Opening-round upset advances NRHEG in section
It was a one-and-done scenario for the NRHEG Panthers, and they didn’t want to be done just yet.
The Panthers, seeded 13th among 15 teams in the Section 2AA baseball tournament, pulled off a first-round upset Friday with an exciting 5-4 triumph at No. 4 seed St. Peter.
The Panthers, 9-12, have insisted all year they’re better than their record and on Friday it looked like it as they erupted for five first-inning runs and, after giving up three in the bottom of the first, held on as senior Dempsey Tucker pitched yet another complete game. It was the fourth win in a row for the Panthers, who advanced to the double-elimination portion of the tournament that started Tuesday.
“I was really pleased with how the boys played tonight, and have been over the last week and a half,” said Panthers coach Drew Paukert. “We came out focused and ready to go from the first pitch.”
Eli Lutgens, Palmer Peterson and Trai Wicks delivered run-scoring singles in the first as the Panthers surprised nearly everyone with the big, early advantage, but the Saints were quick to answer. They cut it to 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth and had the tying run on second in the seventh before Tucker slammed the door. He finished with a six-hitter, allowing four earned runs while striking out three and walking three.
Lutgens and Peterson were both 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run. Wicks, Tucker, Cole Staloch and Sam Prigge added one hit each.
“We have really been hitting the ball hard the past week,” said Paukert. “Tonight we came up with some clutch hits in the first inning when we needed them. We also hit the ball hard in other spots, but it was right at people. After the first inning, I thought Dempsey really settled in and was able to hit his spots. He pitched extremely well against a good hitting St. Peter team. We have talked all year about how we want to play our best baseball of the year at the end, and I feel we are doing that.”
NRHEG 9, Blue Earth Area 7
The Panthers outslugged the Bucs at Blue Earth Tuesday, May 24.
Cole Thompson was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, and a run scored, Lutgens 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run. Adding one hit apiece: Sawyer VanMaldeghem, John Hubly, Tucker, Peterson, Prigge. Tucker doubled and drove in two runs.
Jack Schultz started and pitched four innings for the win, striking out four and walking four. Lutgens and Tucker threw in relief.
“Overall, I was pleased with how the boys played,” said Paukert. “Offensively, we have started to do a much better job of putting the ball in play and forcing the defense to make plays. We did a much better job of hitting with runners in scoring position again tonight. The two areas I thought we struggled tonight were making some bad decisions on the base paths, and our pitchers put a few too many guys on base via walk or left balls up. To all three of our pitchers’ credit, they have done a fantastic job of keeping us in games all season, so it was nice to see the offense pick them up tonight as when they didn’t have their best stuff. I am also pleased with the way we have been playing the last week and a half or so headed into playoffs. We have won a few games that have been close late, by making plays when we need to.”
NRHEG 8, Tri-City United 6
The Panthers pulled the upset Monday, May 23 to finish unbeaten at Jeff and Carol Reese Field.
NRHEG trailed 4-1 in the fourth when Lutgens took the mound and pitched three scoreless innings for the victory, allowing three hits and no walks with one strikeout.
The Panthers won it with a seven-run seventh on singles by Lutgens, Wicks and Prigge, a Tucker triple and a walk to Jack Skalicky.
Schultz pitched bottom of the seventh for the save.
Prigge and VanMaldeghem finished with two hits each. Hubly also hit safely.
“Overall, I was extremely proud of the boys,” said Paukert. “We got contributions from every single player in uniform. I thought Eli pitched his best three innings of the season, which was huge for us. Eli was able to close the door and give us a chance at the end. We did a much better job tonight with runners in scoring position. We were able to work deep into some counts, draw a few walks, and finally have a few clutch hits.”