Post 9 Scores 15 Runs in 1 Inning at Region Tourney

Milbank’s Legion Post 9 baseball team competed in the Region 1B tournament in Sisseton during the weekend of July 23-25. Milbank finished at 1-2. Their loss came from Castlewood-Clear Lake, the team who eventually took the runner-up honors in the tourney.

Game 1 

Milbank received a bye in the first round and then took on Castlewood-Clear Lake. In a well-played game by both teams, Castlewood-Clear Lake came away with the victory at 2-1. Post 9 pushed their lone run across in the bottom of the fourth inning when Kaden Krause, who had singled to reach base, scored on Kellen Hoeke’s double to center field.

Post 9’s offense was led by Krause, Hoeke, and Sage Locke. They put up Milbank’s three hits. Justus Osborn was on the mound for Post 9. He pitched six innings and recorded 13 strikeouts.

Game 2

In Game 2, Post 9’s offense exploded! They scored 15 runs in the bottom of the second. Justus Osborn started the ball rolling with a leadoff single. It was followed by back-to-back walks by Sage Locke and Isaac Schulte. Stevie Ash singled to center field to bring Osborn around to home and move the score to 3-1. Mikey Karges got hit by a pitch to make it 3-2. Kaden Krause hit a double to center field to knock in two more and increase MIlbank’s lead to 4-3. 

Merik Junker and Kellen Hoeke each drew a walk to help bump the score up to 5-3. Cole Swenson singled during the next at-bat to make it 6-3. Osborn, Locke, and Schulte all drew bases-loaded walks to boost Milbank’s lead to  9-3. 

Stevie Ash recorded the first out in the inning with a sacrifice fly to help tally another run. The score sat at 10-3 with one out. Karges singled to load the bases for the top of the lineup.  Krause obliged and cleared the bases to make it 13-3. Kellen Hoeke kept things going with a single to cushion the lead at 14-3. Osborn came up for the third time that inning and hit a sacrifice fly to move the score another notch to 15-3. 

Milbank added one more run in the top of the fourth when Krause grounded out to the shortstop and Ash managed to cross the plate to cement the victory at 16-3. The 10-run mercy rule was invoked after five innings. 

Micah Dietmeier earned the win on the mound. He pitched all five innings and recorded four strikeouts. Krause led the way for the offense with two hits and six RBIs. Cole Swenson, Ash, and Locke added two hits apiece to Milbank’s total.

Game 3

In Game 3, Kaden Krause and Isaac Schulte both recorded hits, but Milbank fell to Castlewood-Clear Lake 4-0. The loss ended Post 9’s 2021 season at 22-7.