Hot and cold start for Black Sox

Last week was finally opening week for high school baseball, and the Sheyenne-New Rockford Black Sox got off to a puzzling start.

Opening day came on Monday, April 17 against the Harvey/Wells County Hornets, and it became clear early on that SNR were far more prepared for the belated spring season than their opponents.

Virtually every ball the Black Sox put in play got past a defender. Even seemingly routine ground balls proved too difficult for the Hornets to manage. The Black Sox' scoreboard, which is incapable of counting errors in the double digits, stopped keeping track of the Hornets' blunders after only three innings.

However, mistakes on the diamond or in the outfield weren't the Hornets' primary method of giving up runs. Walks, wild pitches and passed balls were even more prevalent, allowing a carousel of Black Sox players to circle the bases.

Meanwhile, a highlight on defense for the Black Sox came from Connor Knatterud, who sprang into action from center field when a Hornet batter slapped a well-hit ball over second base. It appeared to be a routine single, but Knatterud leaped into the air and made a tough diving catch instead.

A healthy crowd on hand acknowledged the great play, and one of Knatterud's teammates began singing the tune for ESPN, and rightfully so. Any outfielder in all of baseball would have been proud of such a catch, which surely would have made the highlight reel.

Pitching for SNR at the time was Luke Yri, and despite his own struggles with wild pitches – and a few passed balls from catcher Bradyn Collier – Yri did solid work.

He allowed just one run per frame in his three innings on the mound, each on a wild pitch or passed ball. Afterwards, Knatterud pitched in the fourth inning and didn't allow a single run, and Alex Weisenburger closed the game out in the fifth inning.

With that, a 10-run mercy rule after five innings kicked in, giving the Black Sox a dominant 25-4 victory over the Hornets to start their spring season.

Up next, however, were the Carrington Cardinals on Tuesday, April 18, who proved to be a much tougher opponent.

On a cold and windy evening, Black Sox coach Dave Skogen elected to start Keaton Cudworth on the mound. Last year, Cudworth was arguably the Black Sox' most reliable pitcher, but Cardinals' hitters had their way with the left-hander on Tuesday.

After a groundout to start the game, Carrington's Grady Shipman stepped to the plate and swung at the first pitch he saw – launching it high in the air and over the fence in right-center field.

The long home run merely got the party started for Carrington. Hudson Schmitz smacked a double into the gap soon after, followed by an RBI double from Owen Hagel, who later scored after an RBI single courtesy of Kael Kovar.

As the game progressed, hitter after hitter from Carrington stepped to the plate and made solid contact with the ball.

By the end of the first inning Carrington had already set the tone with a 3-0 lead, and it didn't take long before they piled on. The Cardinals scored five more in the second, two in the fourth and another five in the fifth inning.

In his three innings on the mound, Cudworth gave up eight hits and six earned runs, had zero walks and struck out four batters. Knatterud took over in the fourth and fifth innings, allowing six more hits, four earned runs and two walks, while striking out two batters.

Meanwhile, on the mound for Carrington was the hard-throwing Shipman, who enjoyed a fantastic outing. Over four innings he notched 10 strikeouts, had zero walks and allowed just one hit. Joshua Bickett then took over in the fifth inning, striking out two more and allowing another hit.

The Cardinals' strong pitching kept the Black Sox from scoring a single run, and but for the Weisenburger cousins – Brody and Alex – they would have been no-hit as well.

The result was an 15-0 score after five innings. And so, after dominating Harvey/Wells County the day prior, the Black Sox suddenly found themselves on the losing end of the same 10-run mercy rule they enjoyed Monday.

After their first two outings, it's difficult to say how good the Black Sox will be this season, as every team is suffering from not having much practice outside.

Carrington, however, appears well on their way to a very successful spring. Their win over the Black Sox was their second shutout of the season, and they had yet to play a game longer than five innings.

Non-Region Baseball

SNR 25, HWC 4

Monday, April 17

in New Rockford

Stats were not available as of press time, but will be posted on our website at newrockfordtranscript.com.

Region 3 Baseball

Cgtn 15, SNR 0

Tuesday, April 18

in New Rockford

Carrington: 350 25 - 15 14 1

SNR: 000 00 - 0 2 3

SNR Individual Stats

Hitting: Brody Weisenburger 1-2; Alex Weisenburger 1-2.

Pitching: Keaton Cudworth 3.0 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR; Connor Knatterud 2.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR.

Carrington Individual Stats

Hitting: Jack Erickson 2-5, 2 runs; Grady Shipman 3-4, 2 RBI, 3 runs; Hudson Schmitz 3-4, 2 RBI, 1 run; Owen Hagel 2-2, 3 RBI, 2 runs; Kael Kovar 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs; Joshua Bickett 1 run; Corbin Clifton 1 run; Maximus Whitman 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 run; Tate Wolsky 3 runs.

Pitching: Shipman 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR; Bickett 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR.