MARSHALL - Get out on the field, get a win and get it quick.
Playing their second game of a busy stretch of seven games in six days, the Marshall A's were looking for a short and sweet outing against visiting Minneota Wednesday. And that's what they got.
Nate Dickhausen and Chace Pollock combined to one-hit the Mudhens, while the A's offense piled on 16 hits in an 11-0 win in seven innings.
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Photo by Matt Dahlseid
The Marshall A’s Nate Dickhausen throws a pitch in the first inning of a game against the Minneota Mudhens Wednesday at Legion Field. Dickhausen gave up just one hit in five innings, earning the win in Marshall’s 11-0 victory.
The A's began their string of games Tuesday with a 17-0 thrashing of Willmar. They'll play at Willmar again at 7:30 p.m. today before facing three of the top four teams in the Corn Belt League (Raymond, Bird Island and the Milroy Yankees) over the next two days.
"The nice thing about it is all of our guys are hitting and hitting well," said Marshall manager Sean Culhane, whose team has won eight straight games and improves to 21-5 on the year. "Going against the teams that we're going to be playing, we need to be hitting well and playing well in all facets, and I think we are right now."
Marshall scored a run in the first, two in the second and one in the third against Minneota starter Danny Hennen. The A's then busted the game open in the fifth against Mudhens reliever Isaac Josephson, scoring six runs in the inning to put the 10-run rule in play.
Taylor Rignell led the A's offense Wednesday, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Kyle Young was 2-for-2 with a double and scored two runs, and Jordan Kontz went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a walk and a run.
One run would have been enough for the A's, as Dickhausen and Pollock locked down the Mudhens' batters. Getting in some work in preparation for a start against the U.S. Military All-Stars on Sunday, Dickhausen went five innings and earned the win. He gave up the lone hit, a second-inning double to Hennen, with two walks and two strikeouts.
Jason Myhre, Minneota's manager and first baseman, said he thought the Mudhens (12-10 overall) had some good at-bats against Dickhausen, but just got overpowered.
"They went up there aggressive, which I told them to be," Myhre said. "He's going to throw it around the plate. He's just a good pitcher, and we didn't hit him. Teams in Class B can't hit him very good."
The Mudhens didn't get much of a break when Dickhausen was relieved by Pollock. Pitching in his fourth and fifth innings of the season, Pollock struck out three batters, gave up one walk and didn't surrender any hits.
Although the Mudhens were blown out Wednesday, Myhre said the team has been playing better this season than the past two thanks to improved chemistry and commitment. With two games left in the regular season - a road game Friday against Pipestone and another one Sunday against Luverne - Myhre hopes the Mudhens can regain their momentum for a playoff push.
And for the A's, they've got to get through a bevy of games in a short amount of time. They'll continue play tonight in Willmar in a game Culhane said the team will likely be shorthanded.
"It's a tough time in terms of guys have work, and a lot of our guys are younger so they don't have jobs where they can be taking off time. They have to work their full shifts," Culhane said. "We'll go up with a crew of nine or 10 and go from there."
Minneota000 000 0-0 1 2
Marshall121 061 x-11 16 1
MIN-Danny Hennen, Isaac Josephson (5), Jason Myhre (5). MAR-Nate Dickhausen, Chace Pollock (6). WP-Dickhausen. LP-Hennen. 2B: MIN-Hennen; MAR-Taylor Rignell, Andrew Kinney, Pollock. LOB: MIN-4; MAR-8.