VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Grady Karges’ single to right scored Riley Gerhardt with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning as Valley City beat Grand Forks 8-7 in the second game of a East Region doubleheader to earn the sweep.
Grand Forks scored five unearned runs on the top of the seventh to turn a 6-2 deficit into a 7-6 lead. Spencer Sproule tied the game with an rbi single with two out in the seventh. The Matt Scribner was walked with the based loaded to make it 7-6 Blues.
In the bottom of the inning. Jacob Johnson led off with a triple. He would score on Riley Gerhardt’s double. John Beutler was intentionally walked. Connor May flew out to center field. Gerhardt tagged up and went to third. When the throw got away, Beutler went to second. Easton Hesch was intentionally walked to get to Karges. The Maple Valley product hit a soft liner to right field to scored Gerhardt for the win.
Post 60 took a 3-0 lead after two innings with a run in the first on an error. And Avery Bennefeld’s two run double in the second.
Grand Forks would get on the board in the third with two runs.
Valley City would manufacture three runs in the fourth when Easton Hesch would score on an error. Caden Lloyd scored on the front end of a double steal, and Bennefeld scored scored Austyn Thornton with a sacrifice fly.
Gerhardt had three hits in the game. Jacob Johnson and Easton Hesch had two hits and two runs scored each. Avery Bennefeld drove in two.
In game one, Jacob Johnson stymied the Grand Forks hitters after the first inning. Johnson walked two batters, hit one and gave up an rbi single in the first to give the Blues a 2-0 lead. He would allow just one more base runner until the seventh.
In the meantime, Post 60 got a run back in the bottom of the first on Johnson’s sacrifice fly. They would take the lead 4-2 with three runs in the fifth. Johnson would drive in one with a two-out triple. He would score on a wild pitch to make it 3-2 and Alex Thornton drove in Grady Karges with a single.
Grand Forks would make it interesting in the seventh when Dillon Kuntz reached on an error and Ryan Muizelaar would single. But Johnson would strike out the next two batters before leaving the game because of the pitch count rule. Connor May came in and hit the batter he faced, then walked Ross Meyer with the bases loaded to make it 4-3. But he would strike out Oliver Wolfe for his second save of the season.
Alex Thornton had two hits and Jacob Johnson had two rbi for Post 60.
Johnson allowed two hits and two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out 13
Valley City is now 9-4 in the East Region and 12-14-1 overall. They will host Wahpeton on Friday night at Charlie Brown Field. Grand Forks falls to 5-7 in the region and 12-16 overall.