The Luverne Redbirds amateur baseball team moved to 5-1 on the season with two shutout, seven-inning victories this week.
The Redbirds defeated the Hadley Buttermakers 11-0 on Wednesday, May 25, and the Jackson Bulls 20-0 on Friday, both at Redbird Field.
Luverne was scheduled to play in Worthington Wednesday, June 1, after this edition of the Star Herald went to press. The Redbirds will play in Windom on Wednesday, June 8.
Luverne 11, Hadley 0
Jake Haugen pitched a complete, shutout victory for the Redbirds at home Wednesday, May 25, when he shut down the Hadley Buttermakers 11-0.
Haugen gave up only five hits, no runs and walked only one while striking out seven Hadley hitters.
“Our pitchers have been attacking, throwing multiple pitches for strikes in any count,” Haugen said.
Phil Paquette started the scoring for the Redbirds in the first inning when he hit a double to score Derek Lundgren.
Newt Johnson then hit a ground ball and reached base on an error to score Paquette before Colby Crabtree (running for Declan Beers) and Johnson scored on a two-RBI single by Ethan Beyer to build a 4-0 lead at the end of the first inning.
Paquette scored for the second time in the game in the second inning when Beers lined into a fielder’s choice.
Luverne added three more runs in the third inning.
Cade Wenninger scored on a single by Gaige Nath, Beyer scored on a single by Lundgren, and Lundgren scored on a double by Paquette.
In the fourth inning, the Birds’ Ben Serie scored on a fly ball single from Beyer.
Serie plated his second run of the game when he opened the bottom of the sixth inning with a homerun. Beers scored the final run of the game when Cade Wenninger hit an RBI single later in the same inning.
When the Buttermakers were unable to score in the top of the seventh inning, the game ended due to the 10-run rule.
Paquette led the offense for the Birds, going three for four at the plate with two runs and two RBIs.
Beyer had two hits, one run and two RBIs while Serie tallied two runs, scored twice and had one RBI.
Hadley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Luverne 4 1 3 1 0 2 x 11
AB R H BI
D Lundgren 1 2 2 1
P Paquette 4 2 3 2
S Wenninger 3 0 1 0
B Serie 4 2 2 1
N Johnson 3 1 0 0
C Wenninger 3 1 1 1
E Beyer 3 1 2 3
G Nath 4 0 1 1
C Crabtree 0 1 0 0
Luverne 20, Jackson 0
The Redbirds exploded for twenty runs in only six innings at bat when they shut out the Jackson Bulls Friday night at Redbird Field.
Skyler Wenninger led the charge for Luverne. The first baseman was four for four at the plate, scoring four runs and tallying four RBIs. He hit a 2-RBI double in the first inning, singled in the second, singled in the third and singled in the fourth.
Serie hit his second homerun in as many games to lead off the second inning.
The Birds added five more runs in the third inning with the help of doubles by Johnson and Paquette.
Haugen added a double in the fourth inning, during which Luverne added six more runs, and Beers belted a triple in the two-run sixth inning.
“The top of our order has been crushing the ball,” Haugen said.
In all, the Redbirds tallied 18 hits in the game.
In addition to Skyler Wenninger’s four hits, Paquette had three and Lundgren, Beers, Johnson and Beyer had two hits each.
Serie and Skyler Wenninger scored four runs each.
Three Redbird pitchers combined for the shutout victory.
Lundgren started the game and pitched four innings. He gave up two hits, struck out six, and walked one.
Serie came in for two innings of relief work. He struck out six while giving up no hits, runs or walks.
Player-manager Brooks Maurer threw the final inning for the Redbirds. He struck out one batter and tallied zero hits, runs and walks.
Jackson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Luverne 5 2 5 6 0 2 X 20
AB R H BI
D Lundgren 6 1 2 1
P Paquette 4 2 3 1
C Crabtree 2 1 0 0
S Wenninger 4 4 4 4
B Serie 5 4 1 2
D Beers 4 1 2 2
N Johnson 2 2 2 3
R Gonzalez 1 0 0 0
J Haugen 4 1 1 2
C Wenninger 3 2 1 0
C Reisch 0 0 0 0
E Beyer 3 1 2 1
M Sterrett 0 1 0 0
Redbirds shut out Hadley, Jackson
By
Jason Berghorst