Wind plays havoc on doubleheader
Rochester Community and Technical College settled for a split in a junior college baseball doubleheader with Ridgewater on a blustery day in Rochester Thursday.
RCTC won the opener 9-1 and Ridgewater bounced back to take the nightcap 7-3.
Yellowjackets coach Steve Hucke said the wind was blowing straight in, which pushed any fly ball to the outfield back toward the infield.
"It was just absolutely the worst wind conditions I’ve ever played in," Hucke said. "We tried to play some small ball and we took advantage of our speed."
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Dylan Berg finished the doubleheader 5-for-7 at the plate for RCTC. He was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs in the opener.
Shane Brandt was 3-for-4 with an RBI, run scored and a double while Matt Baier was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Noah Grove pitched a complete game for the victory, allowing just a single run. He finished with a six-hitter.
"About the fourth inning he started getting his groove and we played good defense behind him," Hucke said. "He said his arm felt better as the game went (along)."
Ridgewater jumped out to a 5-1 lead after three innings of the second game and held on.
Seth Karlsrud was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored for RCTC in the nightcap. Berg was 2-for-3 with an RBI and stolen base while Brandt and Keegan Byrne both had a hit and an RBI.
RCTC (11-16 overall, 3-3 MCCC Southern Division) plays host to Riverland today at 2 p.m.
RCTC 9, RIDGEWATER 1
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First game
Ridgewater 001 000 0 — 1 6 3
RCTC 123 013 x — 9 8 1
WP: Noah Grove 7 P, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 7 BB. LP: Dorn 2 2/3 IP.
RIDGEWATER 7, RCTC 3
Second game
Ridgewater 302 000 2 — 7 9 3
RCTC 001 002 0 — 3 7 2
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LP: Corey Schaaf 6 1/3 IP, 7 R, 5 ER, 9 H, 6 K, 6 BB.
