Early runs hold up for 2-1 Lion baseball loss to Kenyon-Wanamingo

The game’s first two batters scored for a 2-0 Kenyon-Wanamingo lead. The first Spring Grove batter scored. No one else would score as the visiting Knights edged the Lions, 2-1 in a May 16 non-conference contest that will surely figure into Section 1A tournament seeding for both clubs. For Spring Grove (8-6), it was the third straight loss, all by one-run margins. Both teams came in with 8-5 season records. Kenyon-Wanamingo (9-5) was one of only 13 teams to receive votes in the latest state Class A poll and was coming into Spring Grove one afternoon after knocking off Randolph, the state’s top-ranked Class A team.

An additional and extremely costly setback came with the knowledge that Spring Grove’s leading hitter and base-stealer, Elijah Solum, will not return after an injury.  This was the third game and loss without the all-conference junior centerfielder in the lineup.

The game began with an infield single from K-W lead-off batter Colton Stebergle, followed quickly by a Jaedin Johnson home run over the left field fence – two batters, two runs. The first Lion hitter, Caleb Griffin, doubled, went to third base on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by second batter Jaxon Strinmoen – two batters, one run (the last run of the game).

The Lions out-hit the visitors, 5 to 3. Three of those five hits were doubles, but all five base hits came in different innings. And three of those five hits came off the bat of Griffin (3 for 4). Brandon Jahnke led off the SG sixth inning with a double, but the Lions left two on base. In the next and final inning, Grove was one out away from defeat with no one on base when Strinmoen doubled to keep Lion hopes alive. But after a hit batter and a final strikeout, Spring Grove had stranded two runners for the fourth time in seven innings.

After those two very-early K-W hits, Griffin pitched a complete game, giving up only one more hit, another infield single. He did issue seven free passes, but he also struck out eight and defended with a couple of bare-handed grabs. Griffin pitched himself into jams in the second and fifth innings and then pitched himself out of trouble both times. The Lions survived their two errors.

The Knights defended without error. Winning pitcher Gunner Kennedy struck out 11, walked only four and hit one batter before forced to leave due to the pitch count in the final inning. Reliever Alex Lee gave up the fifth Lion hit before finishing with the Knights’ 12th strikeout.

There were three double plays, two by the SG defense and one by the visitors. And there was a puzzling trick play attempted when the Knights – with two outs and runners on third base and first base – had the runner on first base station himself in right field. Evidently, the purpose was to confuse the Lion defense enough to sneak home the runner on third base. After a lengthy time-out by the umpires and conversation with both coaches, play resumed with the runner back on first base. The scoreless half-inning ended with a strikeout.

It was the first meeting between Spring Grove and Kenyon-Wanamingo, but the Lions were eliminated by Wanamingo, 6-4, in the 1979 postseason tournament.

The Lion B-team improved to 5-5-3 with a walk-off 6-5 win.

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K-W 2, SG 1
K-W  200  000  0 = 2–3–0
SG    100  000  0 = 1–5–2
LOB: SG 7, K-W 8
Stolen bases: SG 1, K-W 1
SG 5 hits (3 doubles, 2 singles): Caleb Griffin 3-4, dbl, run, steaI; Jaxon Strinmoen 1-1, dbl, RBI; Brandon Jahnke 1-3, dbl.
K-W 3 hits (home run, 2 singles): Jaedin Johnson 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, run, steal
Pitching SG: Caleb Griffin 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 HB, 2 W, 8 K
Pitching K-W: Gunner Kennedy 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 W, 11 K; Alex Lee 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 W, 1 HB, 1 K
Records: SG 8-6, W-K 9-5
SG LINEUP: p Caleb Griffin, c Ezra Griffin, 1b Jaxon Udstuen, 3b, Brandon Jahnke, lf Bryce Berns, cf Zach Brumm, rf Braedon Solie, dh Gabe Klug & Logan Brumm, ph Jacob Solum, Caleb Ranzenberger & Tysen Moen

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Spring Grove Baseball 2023 (SEC games in bold)
>>8-6 (7-3 SEC)
W at GMLOK 15-4
W vs. Houston 10-2
L at Southland 4-5
Fri. 4- 21         (at Austin) Blooming Prairie, canceled
Mon. 4-24       Rushford-Peterson, canceled
W vs. Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons 14-4
W vs. GMLOK 6-2
Sat. 4-29          (at Minneapolis) Martin County West, canceled
L at Lyle/Pacelli 1-3
W vs. Mabel-Canton 7-6
W at Mabel-Canton 12-5
L vs. Lyle/Pacelli 0-7
W vs. Wabasha-Kellogg 7-3
W at Houston 4-1
Fri. 5-12          Southland, postponed to 5-18
L vs. Goodhue (R-P Tourney) 2-3
L vs. Rushford-Peterson (R-P Tourney) 5-6
L vs. Kenyon-Wanamingo 1-2
Thurs. 5-18     Southland
Fri. 5-19          Fillmore Central/Lanesboro
Mon. 5-22       at Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons

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B-Team Baseball
>>5 wins, 5 losses, 3 ties
L at Caledonia 4-14
T at GMLOK 3-3
L vs. Houston 3-6
T at Southland 0-0
W vs. Houston 8-5
W vs. GMLOK 4-2
L at Lyle/Pacelli 4-7
W vs. Mabel-Canton 4-2
W at Mabel-Canton 9-0
T vs. Lyle/Pacelli 10-10
L at Houston 1-6
L at La Crescent-Hokah 5-7
W vs. Kenyon-Wanamingo 6-5

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Junior High Baseball
>>3 wins, 11 losses
L vs. Mabel-Canton
L vs. Mabel-Canton
L vs. GMLOK
W vs. GMLOK
L vs. Houston
L vs. Houston
W vs. GMLOK
W vs. GMLOK
L at Mabel-Canton
L at Mabel-Canton
L vs. Houston
L vs. Houston
L at Houston
L at Houston