Faribault Legion Loses to Owatonna

The Faribault Post 43 Legion baseball team fell 6-1 to Owatonna Post 77 at Dartts Park in Owatonna last night.  Faribault jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning but Owatonna collected 5 hits including four in a row to tally 4 runs in the 4th inning and added one in each of the next two innings.  Christian Von Ruden took the loss while throwing 96 pitches in 4+ innings.  Von Ruden was 10 of 25 in first pitch strikes and struck out 3, walked 4 and hit a batter.  He allowed 6 Owatonna hits.  Evan Jensen came on in relief and faced just six batters, fanning two and allowing one hit and no runs to close out the game.  Three Faribault errors didn't help their cause either and Owatonna stole bases at will with 5 swipes in the game.  Isaac Rocha got the win for Owatonna and the Post 77 team used 4 pitchers in the game.  Rocha went the first four innings and threw 58 pitches, 35 strikes, struck out 4 and walked 1 while hitting two batters.  Faribault had just four hits in the game and the Faribault State Farm players of the game were Jensen and Mitch Nagel.  Jensen collected one of the hits in addition to his stellar closeout and Nagel collected Faribault's only RBI and made a terrific save behind the plate that saved a run early in the contest.  Faribault is now 9-7 and Owatonna 5-7.  Faribault travels to Rochester for a doubleheader tomorrow and hosts Albert Lea in another doubleheader on Saturday.  Post 43 Coach Jake Stocker said following the game his team would be working on doing a better job holding runners before Thursday's games in Rochester.