Boerger Leads Firechiefs To Opening Day Win Over Snappers

Milbank opened their Class B amateur baseball season with a 10-0 victory over the Elkton Snappers. The Snappers are in their first season in theEastern Dakota League and met up with the reigning EDL champions — the Milbank Firechiefs.  Dom Boerger continued to dominate the EDL by striking out 22 batters and earning the win on the mound.

Milbank’s offense got rolling in the top of the seventh. Despite their slow start, the Firechiefs put up 10 runs in two innings to invoke the Mercy Rule and end the game early. Merik Junker reached first base on a dropped third strike. He then stole second base and advanced to third when Taylor Boerger laid down a sacrifice bunt. Junker crossed the plate on a wild pitch during Brady Krause’s at-bat. B. Krause was hit by a pitch. D. Boerger and Kellen Hoeke drew back-to-back walks to load the bases, and B. Krause scored on a passed ball. Mitch Quade’s two-out single gave him two RBIs when D. Boerger and Hoeke crossed the plate to boost Milbank’s lead to 4-0 after 6 1/2 innings of play.

In the top of the eighth, the Firechiefs racked up six runs with two outs in the inning. T. Boerger was hit by a pitch and Kaden Krause and B. Krause each followed with walks to put ducks on the pond. D. Boerger punched a bases-clearing double down the right field line to give Milbank a 7-0 lead. D. Boerger reached base on an error by the third baseman, and Hoeke knocked him in to put the Firechiefs up  8-0. 

Quade drove Hoeke home with an opposite field double to make it 9-0 as Milbank continued to add on to their lead. Quade capitalized on back-to-back wild pitches to advance from second to home to allow the Firechiefs to take a double-digit lead and give them enough to mercy rule the Snappers.

D. Boerger blanked Elkton on the mound. He allowed no runs, two hits, and struck out 22 of the 28 batters he faced during eight innings of work. Mitch Quade led the way on offense with three hits and three RBIs. D. Boerger added two hits and three RBIs in Milbank’s first victory of the 2023 season.The Firechiefs will be back in action Wednesday, May 31 in Colman. They take on Ramona at 7 p.m.  Catch Milbank’s home opener against the Clark Traders this Sunday, June 4. First pitch is at 7 p.m.