DEVILS LAKE — Through one week of play, the Devils Lake Storm B team is 3-3.
Here are some takeaways and observations from the action so far.
The Storm have gotten some strong pitching performances
When things have gone well for the Storm, it’s often been because of the starting pitching.
In Devils Lake’s three wins, its starters have combined for a 2.65 ERA. Jaxon Strong opened the summer with seven innings of one-run ball, allowing just three hits against Cando Post 79.
Lakin Ronningen had the latest triumph. On Wednesday, he held Williston to two runs in six innings.
“We just asked [the A team] if we could have him for today, because we were kind of low on pitchers, and I thought he did a good job,” Storm B head coach Parker Schmid said. “He threw quite a few strikes, walked a couple guys, but overall he just did the best he could and got a game for us. And that’s about all we could ask for.”
When Devils Lake starters control the game on the mound from the outset, good things tend to happen.
Talan Gregory off to a hot start after not playing spring ball
One would think a player would be rusty after forgoing baseball during the spring.
Not for Gregory.
In eight plate appearances this summer, Gregory has reached all eight times. He went 4-for-4 with a walk in a win over Cando, then 2-for-2 with a walk in a loss to Midway Minto Post 201.
“That’s baseball. You get lucky sometimes,” Schmid said. “Sometimes balls drop, sometimes they don’t. He’s gotten lucky.”
Despite not playing spring ball, Gregory is one of several players on the B team who carries some solid experience on his resume. Gregory is an incoming senior. The youngest kids on the team are still in middle school.
“We’ve got a lot of experience, a lot of youth,” Schmid said. “And hopefully those older guys will be good leaders for these younger guys for the future.”
Mack Elsperger shows off some power
Wednesday’s nightcap against Midway Minto didn’t go the Storm’s way — a 16-2 run-rule loss — but Elsperger tagged a first-inning home run.
Schmid said it wasn’t anything entirely new. Elsperger hit two home runs for the junior varsity team during spring ball.
“We know he’s got the power,” Schmid said. “It’s just, whenever he gets ahold of it, he gets ahold of it. And that one he did. It was a good hit.”
Having a player with that kind of thump in the lineup is always a valuable asset to have in the long run.
Sloppiness has been the source of occasional downfalls
When things haven’t gone the Storm’s way, it’s usually been because of a shortcoming in fundamentals.
Walks, errors, wild pitches, etc.
Some of that can simply be attributed to experience. After all, the B players are generally younger and less experienced than the A guys. Especially in the second game of doubleheaders, when the team often sits some of its starters and lets the bench players get some action.
“Walks kill,” Schmid said. “And we walked a lot of guys [in Wednesday’s loss], gave them a lot of free bases. And that’s something we’ve got to work on, is throwing strikes and letting our fielders do the job.”
Devils Lake issued 13 walks in that 16-2 loss. Nine of the 16 runs were unearned.
Compare that to Strong’s complete-game win against Cando, when he only walked two.
It’s night and day. And it’s the difference between a loss and a victory.
Up next
The Storm’s next action is the Robert Montgomery Memorial Tournament in Grand Forks from June 12-14.
The tournament field includes some teams from Minnesota and Manitoba.
“I’m expecting everybody to be good,” Schmid said. “It’s gonna be people that are probably about the same level as us. And I’m hoping that we can go and compete, and hopefully win the dang thing.”
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