BEMIDJI – Visiting teams haven’t had much luck at the BSU baseball field this spring.
The Bemidji High School baseball team won another home game in five innings on Tuesday, beating Pequot Lakes 13-0. The Lumberjacks have outscored opposing teams 50-2 in four home games this season.
“These guys love to play at home,” BHS head coach Mike Fogelson said. “(There are) a lot of fans here –parents, families, friends. Obviously, there’s some extra energy there. The bats have come alive here. We’ve been swinging it good everywhere, but they’ve been swinging them at home a little better. We’ve got a nice lineup. They all hit, and we got guys on the bench that hit.”
The Jacks (9-1) plated nine runs in the first inning. Ethan Biehn brought home two with a triple, Ben Corradi added another with an RBI double and Cam Justice went 2 for 2 in the same inning with a pair of singles. Ryan Loewe and Will Zellmann also tallied run-scoring hits in the frame.
Nine runs were more than enough for Gavin Kapaun to earn his second win this season on the mound. He was dialed in from the first pitch, throwing all five innings with eight strikeouts and two hits allowed.
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“Like today, the key is getting things started on the mound,” Fogelson said. “Just like his first outing, Gavin threw a ton of strikes. Regardless of what we did at the plate, and just like Ty (Lundeen) did yesterday , if the guys throw a ton of strikes, then the offense is the cherry on top.”
Bemidji added four more runs over the next two innings. Lundeen, Biehn and Loewe hit RBI singles, while Pequot Lakes (7-5) never threatened to make a comeback.
Even though the Lumberjacks have yet to play a sixth inning at home, they know more challenging opponents lie ahead. That’s why they believe keeping a consistent approach to the game is paramount regardless of the score.
“We just have to keep our poise,” Biehn said. “Every single play, you have to act like the ball is coming to you. Every at-bat, you have to act like there’s two outs in a tie game. When you have games like this you have to make every play like it’s a close game.”
Fogelson is impressed with the big offensive numbers in Bemdiji’s four home games, but he’s even more enthusiastic about his team’s ability to take control of games when they’re not up to bat.
“We want to establish ourselves with great pitching, and our pitching has been really, really good,” he said. “It starts with throwing strikes. Regardless of how much we’re scoring, if we pitch like that, we’re always going to be in these games. That’s what we’re excited about. We know it’s going to come down to the guy on the mound, defense and manufacturing runs.”
Few adversaries have threatened to snap the Jacks’ nine-game winning streak. Yet, they know every win won’t be served on a silver platter.
“It’s a confidence thing at this point,” Biehn said. “I think the boys and I are just feeling good. We’re rolling, and we just have to keep that energy up. We’re going to face adversity like we did against Detroit Lakes . We have to keep rolling when that (adversity) comes and face it head on.”
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BHS will put its winning streak on the line again in Grand Rapids at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 11, in a doubleheader against the Thunderhawks.
Bemidji 13, Pequot Lakes 0 (F/5)
PL 000 00 – 0-2-3
BHS 913 9X – 13-14-0
WP: Kapaun (CG, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K)
LP: Brennan (1 IP, 7 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K)
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