LUVERNE - Midway through Tuesday’s non-league battle between Luverne and Heron Lake-Okabena, it was still anyone’s ballgame.
Then the Cardinal bats started to make some noise.
Post 123 scored six runs in its final two at-bats to take a 9-1 victory to close out the regular season.
The home team jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a run in the bottom of the first and two more in the second. Post 608 got one of those back in the third to narrow the deficit to two runs. That is where it stood until the home half of the fifth.
There, Post 123 scored two more to give itself some breathing room. Four more in the sixth put it away.
Nick Overgaard earned the win for Luverne. He pitched the final three innings and allowed no runs on no hits and struck out six. Connor Hoffman threw the first two innings before the Cardinals got three innings of work out of Tommy Vajgrt.
Logan Knutson was stuck with the loss for HL-O. He allowed four earned runs on seven hits and struck out two in five innings of work.
Vajgrt and Jesse Reed both had two hits and drove in two runs for Post 123. Jacob Olson added two hits.
David Volk and Adam Hietbrink had two hits each for Post 608.
Both teams begin the sub-district tourament on Friday in Pipestone. Seeding is expected to be completed today.
R H E
HL-O 001 000 0 - 1 6 2
Luverne 120 024 x - 9 8 1
Jackson 1, Springfield 0
JACKSON - Scott Christopher was nearly unhittable Tuesday against a team that nearly won a state championship this spring.
Springfield, Class A’s state runner-up, couldn’t figure out the Jackson hurler as he fired a one-hit shutout. That led Jackson to a 1-0 league victory to cap off its regular season.
Christopher and Jevan Richert were locked in an epic pitcher’s dual for most of the contest. Neither pitcher allowed a baserunner until the top of the third when Springfield smacked a one-out single, its only hit of the game. The runner was left stranded on second.
Post 130 didn’t put anyone on until the bottom of the fifth. Christopher helped his own cause by cracking a single to open the frame. Darius Johnson replaced him at first with a fielder’s choice and came around to score the decisive run. That came on a one-out single by Keegan Klontz.
Jackson opens the postseason at 1 p.m. Saturday against Windom in Jackson.
R H E
Springfield 000 000 0 - 0 1 0
Jackson 000 010 x - 1 2 1
