The regular-season non-conference baseball game between Martin County West and Minnesota Valley Lutheran Chargers took place at Mueller Park in New Ulm on Friday. Zach Anderson, the starting pitcher for Martin County West Mavericks, pitched at bat and earned a complete game victory. The game was dominated by a pitching duel between Anderson and Zach Riederer, the left-hander for MVL Chargers, in the first four innings.
In the fifth inning, MVL Chargers committed three errors in a row on the infield, which gave Martin County West Mavericks an advantage. The Mavericks seized the opportunity and scored one run on an error and four runs on two runs from Wyatt Williamson and Lucas Larson. The inning proved to be the turning point of the game, as Martin County West Mavericks scored enough damage at bat early in the game to hold on to an 8-5 win at Mueller Park.
MVL Chargers made a comeback in the seventh inning, pushing five runs across the plate, but it was not enough. Zach Anderson mixed pitches well early on and forced six pop-outs against the nine batters he faced in the first round. In the end, Anderson earned a complete game victory, allowing six hits, one walk, two earned runs, and two strikeouts. Martin County West Mavericks’ Lucas Larson and Cody Potts played a crucial role in the victory by going 2-for-2 with 3 RBI and 2-for-3 with 2 RBI, respectively.
Martin County West will face Fairmont at Welcome’s Fox Lake Sports Complex on Monday at 4:30 p.m., while Minnesota Valley Lutheran University awaits a section playoff pairing. In the Prep Softball game between Martin County West and Cleveland, Martin County West emerged victorious with a score of 16-12. The game was a part of the Mavericks’ Valley Conference Show, held at Caswell Park in North Mankato.
Lina Arnold had two hits with a game-best four RBI, while teammate Hannah Rosenberg had three hits and three RBIs. Emily Anderson and Ella Carlson had three hits and two runs, respectively, while Shia Anderson had a single, a double, and an RBI. Adi Wolfter allowed three hits, one run, and two strikeouts in three reliefs to help MCW win without a walk. Martin County West will face Maderia at the Welcome Fox Lake Sports Complex on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Section 2A playoffs.