Randolph Baseball Defeats Cannon Falls

The Randolph Rockets concluded their regular season Saturday night with a 4-1 win over the Cannon Falls Bombers.  The game was originally scheduled to be played in Miesville but the Mudhens told the teams they wouldn't be able to use their field due to the wet forecast.  Randolph was the home team with the game played at John Burch Park in Cannon Falls because Randolph does not have lights.

Rockets Head Coach Chris Stanton told us on the Randolph Coaches Show senior Andrew Wenstrom asked him at the beginning of the season if he could pitch the game against the Bombers so that was the plan all along.  Wenstrom held Cannon Falls to three hits and had the biggest hit of the game.

The Bombers took a 1-0 lead when junior third baseman Jack Dommeyer hit a grounder to second that was misplayed allowing him to gain the basepaths.  Cannon  Falls starting pitcher senior Roan Reardon executed a sacrifice bunt to get Dommeyer to second base.  Following a strikeout catcher senior Graham Pearson hit a single to shallow center field.  Dommeyer was sent home.  The throw from Rockets senior Joey Erickson was a perfect one hop to catcher junior A.J. Weidner that looked like it was going to retire the runner by a significant margin but Weidner couldn't secure the ball and Dommeyer scored.

Reardon kept Randolph in check with just one runner reaching base in the first three innings.  Wenstrom lead off the bottom of the first inning with a single.  On a toss over to first by the pitcher the first baseman stepped on Wenstrom's foot.  The senior limped into the dugout.  Sophomore Kaven Bolnigen came in to be Wenstrom's courtesy runner.  A sophomore went down to the pen to warm up just in case Wenstrom couldn't continue to play.  Bolnigen stole second and was at third due to a wild pitch but did not score.

Randolph scored their first run in the bottom of the fourth inning (remember they were the home team even though the game was in Cannon Falls) without the benefit of a hit.  Erickson coaxed a walk to start the inning.  Weidner laid down a bunt resulting in a throwing error.  Following a wild pitch allowing the runners to get into scoring position Reardon was lifted with a 1-1 count to cleanup hitter junior Dane Ehleringer.  Dommeyer came in to pitch.  He struck out Ehleringer and the next two batters with the only hiccup a wild pitch that allowed Erickson to score the tying run.

In the bottom of the 5th with one out #8 Randolph batter junior Nick Drinken was walked followed by a strikeout.  Wenstrom crunched a double to right center.  Erickson was walked.  Weidner had an infield single.   Bolnigen was the courtesy runner for Wenstrom again and scored on a wild pitch. The Bombers tried to get Erickson out at third and the ball was thrown away allowing him to score.

Cannon Falls had three base runners after their error aided run in the second inning.  Wenstrom's only walk occurred with one out in the fifth inning.  Nick Bultena went in to be the courtesy runner for catcher Graham Pearson and stole second base.  He was stranded there,

The Bombers got the first batter in the 6th and 7th innings on base.  In the sixth junior Luke Sjoquist led off with a single and stole second.  Wenstrom struck out the next three batters.

In the top of the 7th Reardon led off with a single.  He went to second following a ground out.  Following a fly out Wenstrom recorded his 11th strikeout of the game on his 102nd pitch to end the game.  71 of Wenstrom's pitches were strikes.  He held the Bombers to 3 hits.

Reardon went the first 3+ innings for the Bombers with 46 pitches thrown.  30 for strikes.  4 strikeouts, 1 walk, 1 hit allowed.  Dommeyer had 7 strikeouts over his three innings of work.  He threw 59 pitches, 37 for strikes with 2 walks, 2 hits allowed.

Line totals in my scorebook were:

Randolph     4 runs   3hits    2errors   3 runners on base   2 in scoring position

Cannon Falls 1 run   3 hits   2 errors   4 runners on base  4 in scoring position

Randolph ends their regular season 17-2.  Cannon Falls is 12-7 and will play at Rochester Monday evening at 5:00 p.m. in the overall Hiawatha Valley League Championship game. The Bombers were the Blue Division H-V-L champs.