MARSHALL - Down nine runs with two innings left to play, the Marshall VFW Orange baseball team made the tough choice.
Rather than hang their heads and concede their game Thursday night at Legion Field as lost, the Orange players rallied for 10 runs over the last two innings in a come-from-behind 12-11 victory over Granite Falls VFW.
Jack Bock's three-run triple tied the game for Orange in the bottom of the seventh. Three pitches later, Marshall first baseman Brent Andries laced a single to right-center, bringing home Bock and the Marshall win.
Article Photos
Photo by Travis Andries
Marshall Orange outfielder Brad Bahlmann offers at a pitch Thursday night in Marshall. Bahlmann would finish the game with three hits and four RBIs in the Orange’s 12-11 win over Granite Falls.
The grit on display from the Orange players came as no surprise to Marshall coach Mitch Maxwell.
"I don't think there's a bad attitude on the team. That's why we can keep coming back," Maxwell said.
The last inning heroics were only possible after a six-run sixth inning for Marshall, kick-started by a double of the bat of pinch hitter Quinton Johnson. Orange taillied seven hits in the inning, including RBI singles from relief pitcher Derek Rasmussen and Andries, as well as a two-run single from Brad Bahlmann.
When asked what he said to motivate his team before the sixth inning, Maxwell said, "Nothing. It's less me and more [the players]. Credit to them. They don't give up."
They did not give up, despite early struggles from pitchers Bock and Thomas Fischer. Neither did they turn on each other. Positive chatter could be heard from the Orange players, especially when the outcome of the game seemed the most bleak.
"We've got some pitchers that haven't worked a lot in the past," Maxwell said. "There's not a lot of consistency. We have to work on the fundamentals."
Though the offense deserves credit for the comeback, Marshall pitchers Bock, Fischer and Rasmussen deserve a tip of the cap for getting key outs and preventing further damage from the Granite Falls bats. Orange pitchers totaled ten strike outs, eight walks, and 11 runs off of 11 hits. Rasmussen was credited with the win.
Bahlmann and Andries stood out for Marshall offensively. Bahlmann went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs. Andries finished the night 4-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Bock added three RBIs, Rasmussen scored three runs, and Fischer went 3-for-4 in the game as well.
Marshall Orange has the weekend to replay the highlights of Thursday night in their heads before returning to action Monday evening against Slayton in Marshall. According to Maxwell, the strategy for Marshall will remain the same.
"It's about trying to find that good mix and develop ballplayers."
GF052 022 0-11 11 3
MO101 006 4-12 16 2
MO- Jack Bock, Thomas Fischer (2), Derek Rasmussen (6). WP- Rasmussen. 3B: M- Bock. 2B: M- Brent Andries, Brad Bahlmann, Quinton Johnson.
Adrian 7, Tracy 5
The Tracy VFW baseball team fell to 2-5 overall after dropping a road game on Thursday to Adrian, 7-5.
Breau Priegntz went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Taylor Carlson finished 2-for-4 and drove in three runs for Tracy, which travels to Olivia next Thursday.
T102 010 1-5 6 3
A040 111 X-7 4 2
T-Austin Gleis (LP), Taylor Carlson (2).