The Devils Lake baseball team has been riding a winning streak, one that’s opened opponents’ eyes as to what the Firebirds are capable of. They beat the team that ended their season last year. They beat the three-time defending champions.
Yet Fausten Olson, despite being the No. 2 hitter in the lineup, hadn’t gotten it going yet. He entered Friday hitting only .117 with a .231 OBP and .176 slugging percentage.
In the first of two games against West Fargo Horace on Friday, he finally achieved the breakout he’s been looking for. He recorded three hits in a 9-5 victory, as Devils Lake extended its winning streak to seven.
But all good things have to come to an end, and the Firebirds fell flat in Game 2. They lost 11-1 in a shortened three-inning affair, ending their winning streak in a hurry. Still, a doubleheader split is something the Firebirds can live with; they’re a strong 9-5 overall, and their winning streak won’t be erased due to one bad game.
Ben Larson threw a gem in Game 1. He entered the day with three runs allowed in eight innings this year, and he went on to fire seven scoreless innings with only five hits allowed. He walked four and struck out two.
The game was scoreless through the first three innings, but the Firebirds scored one in each of the next three. Olson led off the fourth with a single, then came around to score on a passed ball. Devils Lake got its leadoff batter on again in the next inning: a formula head coach Brent Luehring has said often leads to success. It was a Trason Beck single this time, and he advanced to second on an error, then moved two more bases on a pair of sacrifice bunts.
After back-to-back singles by Olson and Mason Palmer in the sixth, star third baseman Jackson Baeth hit an RBI double. Baeth had a typically strong performance, going 2-for-4.
The Firebirds added two more in the seventh for good measure. Olson smacked an RBI triple, and Palmer brought him home with a single. It was a comfortable 5-0 win, and Devils Lake was rolling.
It even scored first in the nightcap, going ahead 1-0 in the top of the first on an RBI single by Baeth. The Firebirds’ cleanup hitter recorded hits in both of his at-bats in Game 2. He now owns a .432 average and 1.209 OPS on the season. As the year’s gone on, he’s only gotten better.
Things got out of hand quickly in the bottom half, though. Cayden McCarthy had been so good in his first two starts of the season, allowing just one earned run in 10 innings. But he surrendered a five-spot on a parade of hits and free passes. Max Palmer took over for him and allowed six more in the third inning, which ended the game due to mercy rule. It was an ugly inning that included three errors. Only six of the 11 runs Devils Lake gave up were earned.
So despite a strong Game 1, and an early lead in Game 2, the Firebirds’ magical winning streak came crashing down quickly. They still sit in third place in the East Region, and one loss won’t change the upward trend that this team is on.
They’ll look to right the ship and return to their winning ways on Monday against Grand Forks Central on the road.
