Nick Lindberg was sharp on the mound and the Perham offense came up with timely two-out hits as they defeated Pequot Lakes 6-0 in an Section 8AA elimination game at Krueger Field on June 1.
Lindberg was in command, scattering five hits while striking out nine batters in his complete game effort. He did not walk a batter and rarely found himself in any trouble against the No. 1 seed from the south. He allowed only two base runners to reach second base and one to reach third in the winning effort.
“It felt great,” Lindberg said. “I hit the zone right away and kept pounding it.”
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Lindberg helped himself at the plate with three hits, three runs scored and a run batted in. He reached base four times in the win. Maddux Kovash and Jace Kovash had three hits each.
The Yellowjackets were able to come through in clutch situations. They drove in five of their six runs with two outs. Maddux Kovash had a big single with a full count and bases loaded, driving in two in the fifth, giving Lindberg a cushion to work with.
“It’s great knowing that we have the lead,” Lindberg said. “You can ease up on the mound. (The key) was getting first pitch strikes and if you fall behind, battle back.”
Once again, the Yellowjackets played stingy defense behind their senior pitcher. The lone error was a throwing error on a pick off attempt. Lindberg said the team played well defensively and that they came out to play.
It was evident in the first inning when Lindberg singled, stole second and moved to third on a single by Jace Kovash. Dawson Stevens followed with an RBI groundout and Ryan Kalina delivered an RBI single with two outs.
Perham added to its lead in the fifth inning on the two-run single by Maddux Kovash, making it 4-0.
Lindberg gave himself an insurance run with an RBI triple which scored Noah Rooney, who walked earlier in the frame. Jace Kovash drove home Lindberg with an RBI single, closing out the scoring for Perham.
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Stevens and Kalina each had a hit and an RBI single, while Carter Mulcahy added two hits in the game as well.
Cam Anderson took the loss for Pequot Lakes. He allowed six runs on 13 hits in six innings of work. He walked one and hit one batter. Marcus Klein, Dylan Mesenbrink, Erik Larsen, Dylin Ackerman and Chase Larsen had a hit each.
The Yellowjackets improve their mark to 17-5 overall and will take on Park Rapids Area on June 5 in Park Rapids at 2 p.m. in an elimination game. The winner will move on to play at 4:30 p.m., also at Park Rapids.
PER 2 0 0 0 2 2 0--6 13 1
PQL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0--0 5 1
WP: Nick Lindberg
LP: Cam Anderson
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