Le Mars and Sioux City West baseball played a thrilling pair of games on Thursday night in Le Mars. The Wolverines got the better of the Bulldogs in game one by a final of 8-7. Then, Le Mars returned the favor with an 8-7 walk-off win in eight innings in game two.
The Bulldogs have been working hard to try to get their young guys to feel comfortable in playing baseball and getting the best out of them. Head Coach Trent Eckstaine says he thinks these games were the best examples of that so far this season.
The game proved to be quite the roller coaster ride for both teams. Le Mars trailed 5-0 early after West scored five runs in the first two innings. From there, things would remain scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Le Mars started their run of scoring six runs in three innings. That led to a 6-5 Bulldog lead entering the seventh inning where West’s Brady Larson hit a three-run homerun to give the Wolverines an 8-6 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs would threaten following an Evan Jalas lead-off homerun but ultimately fall short by a final of 8-7. Coach Eckstaine says the roller coaster of highs and lows for his team needs to mellow out for them to get consistently in the win column.
Game two featured some of the most fun of the night. Both teams jumped out strong with each scoring seven runs in the first four innings. That’s when both teams turned to their bullpens that shut the door against each offense. West’s Todd Uhl dealt 4.1 innings while allowing just one hit and one run and striking out four. Le Mars’ Evan Pratt went four innings allowing just two hits and no runs. Pratt ended up the win for Le Mars, and Coach Eckstaine attributes that to a new-found off-speed pitch he was able to utilize.
Le Mars would finally break through and load the bases in the bottom of the eighth inning with only one out. That’s when Brayden Dreckman stepped up to bat and delivered the final blow of the game.
Dreckman had been having a tough game up to that point. He allowed five runs in five innings in the first game of the doubleheader and recorded an error in the field. Coach Eckstaine says his walk-off hit was a great reminder for Dreckman and everyone on what they can do on the field.
The Bulldogs get right back in to action on Friday night with a matchup against a former Lakes Conference opponent in Storm Lake. Coach Eckstaine hopes this is the time of the season where things start to click for the Bulldogs.
Le Mars’ record now sits at 4-8 overall and 4-7 in the MRAC. West sits at 7-4 and 6-4 in the MRAC.
