Steele. N.D. (NewsDakota.com)—-The Carrington Cardinal’s baseball team scored 3 runs in  the top of the 9th inning and defeated the Kidder County-Napoleon-Gackle Streeter Wolves 4-1 in Region 3 high school action. A windy day with gusts up to 50 MPH at times and sustained winds of 35 MPH throughout the game created some unique defensive alignments. Both teams had outfielders playing just steps away from the infield as the wind was blowing straight in from right and centerfield.

The Wolves would score the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning with 2 outs and nobody on base, Grant Pfaff walked and would steal second and third base. The throw from Cardinal catcher Lucas Hendrickson would sail over the third baseman’s head down the left field line that would score Pfaff and ultimately the only run of the game for the Wolves. Carrington would score their only run prior to extra innings in the 4th inning. Hudson Schmitz singled to start the inning, stole second base and moved to third and scored on 2 wild pitches.

Grady Shipman worked the first 2 innings on the mound, allowing the 1 run which was unearned. Shipman had a pair of strikeouts and walks issued. Schmitz worked the next 6 innings without allowing any runs, striking out 9 batters, walked 1 batter, and hit 4 batters. Schmitz worked his way out of a bases loaded jam in the third inning, leaving the bases loaded of Wolves when Jace Larson hit a bouncer right back to Schmitz to end the inning. Lucas Hendrickson earned the save as he finished up on the mound in the 9th inning allowing a 2 out double to Isaiah Oster before getting Pfaff on a called third strike to end the game.

Jace Larson was the starting pitcher for the Wolves, working 6 2/3 innings allowing just 1 run. Pfaff finished the seventh and 8th innings striking out 4 batters. Freshman Trey Silbernagel pitched the 9th inning allowing 3 runs , 2 earned runs. Owen Hagel started the inning with a walk, followed by a Wolves error that allowed Kael Kovar to reach. A pair of wild pitches brought pinch runner Jake Otto in from third base. During the play Kovar got caught between second and third and was the first out of the inning. Josh Bickett walked with 1 out and moved to thirb base on Shipman’s double. Schmitz would follow with an RBI single scoring Bickett and Hendrickson would bring in Shipman with an RBI groundout to second base giving the Cards a 4-1 win.

Carrington improved to 4-4 overall and 4-3 in region play while the Wolves dropped to 9-4 overall and 6-3 in the region.