Bethlehem Academy Baseball Falls in Very Quick Game

It took me a little longer to drive to the game Monday night in Wells than it did for the game. One hour and six minutes was the game time and one hour and eight minutes the drive time to Thompson Park next to the water tower.

We all have those days when we wish we would have stayed in bed. The Cardinal baseball team had one of those days collectively.

United South Central senior Trevor Stencel threw just 41 pitches in five innings and allowed just two hits with five strikeouts and no walks in a 10-0 five-inning game

Prior to the game, both teams were unbeaten in the Gopher Conference and the first inning looked like a game with each team's ace on the hill.

Kollin Hanson connected for a hit in the first inning for Bethlehem Academy while Cardinal starter Anthony VanThomme threw 12 pitches and struck out a Rebel batter in a up and down first inning for United South Central.

In the top of the second, Parker Wager would get a two-out single and that's the last hit the Cardinals would get in the lopsided game.

The bottom of the second did not start well for VanThomme with a walk and a hit batsman to start the inning. The hit batter was attempting to bunt the man on first over to second.  Then on an 0-2 count the No. 7 hitter had a single to left field that got by the left fielder for Bethlehem Academy.

Following another sacrifice bunt, the No. 9 hitter laced a 3-1 pitch for an RBI single and the Rebels would score all the runs they would need in a three-run second inning.

United South Central added four more runs in the bottom of the third, opening the inning with four consecutive hits. Two errors and two walks later VanThomme's day was done. He finished with 55 pitches thrown in 2 2/3 innings of work while facing 18 batters. There were six hits, three walks and a hit batter.

Three Cardinal errors also factored in the scoring: 31 of the 55 pitches were strikes.

Peyton Glenzinski finished the game and in 2 1/3 innings had 37 pitches, 19 strikes, two strikeouts, one walk, two hit batters and three hits allowed.

Bethlehem Academy jumped on the first pitch a number of times and that helped Stencel keep his pitch count down.

The most pitches thrown in an inning by the right hander were 10 in the first and 10 in the fifth. In between he had a six-pitch second, seven-pitch third and eight-pitch fourth inning.

Bethlehem Academy never had a runner even get to second base.

The Cardinals host Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton on Thursday and United South Central entertains Maple River.

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The Faribault Falcons dropped to 0-5 on the season but were very competitive against 20th-ranked New Ulm in a 6-4 loss at Bell Field on Monday night.

Dylan O'Neil had an RBI triple, Colton Helgeson and Austin Rendler each had two hits in the game, which was tied at 4 in the sixth inning before New Ulm scored in the seventh.

The Eagles had 11 hits and Faribault six and the Falcons had four costly errors in the game.

Faribault hosts state-ranked Mankato East on Tuesday at Bell Field beginning at 5PM.

In other area high school baseball Monday:

• Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 16, Blooming Prairie 1 Buccaneer Dallas McBroom threw a no-hitter.)
• Mankato East 6, Waseca 1
• Minnetonka 10, Owatonna 5
• Northfield 5, Rochester John Marshall 4 (eight innings) Raiders score three runs with two outs in sixth to force game into extra inning and were out-hit 11-7.
• Red Wing 2, Albert Lea 1
• Cannon Falls 17, Triton 2 Carlton Lindow, Jason Traynor have two hits and Carter Reber three hits. Hunter Reinardy pitched first five innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks while allowing three hits. Triton used five pitchers and the Bombers scored seven runs in the seventh inning.
• Pine Island 5, Rochester Lourdes 2
• Kenyon-Wanamingo 3, Lake City 0 Gavin Roosen throws a five-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and two walks and Dylan Craig, Ted Androli and Luke Rechtzigel collect six of the team's nine hits.
• Stewartville 17, Zumbrota-Mazeppa 2
• Kasson-Mantorville 2, Hayfield 1
• Shakopee 6, Apple Valley 5
• Lakeville North 1, Farmington 0
• Prior Lake 5, Lakeville South 2
• Rosemount 6, Eastview 0
• Burnsville 3, Eagan 0
• Waconia 3, New Prague 0