by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor
Alexandria Post 87 swept an American Legion baseball double header against Thief River Falls Post 117 Tuesday (July 1) night at Prowler Field in Thief River Falls.
Post 87 scored five runs on five hits to break a scoreless tie in the top of the third inning. Post 87 added to their lead with a pair of runs in the fourth inning to go in front 7-0.
Post 117 battled back with a pair or runs in bottom half of the fourth. Bodhi Mossestad and Dylan Osowski drew walks to lead off the inning. Jameson Hurst singled to left, with Mossestad scoring on an error by shortstop Jackson Waltzing and Dylan Osowski adving to third on the play. Osowski would also come around to score on an RBI-groundout by Casey Skjerven to make the score 7-2
Trailing 8-2 through five and a half innings, Post 117 rounded out the scoring with a pair of runs on three hits in the bottom of the sixth. Ryan Flaagan singled to lead off the inning. Casey Nelson drew a one-out walk following an eight-pitch at-bat and Gannon Zutz reached base on a line drive to center to load the bases. Noah Gonzales belted a double to right field to score Flaagan and Nelson, with Zutz advancing to third on the play.
Post 117 had one last shot in the bottom of the seventh but Hurst, Flaagan and Skjerven were retired in order to end the ballgame.
Kaleb Mehrkens got the start for Post 117 in game one and pitched into the fifth inning. He allowed seven runs (five earned) on nine hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Osowski came on in relief and allowed a run on three hits in his three innings of work.
Griffin Wimmer picked up the win for Post 87 after allowing two runs on five hits, with three walks and seven strikeouts over five innings.
Game two started out a little more promising for Post 117 with 1-0 lead after one inning was in the books. Zutz led off the bottom half of the inning with a five-pitch walk and he scored on a two-out RBI single to center by Jaxon Hams.
Like game one, Post 87 did most of its damage in one inning. In game two, the top of the third was the big inning, with Post 87 scoring four runs on one hit. Post 117 starter Jaxon Hams walked three batters in the inning and Post 87 took advantage of three errors in the inning.
Post 87 would add an insurance run on two hits in the top of the sixth to round out the scoring.
After surrendering a run in the top of the first, Alexandria stater Jackson Waltzing settled down to pitch a complete-game four hitter with three walks and three strikeouts.
Hams took the loss, allowing four runs, one of which was earned with five walks and two strikeouts over his two and a thirds innings of work.
Post 117 was back in action Tuesday afternoon with a 4 p.m. scheduled doubleheader against Middle River Post 444 in Karlstad, before returning to Prowler Field to face Red Lake Falls Post 22 Wednesday (today) at 5 p.m. Results from both games will appear in next week’s edition of The Times.
Game 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Alex 0 0 5 2 0 1 0 – 8 12 2
TRF 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 – 4 8 3
Batting
Alexandria Post 87 AB R H RBI BB SO
Jackson Waltzing ss 3 2 0 0 1 0
L. Gess Norling lf 4 2 3 0 0 0
Griffin Wimmer p 4 2 2 0 0 0
Sam Anderson cf 3 1 1 2 1 2
Brody Adelman dh 3 1 2 4 1 0
Evan Zabel 1b 4 0 3 1 0 0
Easton Klimek 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2
Nolan Johnson c 4 0 1 0 0 1
Nolan Fettig 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 32 8 12 7 3 5
Highlights – 2B: Landon Gess Norling, Brody Adelman; E: Griffin Wimmer, Jackson Waltzing; SB: Jackson Waltzing.
TRF Post 117 AB R H RBI BB SO
Gannon Zutz ss 3 0 3 0 1 0
Cole Johnson 3b 3 0 1 0 0 0
Kaleb Mehrkens p 0 0 0 0 0 0
Noah Gonzales rf 1 0 1 2 0 0
Bridger Wilcox cf 4 0 1 0 0 2
Bodhi Mossestad dh 2 1 0 0 2 1
Dylan Osowski rf 2 1 0 0 1 0
Jameson Hurst lf 4 0 1 0 0 1
Ryan Flaagan c 4 1 1 0 0 2
Cooper Skjerven 1b 4 0 0 1 0 1
Casey Nelson 2b 2 1 0 0 1 2
Totals 29 4 8 3 5 9
Highlights – 2B: Noah Gonzales; SB: Jameson Hurst, Cole Johnson, Ryan Flaagan; E: Jameson Hurst, Ryan Flaagan, Casey Nelson; HBP: Dylan Osowski.
Pitching
Alexandria Post 87 IP H R ER BB SO
Griffin Wimmer – W 5.0 5 2 2 3 7
Carson Goetsch 2.0 3 2 2 2 2
TRF Post 117 IP H R ER BB SO
Kaleb Mehrkens – L 4.0 9 7 5 3 4
Dylan Osowski 3.0 3 1 1 0 1
Game 2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Alex 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 – 5 6 0
TRF 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 1 4 6
Batting
Alexandria Post 87 AB R H RBI BB SO
Jackson Waltzing p 4 1 1 0 1 0
L. Gess Norling cf 4 1 1 0 0 0
Griffin Wimmer lf 3 1 1 0 0 0
Sam Anderson lb 2 1 0 0 2 0
Brody Adelman ss 4 1 2 1 0 0
Evan Zabel dh 4 0 0 0 0 1
Nolan Anderson c 2 0 1 0 2 1
Nolan Fettig 2b 2 0 0 0 2 0
Ethan Mellgren 3b 4 0 0 0 0 4
Totals 29 5 6 1 7 6
Highlights – 2B: Landon Gess Norling.
TRF Post 117 AB R H RBI BB SO
Gannon Zutz ss 3 1 1 0 1 0
Ryan Flaagan 1b 2 0 0 0 1 1
Wade Nelson lf 3 0 0 0 0 0
Jaxon Hams p, rf 3 0 1 1 0 0
Noah Gonzales cf 3 0 0 0 0 0
Dylan Osowski rf 2 0 0 0 0 0
Jameson Hurst p 1 0 0 0 0 1
Bridger Wilcox cf 3 0 1 0 0 0
Kaleb Mehrkens 3b 2 0 1 0 1 0
Landon Wikert 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1
Totals 25 1 4 1 3 3
Highlights – E: Landon Wikert 2, Ryan Flaagan, Jaxon Hams 2, Kaleb Mehrkens; SB: Jaxon Hams, Gannon Zutz 2.
Pitching
Alexandria Post 87 IP H R ER BB SO
Jackson Waltzing-W 7.0 4 1 1 3 3
TRF Post 117 IP H R ER BB SO
Jaxon Hams – L 2.1 2 4 1 5 2
Dylan Osowski 1.2 1 0 0 1 1
Jameson Hurst 2.2 3 1 0 1 3
Landon Wikert 0.1 0 0 0 0 0