DEVILS LAKE, ND (NewsDakota.com) All three phases of the game came together for the Hi-Liner baseball team against a top-half Eastern Dakota Conference team in the league finale Thursday.
Jack Samuelson hit a pair of home runs, Corbyn Powell and Bryson Heck had clutch hits to produce, Ethan Miller and James Schwehr clicked on defense and Carver Pedersen pitched a gem in an 8-3 win over Devils Lake at Devils Lake Youth Activities Field.
Valley City built a 4-0 lead after two-and-a-half innings, enough to Pederson to work with. Pederson threw a complete game, allowing two earned runs on five hits, striking out eight and retiring the final seven men he faced.
The win capped the Hi-Liner league season at 3-8, but the loss could be costly for Devils Lake. A win by West Fargo Sheyenne over Grand Forks Central would now drop Devils Lake to fifth place in the final standings, putting them on the road in the opening round of the EDC Tournament. The Firebirds started the day in third place.
Miller and Samuelson started the offense in the opening half inning. Miller drove the first pitch of the game into the right-center field gap, leading to a standup double. He would score on consecutive ground balls by Trevor Fetsch and Powell.
Samuelson followed with a solo shot that cleared the left-field fence, building a 2-0 Hi-Liner lead.
The first of two big defensive plays for Valley City came in the second. With Firebird third-baseman Jackson Baeth on second, Trason Beck rolled a ball behind third base, fielded by James Schwehr. Schwehr had to time to throw across, but saw that Baeth had drifted well toward third in the play. Schwehr opted for a run-down on Baeth, bluffed on him twice, and threw to second-baseman Fetsch for an out that ended the inning.
Valley City struck again in the third, loading the bases on an error, single, and walk. Powell broke the game open with a rolling single to right center that plated Pederson and Miller. The Hi-Liners led 4-0 after two-and-a-half.
Devils Lake climbed back into it in their half of the third, capitalizing on a throwing error on a back-pick of a runner at second that scored Taydon Triepke from third. Beau Brodina singled in Max Palmer a batter later, cutting the gap to 4-2.
Heck would deliver the next big blow offensively in the fifth. Valley City loaded the bases with one out, and James Schwehr drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right. Heck followed it with a crisp ground ball single over third base, plating Samuelson and Will Schwehr, and the lead grew to 7-2.
Pederson would need one more defensive highlight to finish the game. The Firebirds would lead off the fifth with Brodina reaching on an error and Fauston Olson earning a walk, putting runners on first and second with no one out.
Mason Palmer would hit a grounder straight up the middle, but Miller snared it behind second, then changed his direction back into the infield, stepping on second and firing to first, a one-hopper picked by Samuelson at first for a key 6-3 double play. Baeth would single for Devils Lake on the next at-bat, but the double play limited the damage to one run, with the Hi-Liners leading 7-3 after five.
It was all Pederson needed. He worked perfect sixth and seventh innings striking out three in the final two frames. Samuelson added another solo homerun to left in the seventh, punctuating a Hi-Liner 8-3 win.
Valley City ends the league season 3-8.