Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Post #30 falls short at Jack Brown Stadium during District 4 Tourney
Post #30 pitcher, Keaton Cudworth, added a five-hit shutout to his ever-increasing tally of impressive outings on the mound during the first round of the District 4 Legion Tournament against the Post #162 Owls.
Nick Berglund takes a swing at a pitch. Berglund went 3-for-4 in the batter's box, earning two RBIs and one run.
Post #30 second basemen, Caden Price, knocks Alex Knatterud, Post #30's bat boy, on the helmet as he runs back to the dugout after Post #162 caught the ball to secure an out.
Alex Harrison (left) and Luke Yri (right) give each other a fist bump after Yri struck out in the batters box.
Black Sox baseball has had its ups and downs this summer, and last week's District 4 Legion Tournament was no different for New Rockford Post #30.
Despite enduring a difficult regular season for most of the summer, New Rockford had won three of their last four games entering the tournament, and they seemed to carry that momentum into their first post-season matchup.
Awaiting New Rockford at the Jack Brown Stadium in Jamestown were the Owls of Nelson County, a team Post #30 had played closely in both their regular season matchups.
On July 18, however, New Rockford was dominant.
The first inning saw Nelson County give up a two-run deficit, and although Post #30 would eventually tack on another four runs in subsequent innings, the first run was all they needed.
That's because Keaton Cudworth, New Rockford's starting pitcher, didn't allow a single Owl to reach home plate.
In seven innings of work, Cudworth struck out five batters, walked two and allowed just five hits, adding a five-hit shutout to his ever-increasing tally of impressive outings on the mound.
His defense helped out as well, efficiently throwing out runners while avoiding the costly mistakes that have spoiled similar good pitching this summer.
With Cudworth leading the way and his defense standing firm, Post #30 advanced from the first round with a confidence-boosting 6-0 victory. In round two, however, they had their hands full with the No. 1 seeded Kidder County Wolves.
Post #30 benefited from more strong pitching in round two, this time from Nick Berglund, but unlike their first game, the defense wasn't there to back it up.
Four defensive errors cost New Rockford a run and drove up Berglund's pitch count as innings were extended.
Despite throwing 115 pitches in just six innings, Berglund only allowed three hits all game long. But unfortunately for New Rockford, those hits were timely, as two Wolves' crossed home plate thanks to RBIs from Blake Braun and Jace Larson.
New Rockford, meanwhile, had five hits - none of them timely.
The result was a 0-2 defeat for Post #30 and a trip to the lower bracket.
Awaiting them there was the Jamestown Hawks, a team New Rockford had defeated three times in the regular season, twice via the 10-run mercy rule.
But on July 19, Post #30 hardly resembled a team that just defeated Nelson County and kept it close against the No. 1 seed in their district.
The Hawks scored six runs in the first two innings, thanks in large part to New Rockford's starting pitcher, Luke Yri, who struggled with accuracy atop the mound.
On offense, meanwhile, New Rockford couldn't keep pace. They managed to score three in the first inning, but their bats fell silent soon after.
When the dust settled, Post #30 had been defeated 9-3, forcing an early end to the summer season.
The loss also brings to an end the Legion baseball careers of some of New Rockford's most successful players, namely Alex Harrison, Nick Berglund and Koby Duda.
Dating back to 2019, those three have played vital roles in their team's success, and their career statistics show exactly that.
Offensively, Berglund and Duda boast impressive batting averages of .296 and .287, respectively. Harrison, however, has led the way, earning a career batting average of .379 and while hitting 59 RBIs.
Harrison also has impressive numbers on the mound, with a 1.15 ERA (earned run average) and 162 strikeouts. Meanwhile, in 48 fewer innings pitched, Berglund earned a 1.86 ERA and 103 career strikeouts.
District 4
Legion Tournament
First Round
Post #30 6, Post #162 0
Monday, July 18
at Jamestown
Post #162: 000 000 0 - 0 5 1
Post #30: 202 020 X - 6 12 1
Post #30 Individual Stats
Hitting: Caden Price 3-4, 1 RBI, 2 runs; Nick Berglund 3-4, 2 RBI, 1 run; Luke Yri 3-3, 1 RBI, 1 run; Alex Harrison 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 run; Koby Duda 1-4.
Pitching: Keaton Cudworth 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO.
Post #162 Individual Stats
Hitting: Preston Lee 1-3; Ross Thompson 1-3; Brody Hoyt 1-1; Dresyn Hanson 1-3; Landen Sundeen 1-3.
Pitching: Cole Hendrickson 4.1 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO; Thompson 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.
District 4
Legion Tournament
Quarterfinal
Post #30 0, Kidder Co. 2
Tuesday, July 19
at Jamestown
Post #30: 000 000 0 - 0 5 4
Kidder Co.: 100 010 X - 2 3 1
Post #30 Individual Stats
Hitting: Price 2-3; Berglund 1-3; Alex Weisenburger 1-3; Yri 1-3.
Pitching: Berglund 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 7 SO.
Kidder County Individual Stats
Hitting: Blake Braun 2-3, 1 RBI; Jace Larson 1-3, 1 RBI.
Pitching: Braun 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO; Jayden Rath 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.
District 4
Legion Tournament
Loser Out
Post #30 3, Hawks 9
Tuesday, July 19
at Jamestown
Hawks: 240 110 1 - 9 6 6
Post #30: 300 000 0 - 3 5 2
Post #30 Individual Stats
Hitting: Harrison 1-4; Berglund 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 run; Duda 1-4; Cudworth 1-3; Kadon Hilbert 1-3.
Pitching: Yri 1.1 IP, 2 H, 6 ER, 6 BB, 1 SO; Duda 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 SO; Connor Knatterud 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO.
Hawks Individual Stats
Hitting: Isaac Webster 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 run; Brody Wolff 1-2, 1 RBI, 2 runs; Vaughn Romsdal 2-4, 4 RBI; Jackson Jarret 1-3.
Pitching: Wolff 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO.
