Schulte Hits First Career Homerun to Right at Rotary Tourney

Post 9 traveled to Clark for their annual weekend Rotary tournament. The event attracts teams from North and South Dakota for competitive baseball. Milbank lost their first game to Clark 11-5. They won game two 10-2 against Lidgerwood and capped off the weekend with a shutout victory against the Faulkton-Highmore Hitmen.

Josh Pederson wasted no time getting the Post 9’s offense started on Thursday afternoon in game one. He led off with a single. Joe Schulte immediately followed with another single. Merik Junker belted one more single to centerfield to score Pederson from second and take the score to 1-0. By the top of the fourth, though, Post 9 found themselves trailing 7-1. Jayce Jonason hit a one-out single. Resse Rabe followed with a walk. Mason Meister singled to left to load the bases for the top of the lineup. Josh Pederson singled to right to score both Jonason and Rabe. Milbank edged closer at 7-3. Schulte then reached on an error by the Clark’s second baseman to give Meister the opportunity to score and Pederson moved to third with one out. Justus Osborn loaded the bases again for Post 9 and Junker brought home Milbank’s fifth run by drawing a bases-loaded walk. The score sat at 7-5 in favor of Milbank.

After that, Post 9 ran out of momentum and Clark added four more ticks to their side of the scoreboard. Milbank eventually fell in game one 11-5. Pederson and Meister led the way for the Milbank’s offense. They put up two hits each. Schulte, Junker, and Jonason added one apiece.

In game two, Post 9 again wasted no time putting points on the board. Pederson led off with a single to left. Osborn moved him to third when he also roped a line drive to left. Tanner Hallquist scored both Pederson and Osborn with a single to right to give Milbank a 2-0 lead.

Lidgerwood tied it up in the bottom of the first, but Post 9 roared back. Pederson drew a two-out walk and Schulte blasted his first career home run to right field on the next pitch. Milbank took over the lead again at 4-2. Milbank added four more runs in the top of the fourth. Rabe led off with a single. Meister and Pederson loaded the bases with back-to-back walks. Schulte drove home Rabe with a single to right to make it 5-2. Osborn drew a bases-loaded walk which increased Post 9’s lead to 6-2. Dillen Scheely scored both Pederson and Schulte on a single to right. Hot bats had put Post 9 in a good position. They built an 8-2 lead.

Schulte led off the top of the sixth with a double to center. Osborn joined him on base by drawing a walk. Junker brought both baserunners home when he shot a double to center. Post 9 led 10-2. Milbank held on to earn the victory at 10-2.

Schulte set the pace for Post 9 with three hits and three RBIs.  Osborn earned the win on the mound. He pitched all six innings and allowed only two runs. He struck out nine Northerners.

Milbank faced Faulkton-Highmore in game three. They defeated the Hitmen 9-0 to finish 2-1 during the weekend. For the third game in a row, Milbank scored in the first frame. Josh Pederson also continued to lead off with a single — a repeat of his performance in the two previous contests. He then stole second and Schulte brought him home when he singled to center. Post 9 was on the board at 1-0. 
Schulte was caught stealing during Osborn’s at-bat, but Osborn drew a walk. Junker hit a triple off the wall to score Osborn and increase Milbank’s lead to 2-0. Hallquist singled to left to score Junker and put Milbank up 3-0.

In the top of the third with two outs, Dillen Scheely was hit by a pitch. Sammy Femling reached first on an error by the F-H third baseman. Nollen Scheely loaded the bases with a single to left.  Meister brought home D. Scheely and Femling with a single to left to make it 5-0.

Osborn reached base on an error to get the fourth inning started. Junker then belted a home run to right field. He pushed the score to 7-0. With two gone in the fifth, Pederson drew a walk. Schulte singled to right to join him on base. Osborn knocked a double off the left field wall to score Pederson and Schulte and put a dagger in the Hitmen. Post 9 secured the win at 9-0.

Junker was busy. He recorded a home run and a triple. He also pitched five innings to collect the win. He allowed only two hits and no runs and struck out five.