Will Heilman (Photo by Noah Clooten)
PARK RIVER — The Devils Lake Storm keep storming along.
They got it done in two very different ways on Friday — they beat Velva in a 10-0 rout, then edged Park River Post 147 in a 4-2, nine-inning affair. They took both legs of a triangular at North Star Co-Op Field to improve to 10-6 overall, having now won 10 of their last 12 games.
Game 1: Devils Lake 10, Velva 0 (5 innings)
The Storm got things started with a stress-free run-rule win. They totaled nine hits and six walks, while Ben Brodina threw a complete-game shutout with two hits, three strikeouts and no walks.
“Benny threw the game well. Got us going just by putting zeroes up,” Devils Lake coach Brent Luehring said. “And the bats came alive after a couple mistakes on [the 39ers].”
Devils Lake rode a leadoff double in each of the first two innings to get off to a good start, scoring a run in each frame. In the first, the Storm loaded the bases on a botched fielder’s choice by Velva. Ben Larson drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly. Devils Lake left the bases loaded, but got right back at it in the second with a double by Landon Sundeen.
With runners on the corners, Sundeen and Taydon Triepke pulled off a double steal to make it 2-0.
Then things spiraled in a hurry in the third inning. The Storm loaded the bases again on three straight free passes. They scored on a sacrifice fly by Triepke, then added two more on a dropped catch by the left fielder.
The error proved disastrous for the Aggies. With two outs, Brody Rainsberry dunked an RBI single, and Hunter Remmick lined a two-run single down the left-field line. It was a six-run frame to blow open the Storm lead to 8-0.
For Devils Lake in the field, it was an all-Ben battery with Brodina pitching and Larson catching.
Brodina started a 1-4-3 double play to get out of the first inning. He went on to retire 10 in a row. He struck out the side in the second inning. In the third, he induced three infield groundouts, including two comebackers.
It was a strong bounce back from his five-run inning down in Sioux Falls last weekend. Park River coach Brett Omdahl is Brodina’s uncle, so Brodina had supporters on both sides at the ballpark.
“I thought velocity was a lot better today,” Luehring said. “I thought he looked a lot more comfortable. I know he probably had a pretty big fan section here, so I know he wanted to have a good outing.”
Remmick struck a hard double into the left-center gap in the top of the fifth. Will Heilman hit an RBI groundout, and Remmick scored a wild pitch to reach the run-rule threshold of 10-0.
Brodina allowed a leadoff infield single in the fifth. But Lakin Ronningen, freshly in the game at second base, caught a liner and doubled the runner off first to end the game.
Game 2: Devils Lake 4, Park River 2 (9 innings)
Two in the first and two in the ninth were enough for the Storm to squeak out a win in this one.
Heilman took charge on the mound, allowing two runs in eight innings. He allowed seven hits, struck out three and walked three while throwing 110 pitches (66 strikes).
“We reworked his curveball a little bit, went to more of a spike-curveball type pitch,” Luehring said. “And early in the game, he was just grooving that thing in there.”
Heilman didn’t allow a hit in the first two innings. He worked around a free pass in each frame, ending the second inning with a 6-4-3 double play.
Devils Lake’s offense got off to a fast start against lefty Jacob Solseng. The Storm scored two in the first inning, ignited by an RBI double from Remmick with two outs. Trason Beck, who played catcher after sitting the first game, poked a single into right field to add another run.
But Solseng settled in after that. He pitched around a free pass in each of the second, third and fourth innings, collecting six strikeouts in the process.
“He was able to find his curveball a little bit. Able to get ahead of us there instead of just sitting on fastballs,” Luehring said. “I think he adjusted with that lefty run. I think the wind was pushing it across the plate a little bit, so I think he made some adjustments as that game went on.”
Park River rallied for a run in the third. The Pirates set the table with a pair of infield hits. With two outs, Tucker Omdahl hit a hard grounder the other way, getting the Pirates on the board. Heilman, as he tried to nibble and claw his way out of further trouble, issued a walk to load the bases. He ended up stranding three runners with a groundout to second to hold the score at 2-1.
As Park River tried to mount a comeback, one of the Storm’s players noticed that the Pirates were tipping Heilman’s pitches. With a 1-2 count during the fourth inning, Luehring made an abrupt mound visit to make a quick adjustment. Heilman ended up working around a single and recording a strikeout that inning.
Solseng survived a leadoff error in the fifth. With two outs and a runner on second, Remmick hit another ball hard, but this one was chopped on the ground to the shortstop. Devils Lake still didn’t have a hit since that two-run first inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, Heilman was victim to yet another infield hit. Solseng followed with a harder-hit single to put runners on the corners with nobody out.
Beck caught Solseng trying to steal, but Omdahl hit a sacrifice fly to right field. The Pirates managed to tie the score at two apiece heading into the sixth inning.
Heilman had to deal with more traffic in the sixth after committing a throwing error. He made a nice play just to get to the ball, which was another soft dribbler in the infield. But Park River bunted the runner to second, and Heilman issued a walk. Beck visited his pitcher to help him shake off any frustration.
Heilman induced a hard liner towards the third-base bag — but Max Palmer dove and made a full-extension catch. He gathered himself, tapped third base and made the long throw to first for an incredible double play. Palmer pumped his fists and celebrated as his team retreated to the dugout with the game still tied.
“It felt like it took forever for him to get up and get it, to get even the lead out here,” Luehring said. “That was a big double play in that situation.”
In the top of the seventh, Fausten Olson collected Devils Lake’s first hit since the first inning. It was Olson’s third hit of the day between the two games. Along with a pair of free passes, the Storm loaded the bases with two outs. But Remmick popped up as Devils Lake blew an opportunity, now flirting with the chance of a Park River walkoff.
Solseng wound up throwing 117 pitches in a seven-inning outing. He struck out seven, walked three and allowed four hits.
Heilman, whose pitch count was at 91, came back out for the seventh. It took him just eight pitches to throw a 1-2-3 inning, bringing free baseball to North Star Co-Op Field.
Devils Lake, though, left two more on in the top of the eighth. So back came Heilman for another frame, having to face the 3-4-5 hitters in Park River’s order. He surrendered a leadoff single but retired the next three batters. He ended the inning with his third strikeout of the night.
“We were able to set up his fastball later in the game,” Luehring said. “It wasn’t as great, but he just did enough. Kept his velocity, and kept competing.”
The Storm offense finally broke through in the top of the ninth against lefty Reeves Jorgensen. They loaded the bases with one out, then jumped ahead 4-2 on a clean, simple two-run single by Beck. It was Beck’s third hit of the game.
Devils Lake left two in scoring position but still grabbed the lead after going seven consecutive innings without a run. Triepke got the final three outs with just a one-out single.
So it was a win for the Storm all the same, despite it taking probably longer than they wanted it to.
“We just kept after it,” Luehring said. “Will did his job, threw the ball over the plate and fielded it behind him. And then we were able to catch a break and play our game, and Trason came up with a big hit. Got a win against a very good team; probably one of the better Class B teams in the state.”
Devils Lake has road games against a pair of Fargo teams next Monday and Wednesday. It returns home on Friday to face the Minot Vistas at 5:30 p.m.
