Amateur Baseball: Lake & Pine Playoffs: Midway opens playoffs with 8-4 win over Red Eye

Red Eye put up a good fight in the early innings, but the defending Lake & Pine North champion Midway Snurdbirds relied on their strong pitching, clutch hitting and solid defense to down the Country Boys, 8-4.

Red Eye threatened during the first three innings, but could only collect two runs to show for it. The Country Boys snatched a 2-0 lead in the top of the opening frame when Jon Warmbold scored on a bases-loaded walk off Midway starter Jake Lund and Tom Koppa plated Nick Meeter with a fielders choice.

The ‘Birds answered in the home half of the first to tie the game on Robert Weaver’s deep fly to the right field warning track that scored Shane Hendrickson and Jake Lund.

Red Eye threatened twice with one out and the bases loaded in the second and third frames, but Lund was able to get out of the jam each time. The veteran got the next two batters to pop out harmlessly in the second inning and then struck out the next two in the order during the third.

Midway would take the lead for good in the bottom of the third on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly from Weaver and Zach Etter stole home to make it 4-2. The ‘Birds pushed their lead to 7-2 on Brandon Mickleson’s RBI single in the fifth and a Etter single and Lund sacrifice fly to center in the seventh. Two Country Boy errors in the eighth scored Sean Dormanen for the final Midway run

Red Eye added a run in the top of the eighth on Meeter’s RBI fielders choice and then capped the scoring with back-to-back doubles from Reid Redetzke and Komppa in the ninth for the 8-4 final.

Lund four-hit the Country Boys in five innings to secure the pitching victory for the ‘Birds. He gave up two earned runs, walked five and struck out six before turning the ball over to Brett Dormanen to start the sixth. Dormanen surrendered seven hits and two earned runs while walking none and striking out six for the save.

Drew Rasmussen went 2-for-5 with two doubles, Weaver 2-for-4 with a double and 3RBIs and Mickleson 2-for-4 with a ribbie to lead the ‘Birds at the plate.

Jake Brockpahler went the distance on the hill for the Country Boys. He surrendered eight runs (seven earned) on 12 hits, walked three and struck out three in the loss. Brockpahler also led Red Eye at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a run while Mike Cannon added two hits.

Midway will face Wolf Lake at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Lake & Pine North Playoffs
No. 4 Red Eye at No. 1 Midway on July 23
Snurdbirds 8, Country Boys 4
Red Eye 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1—4 11 4
Midway 2 0 2 0 1 0 2 1 x—8 12 1
WP: Jake Lund (Midway) 5IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 5BB, 6K
LP: Jake Brockpahler (Red Eye) 8IP, 12H, 8R, 7ER, 3BB, 3K
Save: Brett Dormanen (Midway) 4IP, 7H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 6K
Red Eye—Brockpahler 3-5, R; Jon Warmbold 1-4, R; Nick Meeter 1-4, R, RBI; Mike Cannon 2-4; Tom Komppa 1-4, RBI; Joey Osborne 1-4; Chris Osborne 1-3, 2B; Reid Redetzke 1-4, 2B, RBI
Midway—Drew Rasmussen 2-5, (2)2B; Shane Hendrickson 2-3, 3R; Zach Etter 1-4, 2R, 2RBI; Lund 1-3, 2R, RBI; Robert Weaver 2-4, 2B, 3RBI; Brandon Mickleson 2-4, RBI; Kyle Dormanen 1-4, R; Bobby Lustila 1-3