Ben Larson/Photo by Noah Clooten
DEVILS LAKE — Ben Larson’s day was plagued by a homer at the beginning and a homer at the end.
In the middle, he settled in. But an 11-hit attack from the three-time defending champion, West Fargo Sheyenne (14-10), was too much for Devils Lake (16-10) to overcome. The Firebirds fell 5-3 in the first game of the EDC tournament at DLYA Field on Thursday, putting them in a position where they’ll need to win both of the next two games to make it to state.
“They had 11 hits, but it was two big swings that got ‘em their five runs,” Devils Lake head coach Brent Luehring said. “I mean, we competed. You have to tip your hat to ‘em. They’ve been here before. They’ve been in the moment.”
Two batters into the game, it was 2-0 Sheyenne. The Firebirds went with their No. 3 pitcher, Larson, figuring he’d be a good fit with the wind blowing in. But Caleb Duerr, the Mustangs’ starting pitcher, sent one out to right field for a first-inning blast.
Duerr is committed to play at San Diego State University, a Division I school. The Firebirds, though, tagged him for seven runs on April 23. He showed flashes of brilliance in an uneven outing on Thursday, collecting a whopping nine strikeouts and seven walks in five innings. He only allowed two hits.
Devils Lake manufactured a run against Duerr in the first inning to slice the deficit to 2-1. Beau Brodina worked a leadoff walk, and eventually scored on the fourth ball to Jackson Baeth, which got away from the catcher.
Larson calmed the Mustangs’ offense over the second, third and fourth innings. A strikeout and a 4-6-3 double play helped him survive back-to-back singles in the second, and he navigated a pair of walks in the fourth. Catcher Trason Beck also caught a runner trying to steal third base to end the top of the third.
Larson collected four strikeouts through the first three innings. He utilized a particularly sharp curveball.
“We tried to throw it a lot. Tried to make his fastball look a little harder,” Luehring said. “He always competes. We know what we’re gonna get out of him. That’s why we went with him. There’s never any question about if the kid’s gonna show up.”
With Larson keeping the game close, the Firebirds rallied to tie it in the bottom of the third. Brodina drew his second walk, and Fausten Olson drove him in with a hustle double. Olson was pumped. Devils Lake had grabbed the momentum, and it was a brand new ballgame after the early hole.
But Larson let up in the fifth. The top two hitters in the order singled, and Jackson Glienke swatted a three-run homer to right field. That ended Larson’s day with Sheyenne leading 5-2.
Taydon Triepke bunted a runner to second base in both the second and fourth innings, but Max Palmer was retired both times.
Duerr struck out Brodina and Olson to start the bottom of the fifth, but then walked Mason Palmer and issued his third free pass to Baeth. Parker Brodina hit a ground ball to third, but the throw to first was in the dirt. It was a gift of a run, trimming the deficit to 5-3.
And thus ended Duerr’s wild day, in more ways than one. His control was all over the place, but he managed to prevent Devils Lake from putting any substantial rallies together. His fastball and breaking ball were sharp when they actually landed in the zone.
“I thought he was kind of effectively wild,” Luehring said. “Kept us off balance. I wouldn’t say he was doing anything different than last time; I just think he executed some of his stuff a little better. Snuck some fastballs by us.”
Hunter Remmick took over for Devils Lake after Larson exited. He gave the Firebirds three important innings of relief, managing to keep Sheyenne off the board to hold the deficit at two. He worked around a leadoff double in the sixth, inducing back-to-back comebackers with the runner on third.
Glienke, a left-hander, took over for Sheyenne in the sixth. The Mustangs coincidentally had both their home run hitters pitch in Thursday’s game.
Beck — who doubled off Glienke the last time these teams met — greeted him with a double again. Will Heilman pinch-hit and grinded out a walk, and Max Palmer bunted the runners over with two strikes.
B. Brodina, who posted a .444 OBP during the regular season and had already walked twice on Thursday, worked a full count. He eventually hit a ground ball to second, in a spot where Beck was hesitant about trying to score. He thought about coming home, but ultimately decided to stay on third base.
“He was nervous with the guy playing in,” Luehring said. “And then I said, ‘It’s not instinctual. You just gotta go if you’re gonna go. You gotta make a commitment.’ So I guess he just thought, ‘Better to be safe than sorry.’”
Olson grounded out, and Devils Lake wound up leaving the tying runs in scoring position.
The Firebirds had another chance in the seventh. First, Baeth singled, reaching base for the fourth time on the day after drawing three walks. P. Brodina reached on an error for the second straight time, this time on a wild throw from the shortstop. It was another gift that gave Devils Lake some late hope.
But alas, Remmick struck out, and Beck grounded out to end the game. Against a team that has won these close games before — the Mustangs are the three-time defending champions, after all — the Firebirds just couldn’t ignite the type of late rally they’ve pulled off numerous times this season.
But they don’t have time to sulk. It’s off to Fargo Friday morning to prepare for a 1 p.m. game against the loser of Shanley and Fargo South.
“You can’t let the same team beat you twice. You’ve gotta learn to move on,” Luehring said. “We’ve got a short night and an early bus ride tomorrow.”
Devils Lake will go with Mason Palmer on the mound. He was arguably the team’s best pitcher during the regular season, with a 1.93 ERA and 12.05 K/9 in 18 2/3 innings.
“We’re gonna be challenged,” Luehring said. “Hopefully we can give ‘em a game and get back in it, and give ourselves a chance to get to Dickinson.”
A loss on Friday would end the Firebirds’ season. A win would send them to a Saturday do-or-die game, which they’d need to win in order to reach the state tournament in Dickinson scheduled for next weekend.
