Mitchell Post 18 finally faced some live competition this weekend.
After having its season delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mitchell played a pair of doubleheaders to start its 2020 Legion baseball season.
“Obviously the best thing out of the weekend is getting live at-bats and pitchers throwing to live hitters and all that stuff,” Post 18 coach Luke Norden said. “You can’t simulate a game mode. So just getting out and playing the game stuff is obviously huge for us.”
Mitchell went 1-3 in the opening weekend, which included a split with Pierre Post 8 on Sunday at Cadwell Park. Mitchell won the first game, 14-4, in five innings. Pierre won the second game, 9-3.
On Saturday, Mitchell opened the season losing a pair of games against Rapid City Post 22 by 18-3 and 8-5 margins in Rapid City.
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In Game 1 on Sunday, Mitchell sported a 7-0 lead after the first two innings to key the victory. Post 18 added four runs in the third inning, two in the fourth and one more in the fifth to complete the 10-run victory.
“We had a really hard time hitting the ball on the barrel (on Saturday),” Norden said. “We hit more balls on the barrel in the first inning of the first game than we did all day the first day.”
Jonah Schmidt powered the offense by going 4-for-4 at the plate and driving in one run. Koby Larson, Peyton Nash and Isaac Rew posted two hits apiece. Ryan McGinnis added a hit.
Brady Hawkins earned the win. He scattered seven hits, allowed four earned runs and struck out four batters in four innings.
In Game 2, Mitchell managed just three hits. Maguire Raske kept Mitchell’s bats in check and struck out nine batters in four innings. He allowed just two hits and one earned run.
“We come out and we don’t want to swing at the fastball,” Norden said about the second game. “We take a couple steps forward and then we take a couple steps backward not being aggressive on fastballs when we should have and that kind of thing.”
Brady Brosz, Joe VanOverschelde and Rew each had a hit. Schmidt took the loss after giving up two hits, three earned runs and striking out three batters in three innings.
For Pierre, Andy Gordon went 3-for-4, drove in three runs and belted a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Grey Zabel hit two doubles and drove in two runs.
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Mitchell will play at the Sioux Falls Dakota Classic on June 12-15.
Post 18 swept in season-opening doubleheader
RAPID CITY -- Rapid City Post 22 posted runs in seven of 10 innings in a doubleheader sweep against Mitchell Post 18 on Saturday. Mitchell fell 18-3 in five innings of Game 1, while it lost 8-5 in Game 2 of the twin bill.
In Game 1, Mitchell gave up all 18 runs through four innings on nine hits. Post 18 managed just two hits in the season-opening defeat. Austin Kerr and Joe VanOverschelde each posted a hit. Brady Brosz took the loss. He gave up five hits, nine runs (five earned) and struck out three batters in 1 1/3 innings. Hunter Stahle pitched two relief innings, allowing two hits, six earned runs and struck out one batter. Jake Helleloid added 2/3 innings of relief. He allowed two hits, three earned runs and struck out one batter.
For Post 22, Dylan Richey finished with two hits and drove in three runs. Jake Goble also logged two hits and two RBIs. Zach Whitesell earned the win after giving up two hits, three earned runs and one strikeout in 3 1/3 innings.
In Game 2, Rapid City posted nine hits and five extra-base hits to complete the sweep. Ryan Bachman and Branson Kuehl each smacked home runs. Richey earned the win after striking out seven batters, allowing four earned runs and two hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Mitchell logged three hits, with Koby Larson, Brady Hawkins and Brady Brosz each posting a hit. Hawkins, Peyton Nash and Josh Grosdidier each drove in a run.
Ethan Price took the loss. He allowed five hits, six runs (five earned) and struck out two batters in 3 1/3 innings. Isaac Rew pitched 2 2/3 innings of relief. He scattered four hits, allowed two runs (one earned) and struck out one batter.
