It’s hard to believe that spring sports are already being played, but the Lake Region State College diamond teams got their seasons going recently. It’s been an early-season struggle for both the baseball and softball teams — but such is the way of a competitive collegiate schedule that’s made a pack of North Dakota kids travel to sunny Florida and Arizona.
The baseball team began its season in Florida on March 3. It was a “home” game against Bryant & Stratton that the Royals lost 10-1.
They got their first win of the season, however, in the opener of the next day’s doubleheader. They beat Minnesota North College-Mesabi Range 13-0 in a five-inning contest. The 2-4 hitters — Nicholas Smith, Ronald Nelson and Marshel Herman — each recorded multiple hits.
Also reaching base twice was a player whose last name Devils Lake fans should recognize: Hunter Brodina, cousin of Firebirds basketball standouts Beau, Parker and Tylie Brodina, and nephew of Devils Lake boys’ basketball coach Dustin Brodina. B. Brodina is also committed to play baseball for the Royals next year.
LRSC lost the nightcap of that doubleheader 12-11, allowing five runs in the bottom of the seventh to lose in walk-off fashion. Herman and Brady Omdahl each had three hits in the defeat.
The Royals won 12-7 on March 6 against Century College to improve to 2-3, but they’ve lost their last three games since. They most recently fell 16-10 to ND at Marian University Ancilla after allowing six runs in the bottom of the eighth. LRSC is 2-6 overall on the young season.
Herman leads the team in batting average among hitters who’ve played in all eight games. He’s 13-for-29 with the team’s only home run so far this season, giving him a .448 average and .655 slugging percentage. His eight RBIs also lead the team. The Royals have an impressive .390 OBP as a team, fueled by 38 walks compared to only 49 strikeouts.
Pitching is where their downfall has been. In 55 1/3 innings, they have an ugly walk total of 47 while only striking out 30. Their team ERA is 10.25 and team WHIP is 2.06.
Things have gone even worse for the softball team, which is a little deeper into its season with a 2-14 record. Offensively, the Royals have a .223/.279/.271 batting line, while their opponents have a .499 OBP against them. Their team ERA is 9.81 with a whopping 134 hits allowed in 65 2/3 innings.
Darian Bender has been the best pitcher for LRSC, leading the team with 28 innings and a 6.25 ERA. She’s struck out 17 and only walked 11. On the hitting side, Bender, Ella Neider and Whitney Rozdeba are in a three-way tie for most hits on the team with 12. Bender is batting .333 with a .415 OBP — her two-way prowess has been the most valuable of any player on the team. Rozdeba has been the best individual hitter with a line of .387/.429/.484.
It’s worth noting that LRSC’s overall batting line is slightly misleading. The top eight players in recorded hits are a combined 73-for-246, giving them a strong .297 average. The problem is that everyone else is a combined 11-for-130 — an .085 average that brings the overall average down to .223.
The Royals have lost their last 10 games, and at one point didn’t score a run in three straight. They played some games in Minot and Jamestown before traveling down to Arizona to face a handful of community colleges.
After a bit of a break, they’re scheduled to begin conference play in a doubleheader against Williston State College on March 29. Their home opener is set for the next day against WSC.
