Prep report: Hermantown baseball smothers Proctor

Hermantown defeats Proctor in baseball at Terry Egerdahl Field — A.J. Reyelts (6) of Proctor tags Sam Gunderson (3) of Hermantown during a play at second base at Terry Egerdahl Field on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 in Proctor.

By Duluth News Tribune

April 26, 2022 at 10:07 PM

PROCTOR — Hermantown’s Sam Gunderson’s RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth inning broke a scoreless tie with Proctor and the Hawks went on to win 7-1 Tuesday at Egerdahl Field.

Gunderson’s hit started a four-run rally. He grabbed another RBI in the fifth inning and Hermantown added to its lead in the fifth and sixth innings.

Josh Summers (9) of Hermantown hits the ball against Proctor at Terry Egerdahl Field on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 in Proctor.

The Hawks were the home team because of field conditions in Hermantown.

The Hawks struggled at the plate early in the game, but started putting more balls in play as the game went on.

“That first time through the order was brutal,” Hermantown coach Billy Tafs said. “A lot of that comes from this was only our third time on a baseball field all spring — seeing a baseball out in the daylight is a little bit different than in the gym. The second time through the order, we seemed to be a little more patient and sat back and waited on some pitches and ended up getting some pretty good wood on them.”

The Rails got some hits early in the game, but were unable to convert the scoring opportunities into runs.

“We had runners on base, but we just didn’t get them across,” Proctor coach Anthony Bush said. “They maybe would have changed the dynamics of the game, but they put the ball in play and we didn’t make the plays. They scored some runs and then they kept adding to it and we couldn’t get anything going offensively. That’s sometimes how it goes.”

Moose Lake/Willow River 8, South Range 6

Tyler Juhl went 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and pitched five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits as the Rebels picked up a home victory.

SOFTBALL

Moose Lake/Willow River 10, South Ridge 0

Moose Lake/Willow River’s Alexis Hoffman and Sarah Christy combined to allow just one hit in a 10-0 five-inning home win over South Ridge.

In addition to four strikeouts, Christy did some damage at the plate too. She went 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs for MLWR. Sandra Ribich had two RBIs, while Hoffman, Megan Hattenberger and Gabby Gamst all had one.