COLLEGEVILLE -- The Bemidji American Legion baseball team posted a 3-2 record in pool play at the Gopher Classic over the weekend, finishing in a tie for second within its pool while playing at St. John’s University in Collegeville.
The Centaurs (16-4) defeated Sartell-St. Stephen 5-2, Shakopee 9-1 and Coon Rapids 11-1, but they also lost 7-0 to Rapid City and 8-5 to eventual pool champion Omaha Millard South.
Bemidji opened the weekend against Sartell-St. Stephen on Friday, July 9, scoring all five of its runs over the final two innings. Parker Mistic singled in the first run to break a scoreless tie, while Ben Corradi and JD Kondos also picked up RBI knocks late.
On the mound, Kondos threw five scoreless frames of one-hit ball, and Brandon Lussier threw the final two innings to seal the win.
After the 7-0 loss to Rapid City, in which they recorded just one hit, the Centaurs returned to the diamond Saturday, July 10, and beat up Shakopee 9-1. Lussier batted 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, while Ty Lundeen was 3-for-4, including a walk-off home run that brought on the mercy rule.
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Isaiah Biehn threw five innings on the mound for the victory, scattering six hits and allowing just one earned run.
In the game that ultimately decided Bemidji’s fate, Omaha Millard South triumphed 8-5 on Sunday, July 11, by scoring seven runs in the fifth inning. That flipped a 5-0 Centaurs lead into a 7-5 hole in a hurry, and Omaha tacked on an insurance run in the sixth to help reach a 4-1 pool play record.
Bemidji’s 11-1 victory over Coon Rapids wrapped up the weekend, and the Centaurs wasted no time in supplying the offense. Five of those runs came in the second inning, including RBI singles from Biehn and Mistic, and a two-run knock from Grant DeClusin provided a 7-0 cushion by the end of the frame.
Bemidji produced four more runs in the fourth for a 10-run difference, and Corradi did the rest to wrap up the game from the rubber. Corradi went all five innings, allowing five hits and zero earned runs while striking out four.
The Centaurs will return home for a 4 p.m. doubleheader against Alexandria on Monday, July 12, at the BSU baseball field.
Bemidji 5, Sartell-St. Stephen 2
BEM 000 003 2 -- 5-5-2
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SSS 000 000 2 -- 2-3-1
WP: Kondos (5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K)
LP: Lund (6.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K)
Rapid City 7, Bemidji 0
BEM 000 000 0 -- 0-1-2
RC 022 021 X -- 7-12-0
WP: Dansby (CG, 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K)
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LP: Heger (3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)
Bemidji 9, Shakopee 1 (six innings)
SHK 000 010 -- 1-7-2
BEM 011 223 -- 9-13-0
WP: I. Biehn (5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)
LP: Roder (4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)
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Omaha Millard South 8, Bemidji 5
BEM 022 010 0 -- 5-8-4
OMS 000 071 X -- 8-7-3
WP: Foote (CG, 7 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K)
LP: Lundeen (4.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 5 K)
Bemidji 11, Coon Rapids 1 (five innings)
BEM 250 40 -- 11-11-1
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CR 010 00 -- 1-5-4
WP: Corradi (CG, 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K)
LP: Manos (CG, 5 IP, 11 H, 11 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K)
