DEVILS LAKE — The Devils Lake Storm A team (24-7, 13-3) faced off against the Park River Post 147 Pirates (12-13, 10-6) in a Legion baseball doubleheader on Friday, July 17, at DLYA Field. These were the final two games of the regular season, and the Storm had to win at least one to ensure their spot as the top seed in the Class A East Region. Devils Lake took the first game 5-1, and won the second 13-12 in a chaotic, explosive seventh-inning comeback. It increased the Storm’s winning streak to 11.
In the first game, the first three innings went scoreless, as both teams kept each other’s offenses in check. Devils Lake got things going in the bottom of the fourth, as Hunter Remmick hit a sacrifice fly deep to right field and Tayven Wiberg hit a single to center field to drive in one run each. Mason Palmer then slammed a line-drive double to center field, adding two more runs for a 4-0 lead in the fourth.
After an empty fifth inning, Park River got on the board in the top of the sixth after Tucker Omdahl homered to left field, scoring one run. The Storm increased their lead in the bottom of the sixth after Will Heilman hit a sacrifice bunt to drive in one run for a 5-1 score, ultimately winning the game.
Heilman pitched all seven innings for Devils Lake, giving up six hits and one run, striking out five and walking one. Jake Solseng took the loss for Park River, going for 5 1/3 innings while giving up five runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking six.
The second game saw Devils Lake get on the board in the bottom of the first after Mason Palmer hit an infield single to drive in a run. In the bottom of the second, Cayden McCarthy hit a deep double to center field and scored after an error on an attempted double play by the Park River infield. Max Palmer singled to right field to drive in another, and Hunter Remmick scored after another error for a 4-0 score.
Park River scored its first run of the game in the top of the third after Solseng grounded out to drive in one. The Storm responded with Remmick singling to drive in two runs for a 6-1 lead. After a scoreless fourth inning, an error by the Storm defense drove in a run for the Pirates in the top of the fifth. A single by Connor Bernhoft and another Devils Lake error added three more for a 6-5 score.
The top of the sixth saw the Pirates tie the game at six after Solseng singled to right field to drive in a run. They flipped the game on its head in the top of the seventh. An error by the Storm infield allowed a run, singles by Keegan Berg, Kieran Sullivan, Colton Gravelin and Toren Beneda drove in four more and a double by Solseng added another two for a 12-6 score before Devils Lake could get a single batter out.
It wasn’t over yet, though, as the Storm had some tricks up their sleeves. Heilman hit a solo home run to start the bottom of the seventh, and singles by Triepke and Max Palmer drove in three more. A single by Mason Palmer — with an additional error — added two more runs, and Heilman capped off the comeback with a single and to drive in the winning run. The final was 13-12.
Ben Larson started for Devils Lake, surrendering three hits and five runs (zero earned) over five innings, striking out four and walking three. Triepke and Wiberg appeared in relief, with the latter allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits, striking out one and walking two. Noah Troftgruben took the loss for Park River, giving up seven runs (two earned) on seven hits in his six innings, striking out three and walking two.
Heilman said postgame that he did not think he would homer and hit a walk-off in the seventh inning. “I did not think I would be up there again,” he said, “but I’m glad I was.” He added that the game was “the most wild comeback I’ve ever seen.”
“We hit those balls pretty hard, and we capitalized on it,” Devils Lake head coach Eric Nygaard said. “But then, I don’t know if we just felt like that was enough because our bats went cold. We started making mistakes, so once the tournament starts, we can’t have that.”
The Devils Lake Storm A team will begin the regional tournament on Wednesday at Starion Bank Field in Fargo as the No. 1 seed.