The Blue Dragon baseball team has been performing well this season, with another win notched onto its belt after Sunday's game against Canton. After a tough loss in a low-scoring game against Sioux Falls Christian last Friday, Sunday’s win put the Dragons at 4-4 on the win-loss board for the season.
On Friday, the team hosted the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers, who were sitting at 6-3 for the season. The Blue Dragons kept the opponents to one point until the top of the sixth inning, while they gathered three runs at the bottom of the third.
The Chargers took their first run on an error from shortstop Carter Siemonsma, but a ground out and two strikeouts from pitcher Cole Jessen kept the opponents from making any progress at the top of the first.
Despite three strikeouts from the SFC pitcher at the bottom of the first and second innings, the Dragons returned the heat as Brecken Weir caught two fly outs in the top of the second, and Ty VanHolland and Ian Buettner caught two fly outs in the top of the third to keep runners off the bases. To mark the end of the second inning, catcher Cole Schleuter's throw to Siemonsma caught the Chargers trying to steal second.
The Dragons surged ahead at the bottom of the third inning when Siemonsma scored thanks to a sacrifice fly from Buettner, and Weir doubled on a grounder to center field, sending Tyler Erickson and Treyton Decker over home plate, putting the score at 3-1.
Unfortunately, despite 4th and 5th innings with zero runs from either team, the Chargers tied up the game at the top of the sixth when the Chargers hit a grounder and reached on an error, sending two of their own home.
Now 3-3 and with neither team plunging ahead in the seventh inning, the Chargers took advantage at the top of the 8th when J. Kooima tripled on a fly ball to center field. Kooima then crossed home plate when a teammate hit a grounder and reached on an error by first baseman Dan Hoskins.
Though the Dragons worked to even the score at the bottom of the inning, they were unable to get past the Chargers' pitcher, who struck out two and caught Weir on a dropped third strike.
Only Weir was able to get hits in the game, with two hits and two runs batted in. He pitched relief for Jessen, who struck out four and allowed one hit over five innings, while Weir struck out three and allowed four hits in two innings.
On Sunday, the team came back onto the field with a chip on their shoulder to face the Canton C-Hawks. The Dragons plowed through their opponent, leaving them on the ground.
They took the first three innings with 9 runs, with 5 of those runs in the bottom of the second. The opponents called the game at the end of the 5th inning as the Dragons gathered 13 runs to the C-Hawks' 1.
Erickson was on fire at the plate, as he hit three and had two runs batted in. At the bottom of the fourth, he sent Siemonsma home when he tripled on a fly to center field. Siemonsma had one reach on an error at the bottom of the second, which sent Hoskins home. His RBI went to three runs batted in when he doubled on a grounder to left field at the bottom of the fourth, sending Hoskins and VanHolland over home plate.
On the mound was Treyton Decker, who logged an impressive ten strikeouts while walking three and giving up five hits.
The Dragons' next game was scheduled for Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. on Tandberg Field (results not available at press time) and tonight (Thursday) in Alexandria.
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