There were games galore for the Detroit Lakes Post 15 baseball team, which ended a five-day, eight-game span with a split against visiting West Fargo Tuesday.
Post 15 started its busy period by going 1-3 in the Ely Tournament Friday-Sunday, then was swept by Moorhead at home Monday and earned the split Tuesday.
DL scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 3-1 victory from West Fargo in the first game of a doubleheader, but lost 8-7 in the nightcap.
Nate Baker pitched a strong first game for DL, allowing just four hits, while Post 15 picked up five themselves.
Max Knoll went five innings in game two, allowing five runs, while Brock Johnson came in for relief, allowing a three-run sixth to tip the scales towards West Fargo.
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Moorhead brought plenty of power Monday, which was combined with a bunch of tired DL arms, after their trip north to Ely.
"We didn't have any pitching, everyone was on a pitch count Monday," said DL head coach Mitch McLeod.
The Blues blasted four homeruns in the two games, taking both by 10 runs and the scores of 11-1 and 14-4.
Kirk McLeod threw the first game for DL, pitching solid after allowing a two-run homer in the first, to John Cahill.
McLeod limited Moorhead to three hits -- all in the first -- in three innings of work.
Brian Labat finished the game, as Moorhead exploded for eight runs in the fifth after Dylan Deavy railed a solo homer in the fourth to invoke the 10-run rule, after a scoreless bottom of the fifth for DL.
Nate Krohne had Post 15's lone RBI, after he doubled in Logan Baker in the third.
Moorhead scored three runs in the fifth and six in the sixth inning to end game two at 14-4.
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Jordan Manning started, with Connor McLeod coming in for relief in the fourth and Andy Fondrick in the sixth.
Braden Rahman had a three-run homer in the sixth, while Lucas Henry added a three-run shot in the fourth for the Blues.
Brock Johnson had DL's biggest hit of the night, smacking a three-run homerun in the sixth inning.
"I thought we hit Moorhead's ace (Petry) decent (seven hits)," Mitch McLeod said. "But our pitchers need to learn how to throw strikes, first and foremost and before anything else."
DL pitchers had a total of 16 walks or hit batters in the two games versus Moorhead.
Walks were also where Post 15 struggled in the Ely Tournament, along with errors.
The Lakers gave up a total of 31 runs in their four games in the Ely Tournament, with 18 of them being unearned.
"Like I've said from the start of the season, I don't care about the wins or losses more than just playing well," the DL coach said. "We just need to start throwing strikes and learning how to catch the ball."
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DL's lone win came in a 12-3 win over Virginia, as Johnson got back on track with a strong game from the mound.
Johnson was throwing hard again, finishing with eight strikeouts and one earned run.
DL still had three errors, but Post 15's bats more than made up for those with 18 hits.
Labat went for a season-best 4-5 with three RBIs, while Knoll and Krohne each went 3-4.
A trio of Lakers had two hits in Connor McLeod, Logan Baker and T.J. Manning.
"Brock was back pitching right where he should be by allowing just four hits and all the way around, the guys played well in that game," Mitch McLeod said.
But two losses, which came after teams rallied in the seventh inning, left a bad taste in the team's mouth.
Errors led to a six-run seventh inning by Cook County, which downed Post 15, 8-7.
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"Walks and errors killed us," Mitch McLeod said.
DL had six hits, while committing four errors in the loss. Ben Lindquist gained the loss on the mound.
In the last game of the tourney, DL saw another heartbreaker, as Frazee scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh for the 9-8 win.
Nick Brower's walk-off double off of Jordan Manning scored three runs to end the game.
Post 15 had an 8-4 lead heading into the seventh, but Frazee erupted for four hits and used two walks and a hit batter in the rally.
Johnson started DL off with a three-run homer in the first, while Aaron Gnoinsky, Jordan Manning and Connor McLeod each had two hits.
"Frazee deserved to win, we didn't," Mitch McLeod said. "They made the plays, we didn't."
Brower finished with three hits for Frazee.
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The Lakers will now take a breath and dive right into the Water Carnival Tournament, which starts Thursday.
DL opens against Fargo Thursday, plays Roseville Friday and then Andover Saturday -- with all games starting at 8 p.m.
The tourney will wrap up with DL facing Brandon, Manitoba, Sunday at 5 p.m. and Moorhead at 8 p.m.
Post 15 results
Detroit Lakes in the Ely Tournament, Friday-Sunday, July 9-11.
Post 15 010 001 - 2 3 0
Duluth 420 204 - 12 12 2
Detroit Lakes
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AB R H Bi
M. Knoll 3 1 1 0
K. McLeod 2 0 0 0
C. McLeod 3 0 1 0
T. Manning 3 0 0 0
B. Johnson 3 0 0 0
L. Baker 1 1 1 1
N. Krohne 1 0 0 0
A. Gnoinsky 2 0 0 0
A. Pederson 2 0 0 0
Totals 20 2 3 1
HR: Baker.
Cook Cty. 000 110 6 - 8 7 1
Post 15 311 020 0 - 7 6 4
Detroit Lakes
AB R H Bi
Knoll 1 1 0 0
M. Labat 2 0 0 0
K. McLeod 3 1 0 0
C. McLeod 3 1 1 2
J. Manning 3 0 1 1
Gnoinsky 2 1 0 0
Baker 1 0 0 0
Johnson 4 2 1 0
T. Manning 4 0 2 2
Pederson 2 1 1 0
B. Labat 2 0 0 0
Totals 27 7 6 5
3B: C. McLeod.
Post 15 110 041 5 - 12 18 3
Virginia 030 000 0 - 3 5 6
Detroit Lakes
AB R H Bi
Knoll 4 2 3 2
Fonder 0 0 0 0
J. Manning 4 0 1 1
M. Labat 1 0 0 0
C. McLeod 5 1 2 1
Baker 5 2 2 1
Krohne 4 2 3 0
Pederson 1 0 0 0
T. Manning 4 3 2 1
R. Berg 1 0 0 0
K. McLeod 1 2 1 1
B. Labat 5 0 4 3
A. Fondrick 5 0 0 0
Totals 40 12 18 10
2B: Krohne.
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k): DL - B. Johnson (WP) 7-5-3-1-2-9.
Post 15 420 000 2 - 8 9 2
Frazee 030 010 5 - 9 10 2
Detroit Lakes
AB R H Bi
J. Manning 4 1 2 2
K. McLeod 4 1 2 0
C. McLeod 2 1 0 1
Baker 2 2 0 0
Krohne 3 0 0 0
Johnson 3 1 1 3
Pederson 3 0 0 1
Berg 3 1 1 0
Knoll 1 0 1 1
Gnoinsky 4 1 2 0
Totals 29 8 9 8
HR: Johnson...2B: J. Manning (2).
Frazee
AB R H Bi
Tappe 5 0 1 2
Galbrecht 3 0 0 0
N. Brower 4 1 3 2
VanWatermulen 3 1 0 0
Wacker 4 2 3 1
M. Brower 3 1 2 0
Oelfke 4 1 0 0
Stender 1 2 1 1
Ketter 3 1 0 1
Totals 30 9 10 7
2B: N. Brower, Wacker.
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k): DL - T. Manning 6-7-3-6-5-1; J. Manning (LP) .2-3-3-3-2-1.
