Easton Kraft/Photo by Noah Clooten
DEVILS LAKE — On an 86-degree Thursday evening, the Storm B team played the first of four home doubleheaders that will close out the regular season.
Devils Lake (7-11) split with the Jamestown Post 14 Blues (12-15). It won the seven-inning counter, 7-2, then lost 5-0 while not recording a hit against right-hander Kale Vurke in the five-inning game.
Game 1: Devils Lake 7, Jamestown 2
The Storm were led by a strong pitching performance from Talan Gregory, who pitched into the seventh inning. A five-run outburst in the third inning gave them more than enough offense needed to take the first matchup with the Blues.
“We started off the game well,” Devils Lake head coach Eric Nygaard said. “Our bats were a little cooler the second half of the game, but we had some key hits there, too.”
Devils Lake struck right away with two runs in the first inning. Easton Kraft hit an RBI double and Jaxon Strong added an RBI single, both with two outs.
Kraft, in particular, has been a productive key to this Devils Lake offense in the heart of the order.
“In BP today, I noticed when I was throwing to him, anything inside he’ll drive,” Nygaard said. “I think on the outer half of the plate, he struggles a little bit. So we’re gonna work on that part of his game. Overall though, he comes up clutch.”
Gregory, meanwhile, worked out of jams in the second and third innings. In the second, he issued two free passes, and an error by shortstop Kraft loaded the bases. A flyout to right got Gregory out of it. In the third, a single and an error put runners on the corners with nobody out, but he worked out of trouble again, this time with a pair of strikeouts.
“Talan pitched pretty well,” Nygaard said. “I think he grinded through a couple of innings where he kept the ball up and walked the guys on base.”
The Storm offense went back to work in the third inning, all with two outs. Kraft and Jaxon Strong each recorded their second hit of the game, and Isaac Woodhull drew a bases-loaded walk. Then Riley Brenno-Quale hit a two-run single, and two more scored on a dropped fly ball in center field.
Devils Lake had six consecutive two-out baserunners in total, en route to building a 7-0 lead.
With the talented Kraft off to a shaky start defensively, he and third baseman Ben Brodina switched positions. Kraft made an error from his new position in the fourth inning, though, allowing Jamestown to get on the board. Gregory’s command came in waves at times, but he finished the top of the fourth without any additional damage.
He surrendered a leadoff double in the fifth, but mowed through the next three hitters. He collected two more strikeouts, bringing his total to six.
Gregory retired seven in an eight-batter span, but he started to lose his control with one out in the seventh. After walking back-to-back hitters, he came out of the game having thrown 6 1/3 innings on 104 pitches. At the time of his exit, he still hadn’t allowed an earned run.
“He just needs to know that there’s a lot of defense behind him. And his job is to keep that defense busy,” Nygaard said. “And he came up with some pitches when he needed to… We’re just gonna throw fastballs right at the hitters, and try to get outs that way. Later in the game, then we started using his curveball, and it was more effective.”
Tayven Wiberg entered for the final two outs. After getting a force out, he surrendered a double to deep right field. A run scored, which was charged to Gregory, but the Storm pulled off a relay at the plate to end the game.
The final line for Gregory was a strong one: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 5 BB, 6 K.
Game 2: Jamestown 5, Devils Lake 0
The Storm didn’t record a hit in the nightcap, and the Blues got all their offense in the third inning.
The game was scoreless through its first two innings. A walk and an error put two on for the Storm with two outs in the second, but they left them on.
Devils Lake pitcher Mack Elsperger dealt with wildness in his three-inning outing. He survived a pair of walks in the first inning, but forced in the game’s first run with a bases-loaded hit by pitch in the third inning. Another walk brought in a second run, and a single knocked in two more. The five-spot was completed on a wild pitch.
Overall, Elsperger threw 28 strikes and 35 balls. He allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits, four walks and no strikeouts.
“Mack hasn’t seen the mound; I don’t know if he’s ever pitched before on a Legion level,” Nygaard said. “Mack did a nice job. He just threw his fastball, and kind of spotted it up. We would like to get him on the mound a little bit more.”
Connor Hogness pitched two scoreless innings of relief. He worked around a walk, a hit and an error, and struck out one.
“Between [Mack] and Carson,” Nygaard said, “I thought, ‘Boy, if we can put two more pitchers on our pitching staff, that’s only gonna make our team better.’”
Devils Lake’s 7-8-9 hitters went down in order in the bottom of the fifth. It was a five-inning no-hitter for Vurke, who walked two and struck out five.
The Storm will be right back at it with their third-to-last doubleheader of the regular season on Friday against Carrington Post 25 at 5 p.m.
