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Dragons enter driver's seat with win

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian baseball team will play for its third Section 3A Tournament title in the last four years today in Windom.After posting a seven-run win against Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunberg Wednesday, June 1, in Montevideo, and nipping Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin by two runs in Windom Monday, the Dragons are the double-elimination tournament’s lone undefeated team.Adrian, 14-9 overall, will play in the championship round today in Windom. AHS will play ML-B-O or Springfield at 5 p.m. A win would give the Dragons a section title. A loss would set up a second game later that night.Adrian 5, ML-B-O 3The Dragons posted an extra-innings victory over the Wolverines to earn their berth in the championship round Monday in Windom.After facing a pair of one-run deficits during the first five innings of play, AHS rallied to tie the score at three in the sixth inning before producing the game-winning runs in the top of the ninth.John Archer and Cody Kontz drew walks to ignite Adrian’s ninth-inning surge. Two outs later, Brandon Diekman was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Glen Kruger, who capped a three-hit, three-RBI game by delivering a two-run single to give AHS a 5-3 cushion.Will Lutmer, who tossed all nine innings for the Dragons, blanked the Wolverines in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.ML-B-0 plated one unearned run in the bottom of the first inning before Adrian moved in front 2-1 in the top of the fifth. Joel Hoffman received an RBI for a fielder’s choice and Alex Suedkamp slapped an RBI single to give AHS a one-run lead.The Wolverines scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to regain the lead at 3-2, but Levi Bullerman singled and scored on a single by Kruger in the sixth to knot the score at three.Lutmer fanned six batters, walked four and yielded six hits during this complete-game effort on the mound.Adrian 7, K-M-S 0The Dragons emerged as one of two tournament unbeaten teams when they blanked K-M-S in Montevideo June 1.David Hoffer threw a seven-inning shutout and Brent Tjepkes and Lutmer drove in two runs at the plate to lead AHS to a seven-run win over the Fighting Saints.Hoffer limited K-M-S to four hits during the game. He hit one batter and recorded one strikeout.Hoffer’s teammates gave him all the support he needed when they scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning.Kruger was hit by a pitch and Hoffer singled to start the rally. Lutmer singled home Kruger, and Tjepkes doubled to score Hoffer. Alex Suedkamp lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to send Lutmer home with the third run of the inning.Adrian scored two runs in the fifth and seventh innings to cap the scoring.Hoffer picked up a RBI for a fielder’s choice and Lutmer singled home a run in the fifth.Hoffer walked and scored on a passed ball in the seventh. Tjepkes received an RBI for a fielder’s choice to cap the scoring.

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