Minnetonka, Minn. – The Crown baseball team opened up their 2016 season with a non-conference doubleheader against familiar foe Martin Luther. The Storm swept aside the Knights on the afternoon, winning a solid game one by a 4-3 score and running out to a 10-0 win in game two.
Game one featured a solid pitching performance as four different hurlers combined to limit MLC to three runs over seven innings. The Storm opened up with a three run first inning, getting RBI singles from
Gideon Dunn and
Matthew Tate that bookended an RBI groundout from
David Sherwood to stake starter
Jonathan Matity to an early lead.
Matity went three solid innings, giving way to freshman
Alex Smothers. Crown added a run in the fourth when
Dalton Wintersole scored on a wild pitch, and Smothers controlled the game for two innings before being lifted after walking the leadoff man in the sixth.
Seth Herdle came on in relief and faced two batters, allowing a hit and getting a strikeout before turning things over to lefty
Tanner Pruett.
Pruett got a ground ball out and big strikeout with the tying run on third to preserve a 4-3 lead and then worked around a leadoff walk in the seventh by striking out the final two batters of the game to seal the one-run victory.
Pruett was credited with the win as the game's most effective reliver after the starter Matity didn't go deep enough into the game to qualify, earning his first victory for the Storm.
David Cruz took the hill to start game two and threw six innings of two-hit ball to propel the Storm to a big 10-0 win.
Harry Ballantyne and
Daryl Taylor led the way atop the Storm lineup, each tripling and collecting two hits while combining to score twice and knock in four.
Eight different players crossed the plate, while Taylor had three RBI and Wintersole and
Kress Medina each brought in two.
JT Adams struck out all three batters he faced in a perfect seventh inning to wrap things up.
Crown's next action will be in sunny Florida as the team will play eight games in Winterhaven over spring break.
