Mitchell baseball team no-hits Hanson County in 10-0 rout

The Mitchell high school baseball team recorded nine hits, threw a team no-hitter and defeated Hanson County 10-0 Thursday at Drake Field in Mitchell.

It was Mitchell’s first dominant win of the year, as the game ended after four-and-a-half innings due to the 10-run rule. The Kernels (5-1) have three one-run victories this year and also picked up one three-run win.

“Our offensive approach at the beginning of the game was good,” said Mitchell coach Luke Norden, whose team plays in Class A postseason, whereas Hanson County is a Class B team.

On a cold, windy day, Mitchell started hot at the plate and scored 10 runs in the first two innings. From there, it looked like the chill finally got to the Kernel batters, who went hitless in the third and fourth innings and had four strikeouts.

Mitchell right-hander Kirby Fuerst started on the mound, going three innings and striking out four. In the first inning, Fuerst walked Jordan Craig, who eventually made it to third base, the farthest any Ducks runner reached in the game. He was stranded when Fuerst, who earned his first win of the year, struck out Marshall Miller to end the inning.

Fuerst and Lakin Neugebauer combined to no-hit the Ducks. Fuerst had one walk, and Neugebauer walked two batters and struck out four in two innings of work.

The only other no-hitter Norden has seen as coach at Mitchell come from Collin Moen in July 2010 in a Legion game against Huron.

“Kirby threw really well,” Norden said. “If it had been a little warmer I probably would have let him stay out there a little more, but he threw a little over 40 pitches in three innings.

“Lakin, we put him in there to get some mound time.”

The Kernels opened the game with opposite-field hits from Neugebauer and Seth Cavanaugh. Zach Bennett had an RBI single to right to score Neugebauer, and Cavanaugh and Bennett each scored on wild pitches. Alex Herrick, who was batting ninth, had an RBI hit-by-pitch to score Michael Sadler for Mitchell’s fourth run of the first.

Fuerst pitched clean second and third innings, and Mitchell had a six-hit second inning, highlighted by Jared Schmidt’s triple to right field. Schmidt cruised around the bases off the hit that sliced through the wind, and Ducks right fielder Derek Kocer misfired on the relay throw, allowing Schmidt to score standing up.

“Basically, we’re a young team,” said Ducks coach Bryce Holter, whose team has been no-hit two games in a row, the first coming in a 12-0 loss to Redfield on April 1 in Alexandria. “But, in time, we’ll get better because of the youth that we have will get more experience.”

The highlight of the Ducks’ day was relief pitcher Logan Sapp, a freshman left-hander who used a fastball and a curveball to strike out five of Mitchell’s final 10 hitters. JD Shape got the start for Hanson County and was tagged with the loss, getting pulled after recording four outs.

Besides Craig, Miller and Lane Kessler also had walks for the Kernels.

Neugebauer and Bennett each had two hits for Mitchell, which hosts Watertown at 2 p.m. Saturday in a doubleheader. Neugebauer and Brent Havlik each had two RBIs. Jared and Josh Schmidt, Cavanaugh and Herrick each had one hit.

Hanson County (1-3) plays at 7 p.m. today in Madison for its next action.

Tags: sports, kernels, baseball, updates