Cando Post 79 ended the tailend of this week with a 4-4 overall record in counter games this summer.
The Bearcats, after winning four of their first five official contests, lost three in a row to bring them back to .500.
After their 3-2 win over the Devils Lake B team on June 6 — fueled by a strong pitching performance from super-senior Parker Simon — they went on to sweep a doubleheader over Harvey.
In the first game, a 17-7 run-rule victory in six innings, Simon went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, a hit by pitch and six RBIs. Karsen Simon, meanwhile, went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBIs. It was complete domination for the Simon twins. The Cando offense scored seven in the first, four in the fourth and six in the sixth.
Starting on the mound in that contest was Gauge Driessen, who moved over to Cando’s team from Devils Lake this summer. He allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings, but struck out five. He walked six and allowed five hits. Harvey put up a three-spot in the first inning and a four-spot in the fifth — Driessen pitched a scoreless second, third and fourth.
Driessen didn’t get a ton of innings for Devils Lake this spring, but he still struck out 10 batters in 5 2/3 cumulative innings.
In the five-inning nightcap against Harvey, Cando won 8-3. Moxon Brehm struck out six and allowed just one earned run on one hit in four innings.
Since then, though, the Bearcats have dropped three straight. They lost 9-8 in extra innings to Bottineau Post 42 on Monday despite six strong innings from K. Simon.
Karsen allowed just one unearned run on four hits. He struck out four and walked one. Cando led 8-1 after six innings, three outs away from a wide victory. Driessen and Ian Westlind each had two hits and a walk. But Brody Svir, who had a good outing earlier this summer, got tagged for six runs (five earned) in 1/3 of an inning.
Cando brought P. Simon in to try to get the last two outs. But he surrendered a three-run, game-tying triple. He still stranded the potential winning run at second, sending the game to extras.
Neither team scored in the eighth. P. Simon, after throwing a 1-2-3 eighth, allowed a leadoff double in the ninth and surrendered a walkoff single with two outs. It was a nine-inning stunner for Harvey.
Cando then lost two games on Wednesday to Park River Babe Ruth, 7-4 and 5-4. The Simons went a combined 6-for-11 between the two games; Parker even hit a home run. But Park River edged the Bearcats out in each contest.
The date and opponent of Cando’s next game is to be announced.
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