Taydon Triepke/Photo by Noah Clooten
After splitting a doubleheader with Cando to open the season, the Devils Lake American Legion B team traveled to New Rockford on Wednesday for a make-up game. The Storm have gotten less lucky with the weather than the A team, already dealing with multiple postponements.
But they played a game against New Rockford on Wednesday. They lost, 3-2, despite making a valiant comeback effort in the seventh. The game went to an eighth inning, where a single from Bradyn Collier walked it off. That makes Devils Lake 1-2 ahead of its home opener on Thursday.
Tayven Wiberg had a fantastic outing on the mound for the Storm. He threw seven innings, allowing two runs (none earned) on seven hits, three walks and two strikeouts.
The unearned runs against him came in the third. Following an error by third baseman Talan Gregory, all-state center fielder Connor Knatterud hit an RBI infield single. Thomas Allmaras recorded another hit with two outs, and New Rockford led 2-0.
Devils Lake only had three hits all night, two of which came in the first inning. Easton Kraft and Cayden McCarthy, members of both the A and B teams, singled in the first as part of a bases-loaded rally, but the Storm couldn’t cash in.
Lucas Yri pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts for New Rockford. He walked five, but kept the bats almost entirely quiet.
Devils Lake’s next hit didn’t come until the seventh, when the Storm needed two runs to keep the game alive. It came from none other than Kraft.
McCarthy reached on an error, putting runners on the corners. Yri was pulled after walking Riley Brenno-Quale to load the bases with one out.
But Knatterud took over for him and walked in a run. Finley Wirth was credited with the RBI base on balls. Gregory then laid down a game-tying bunt.
Brody Weisenburger pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning for New Rockford, retiring Ben Brodina, Taydon Triepke and Kraft.
Wiberg was finally done after 99 pitches. Alex Hammond took over for him once the game reached extra innings.
Yri, still in the game as the first baseman, was hit by a pitch to start New Rockford’s half of the eighth. Hammond retired the next two batters, but Collier walked it off with a hit to left field.
The Black Sox improved to 3-1 on the young summer.
The Storm will host Velva in a doubleheader on Thursday, starting at 5 p.m.
