Hunter Remmick/Photo by Noah Clooten
DEVILS LAKE — It was a rainy, sloppy Monday evening at DLYA Field.
Regardless, the Devils Lake A team (5-0) kept its winning ways going with a victory against the previously undefeated West Fargo Aces (5-1). The Storm trailed 3-1 early on, but cashed in on West Fargo’s mistakes to sail to a 9-4 win.
“The first two innings, we hit a lot of balls hard right at guys,” head coach Brent Luehring said. “And so I was like, ‘Okay, if we can keep it down, keep it close, we have an opportunity here to maybe string some together.’ And every time we got a break, thank goodness, we were able to score a few runs and hit some balls hard.”
Simon Beach held things together on the mound in his second start this summer. After a shaky first inning, he wound up throwing a full seven innings with four runs (three earned) allowed. He only struck out one, but limited the Aces to seven hits and two walks.
“To me, when I step on the mound, I’m just pitching outs, man,” Beach said. “That’s the biggest thing. I trust these nine or eight guys that I have behind me. Just let ‘em make the plays, is my biggest driving factor.”
The second game of the scheduled doubleheader was canceled due to rain, so Devils Lake settled for a single victory. With the rain not letting up, nobody in the Storm dugout seemed too upset about getting to go home early with an undefeated record.
“I think as a team, we played really well,” Beach said. “I mean, we made a few mistakes, but we picked ourselves right back up and got ourselves out of the innings.”
Beach comes to the Storm in a unique situation, given that he’s already played a season for Lake Region State College. But he’s using his final year of Legion eligibility to be a leader of this team, along with being the Storm’s most experienced pitcher.
“It’s been great,” Beach said. “Getting to play with these guys again, we’re right back in the family that we used to be a couple years ago, and now it’s fun. It’s so fun.”
As rain poured down on the DLYA Field turf, the Storm got off to a sluggish start. With runners on second and third and one out, Beach induced a ground ball to short, and Mason Palmer tried to get the out at home. But his throw was inaccurate, and a run scored. Then a two-out single brought in another, and Devils Lake trailed 2-0.
The Storm got one back in the bottom half. With Parker and Beau Brodina on vacation, the 5-foot-8 Max Palmer slid up to the leadoff spot, and he got things started with a solid single.
“We just challenged Max,” Luehring said. “He’s not very big, so he’s tough to throw to sometimes. And he’s got a really good eye. Sometimes he has a tendency where he’s a little over-aggressive, but he knows the zone really well. We just challenged him and said, ‘We’re gonna need you to hit leadoff this week until Beau gets back.’”
An error on a hard-hit ball by Jackson Baeth later loaded the bases, and Will Heilman hit a long sacrifice fly to left to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Mason Palmer committed his second error in as many innings, making an overly strong throw on a ball in the hole. It went out of play, but the runner was held at first by the umpires, much to West Fargo’s disagreement. The runner ended up scoring anyway on a double, making it 3-1 Aces. The top of the second ended on a nice relay executed by right fielder Heilman, who threw the batter out at third.
The tide turned on one fatal throwing error in the bottom of the second.
The Storm led off with back-to-back walks, and they nearly squandered the opportunity. With two in scoring position and two outs, Fausten Olson struck out on a ball in the dirt. But on a seemingly routine throw to first base to complete the strikeout, the ball slipped and sailed out of the catcher’s hand, and both runners scored.
It was tied, just like that. Right when it seemed like the inning was over.
Baeth lined a two-run double to cut West Fargo’s wound even deeper. Devils Lake took a 5-3 lead, scoring four runs that could have easily been avoided. Baeth, the Storm’s best hitter, is on a hot stretch now after hitting a homer last week.
“I hit a little skid at the end of the year in spring,” Baeth said. “Finally found my footing the last few games. Been seeing the ball well ever since then. Been getting used to seeing all the curveballs I’ve been seeing.”
West Fargo got one back in the fourth inning on a passed ball, coming after Mason Palmer’s third error on a potential double play. Beach still managed to strand the tying run on second.
Max Palmer led off the next frame with his second hit of the game, and his twin brother Mason drove him in with a double. Mason scored on the Aces’ second passed ball. It gave Devils Lake a little breathing room again with a 7-4 lead.
Each team made its fourth error of the game in the fifth, but neither scored.
“I think it’s just gotten in our head a few times,” Baeth said. “The throwing errors, especially. The wind and rain definitely gets in your head. I know it gets in my head sometimes. Just keep working at it. We play in [these conditions] all year, eventually we’ll get used to it.”
The Storm added two runs of insurance in the bottom of the sixth. Baeth smashed his second RBI double, a ball that nearly left the yard. Trason Beck chipped in with a sacrifice fly to extend Devils Lake’s lead to 9-4.
Beach settled in to finish the complete game. He didn’t allow a run over the final three innings. He worked around a pair of two-out singles in the sixth, then threw a 1-2-3 seventh. The final frame was his first perfect inning of the night, and also featured his first strikeout.
It was a very solid complete game from the team’s most veteran player.
“We always make fun of him because he’s like all of our dads. So we call him ‘Dad’ or ‘Uncle,’” Baeth said. “He’s just fun to be around, and knows how to have a good time, and also knows when to be serious, too.”
This Devils Lake team is certainly having some fun right now, having won all five of its games on the summer. The Storm have a busy stretch coming up with two more games on Tuesday, then a handful of games in South Dakota for the Dakota Classic this weekend.
“I just want to have fun with my teammates one last time and see how far we can take this,” Baeth said. “Hopefully we get out of the region tournament this time, and go to state.”
Notable performances
Jackson Baeth: 2-for-3, 3 RBI, R
Simon Beach: 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, K
Will Heilman: 2-for-3, RBI
Hunter Remmick: 2-for-3, BB, R
Max Palmer: 2-for-4, 2 R
