Simon Beach (Photo by Sarah Elfman)
The Lake Region State College baseball team dove into the fire with 15 games from March 2-14. The squad drove from North Dakota down to Kansas for four games against Dodge City Community College, then over to Florida for the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.
The Royals went 3-12 over the season-opening road trip. It was the first official LRSC games for head coach Steve Anderson and a host of new players.
LRSC had a rude awakening against Dodge City, a team that went 38-23 last year and made it to the Region 6 Championships. Over four games between March 2 and 3, the Conquistadors beat the Royals 12-0, 16-1, 21-4 and 17-0.
Jamestown transfer and North Star alum Dane Hagler made his anticipated collegiate debut in the first game. He threw a scoreless first inning but then allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over the next 1 2/3, as part of a 12-run outburst for Dodge City. Hagler struck out five and walked two over 2 2/3 innings.
The Royals made 18 errors over their first three games and 19 over the two days. Their four starters combined to give up 41 runs (35 earned) over 6 1/3 innings.
The road trip continued in Branson, Missouri, where the Royals lost 16-11 to North Arkansas College. Freshman Jamison Nelson hit the first LRSC home run of the year, and the Royals scored nine runs between the fifth and sixth inning.
After starting the season 0-5, LRSC recorded its first win in its first game of the RussMat Invitational in Florida on March 8. The Royals beat SUNY Adirondack 10-5 behind a strong bounceback pitching performance from Hagler (5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 SO). Eight of the nine LRSC starters recorded a hit, including freshman Beau Brodina, a Devils Lake native. Each of Nelson, Hugh Montgomery, Tyler Kleinjan, Jacob Warnke and Logan Dearborn had a double in the contest.
The Royals lost the nightcap 5-2 to Century College. They came back the next day and split another doubleheader, beating Minnesota State Community and Technical College 3-0 before falling 18-6 to Kirkwood Community College.
Devils Lake native Simon Beach threw a seven-inning complete game shutout in LRSC’s second win of the season. It was a classic Beach performance with two strikeouts and no walks. He scattered seven hits. It was a strong bounceback performance after he surrendered 11 runs (seven earned) to Dodge City, and by far the sophomore’s best collegiate outing yet.
In the nightcap loss to Kirkwood, freshman lefty Michael Lindsay gave up eight runs (seven earned) in less than two innings for the second time on the road trip. Sophomore Brayden Ehnert hit a home run for LRSC.
The Royals lost to Kirkwood again on March 10, 22-4. They gave up seven in the first and eight in the third. They won their first game on March 12, though, scratching out a 5-4 victory over Alexandria Technical & Community College.
The Royals were fueled by a four-run fifth inning that gave them the lead they’d never relinquish. Montgomery had a 4-for-4 day out of the leadoff spot. Freshman Logan Enns gave LRSC six solid innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and one walk. Hagler locked down the save with a hitless seventh inning, recording one strikeout. That made the Royals 3-8 at the time.
LRSC lost 23-3 to the same Alexandria team that evening. Starting on the mound was Hunter Brodina, a cousin of Beau and former Royals player. He allowed three runs in three innings with two strikeouts. The Legends scored 13 runs in the fifth inning to sink the Royals.
LRSC lost both games in its final doubleheader of the tournament on March 13.
It fell 5-4 to Moraine Valley Community College. Beach gave the Royals another strong effort, but he gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth to fall in walk-off fashion. His final line saw him pitch 8 2/3 innings with five runs allowed on nine hits and one walk while striking out one.
The nightcap loss was a 16-3 defeat to University of Connecticut at Avery Point. Hagler, playing shortstop, went 1-for-2 with two RBIs, but his former North Star teammate Karsen Simon got tagged for five runs in 1 2/3 innings while getting the start.
The tournament came to an end with a 2-0 loss to Prairie State College on March 14. Lindsay had his best outing yet, technically pitching a complete game with two runs allowed in six innings. He limited the Pioneers to three hits and four walks while striking out three. But the Royals only had three hits, two of which were by Hagler.
Five LRSC hitters had enough at-bats on the road trip to qualify, and they all had solid numbers. Nelson, a Mandan native, had the best overall stats with a .351/.419/.514 batting line. He and Ehnert had the Royals’ only home runs.
Kleinjan, returning after hitting .341 for LRSC last season, hit .324/.405/.378 over the road trip. Montgomery had a .406 OBP last year and started this year hitting .311/.380/.400.
Freshman Lucas Lyons, a left-handed hitter Anderson praised preseason, hit .282 with a .396 OBP and a .410 slugging over 39 at-bats to start his collegiate career.
Warnke, a sophomore from Emerado, North Dakota, hit only .235 but with a .381 OBP.
Brodina got just 14 at-bats but maintained his strong plate discipline from last summer’s Legion season, posting a .389 OBP thus far. He also stole five bases in five attempts.
Parker Simon, the third North Star alum on the team alongside his twin brother, Karsen, and Hagler, started the season 1-for-14 with a double and three walks.
The team is hitting .238 with a .341 OBP overall.
On the pitching side, Hagler leads the team in strikeouts while Beach leads the team in innings. LRSC has a 14.59 team ERA and a 2.38 WHIP. It’ll come as no surprise that the Mon-Dak Athletic Conference tends to be an offense-heavy league.
The Royals’ home opener is set for this Saturday, March 22, with a doubleheader against Miles Community College starting at 1 p.m. They currently sit in last place in the Mon-Dak — albeit with no team having played any conference games yet. LRSC, with a largely revamped roster, is looking to bounce back from a last-place finish in the Mon-Dak last year.
