BH-RA upsets SJ-O baseball in Class 2A regional semifinal
By Fred Kroner
Top-seeded St. Joseph-Ogden was dealt a season-ending Class 2A regional semifinal baseball loss at home by ninth-seeded Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, 4-2, on Wednesday (May 16) at Meier Field.
SJ-O had beaten the Blue Devils, 9-2, in the regular season.
The Spartans jumped into a 2-0 lead after three innings in the rematch. B-H/R-A created a 2-2 tie after four innings and tallied its final two runs in the fifth.
The Spartans were limited to three hits, singles by Adam Price (who drove in one run), Tanner Jacob and Connor Hale (who stole two bases).
Hale and Luke Landrus scored the SJ-O runs.
Kendrick Johnson pitched four innings, permitting four hits and two earned runs while walking one and striking out three hitters.
Price, who suffered the loss, worked one inning and gave up three hits and two earned runs. He walked one and fanned one.
The final two Spartan pitchers, Nolan Earley and Hale did not give up a run in their two combined innings and together accounted for three strikeouts, two by Hale.
On Monday (May 14), S-JO was held to two hits in its final regular-season baseball game of the season, but made the most of them and edged Tri-Valley, 3-2, at Meier Field.
Jacob had a hit, scored a run and drove in a run. He also swiped two bases. The Spartans’ other hit was by Price, who also tallied a run.
Maddux Carter scored the other SJ-O run and Landrus had an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Coy Taylor stole a season-high four bases.
Jared Altenbaumer pitched five innings, yielding three hits and three walks. He struck out two batters and gave up one earned run. The win was his first of the spring.
Caleb Ochs finished with two hitless and scoreless innings. He issued one walk and had no strikeouts.
SJ-O (28-8) had six players (with at least 45 at-bats) who hit over .300 for the season.
Price (.429) led the way and was followed by Jacob (.385), Carter (.360), Braxton Waller (.352), Landrus (.349) and Altenbaumer (.327). Just missing was Charles Voorhees (.299).
The team leaders in runs scored were Landrus (41) and Price (31). Price knocked in the most runs (40), followed by Landrus (34).
The stolen base leaders were Landrus (18), Carter (nine) and Taylor (eight). Landrus bashed the most extra-base hits (13), followed by Price (12) and Earley (11).
Price recorded the most games with two, or more, hits (16) and was followed by Landrus (13). They were the SJ-O leaders for the most hits, Price with 51 and Landrus with 45.
Eight pitchers won at least one game, led by Johnson (8-0) and Earley (5-0). Landrus, who didn’t allow a run in 10 2/3 innings of relief for the season, registered three saves. Taylor, who didn’t allow a run in five of his six outings, recorded two saves.
The best earned run averages, for pitchers with at least 25 innings, were Jack Robertson (1.96), Hale (1.97) and Johnson (1.98).
Hale was the leader for the most strikeouts (63), followed by Johnson (50). Johnson worked a team-high 46 innings and was followed by Hale with 39 innings.
The Spartan pitchers with the most appearances on the mound were Johnson and Ochs, each with 12.
