VALLE Y CITY, ND  (NewsDakota.com)  A home game was moved to Grand Forks, the wind came up late, and the game started an hour behind schedule.

That was only the start of the issues for Hi-Liner baseball Tuesday night.

After building a 9-1 lead after two innings, the Hi-Liner defense undid what the offense started, allowing five unearned runs in the third, then giving up the lead on four more Red River scores in the sixth in a 12-9 loss at Kraft Field in Grand Forks.

Valley City was the home team last night, despite playing in Grand Forks.  An issue with a late start in Valley City a season ago, a game that followed a VCSU baseball game which ran long, prompted a schedule change, as VCSU was scheduled to play Dakota Wesleyan yesterday before the Hi-Liner matchup.  The decision was made to move the game to Grand Forks.

The Vikings ultimately moved their game to Monday, eliminating the conflict.  However, the game stayed in Grand Forks, and after a Grand Forks Central vs Fargo Shanley matchup that ran longer than anticipated.  First pitch for a game scheduled at 6:30 PM took place at 7:32 PM, with the game ending at 9:55 PM on a Tuesday night.

Valley City hit the ground running, shaking off a Red River run in the top of the first with four of their own in the bottom, then piling on five more in the second to take a 9-1 lead.  The Hi-Liners sent 20 batters to the plate in the first two innings.  James Schwehr, Andrew Sykora, and Luke Praska each had two hits in the first two innings, everyone in the order reached safely at least once in the first two innings, and Corbyn Powell, along with Schwehr, Sykora, and Parker Roelfsema all scored twice in the first two frames.

Then, the defensive wheels fell off.

A 21-mile-an-hour northwest wind blew a lazy fly ball down in front of Roelfsema in left field, with Roelfsema dropping the ball, allowing a run to score in the third.  A batter later, Roughrider Matt Dosch grounded to short, and Jack Samuelson threw to second to force a runner, only to have the ball dropped by second baseman Trevor Fetsch.  Dosch would later score on a throw from Hi-Liner catcher Powell attempting to gun him down at third, with the ball ending up in left field.  The three errors, combined with four Red River singles led to a five-run third for the Roughriders, cutting the lead to 9-6 after three.

Valley City would add just two more hits the rest of the game, and failed to score despite putting runners on second and third with one out in both the fourth and fifth.  Meanwhile, Red River added a run in the fourth, another in the fifth, and four more in the sixth for a 12-9 win.

Powell, Schwehr, Sykora, and Praska all finished 2-4 to lead the Hi-Liners offensively, with Powell, Schwehr, and Sykora each scoring twice.  Leighton Hendrickson was 2-3.

Adam Shenanko took the loss in relief.  Schwehr made the start and gave up seven runs, only two earned, on seven hits, striking out two, walking two, and hitting a batter.  Shenanko allowed five runs on six hits in three innings, striking out a batter without a free pass.

Valley City falls to 0-4 in EDC play, 0-3 overall.  They face Fargo Davies in a pair of EDC counters Friday in Fargo.