the game-winning hit for the Panthers, singling with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Jensen hit a two-run home run to left field in the fifth and also doubled while finishing 3-for-5. Trevor Tracy was 4-for-4 with four runs scored and two RBIs. Thiele added a hit and scored three times.
Jensen pitched 3 2/3 innings of relief for the win, his second of the season, allowing two earned runs on two hits, with three strikeouts and two walks.
NRHEG 11, Maple River 5
The big blow for the Panthers came in the top of the fourth inning off the bat of Thiele, who lined a grand slam home run down the left field line to put NRHEG on top for good. John Hubly was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Dempsey Tucker 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Tucker settled down after a shaky start on the mound and pitched all seven innings, giving up four earned runs on nine hits. He struck out five and walked six.
JWP 11, NRHEG 7
After giving up eight runs in the bottom of the first inning, the Panthers made it interesting in a Saturday afternoon nonconference game at Legion Field.
Jet Wayne went 3-for-4, including a bases-clearing double, and scored once, while Thiele was 2-for-4 and scored. Tollefson was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs, Trai Wicks 1-for-4 with a run.
Eli Lutgens started on the mound and took the loss, giving up three earned runs on seven hits in 2/3 of an inning. Tucker and Tracy combined to allow three earned runs through the next 6 1/3 innings.