Faribault Baseball Swept by Mankato East
The Faribault Falcon baseball team traveled to Mankato East High School Thursday for a doubleheader and saw the Cougars get the brooms out. Mankato East was victorious 3-2 and 8-0. The first game was the conference game and it was a 8 inning thriller. Falcon seniors Blake Borwege and Dillon McEachran combined to throw a 3 hitter while Faribault was held to 4 hits in the game. Borwege went the first 7 innings and threw 91 pitches, 54 for strikes, striking out 3 and walking 1 while giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 0 earned. McEachran threw 14 pitches, 6 for strikes, striking out 0, walking 1 and 1 run was unearned.
Mankato East senior Jack Clifford threw all 8 innings for the Cougars with 99 pitches, 75 for strikes, 10 strikeouts, 0 walks, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned. Faribault was the home team in the first game and scored two runs in the bottom of the first to take the early lead. With one out, senior Dylan Vargo reached base on an error, then senior Austin Rendler sent the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for a two run homer. The Cougars answered with two runs in the top of the third inning. Jake Prybylla started the inning with a single. The next batter was hit by a pitch. Isaac Turner executed a sacrifice bunt advancing the two base runners to second and third. Clifford hits a ground ball and reaches safely and a run scores due to an error. Kawika Hashimoto scores on an error and the game is tied.
With two outs in the top of the 8th and no runners on base McEachran walks Ryan Kuechle. Logan Hermer singles and Kuechle goes to third base. Kuechle scored the winning run on an error by the Falcons. In the bottom of the 8th the Falcons go up and down in order.
In game two Mankato East scored 3 runs in the bottom of the third, 1 in the fourth and 4 in the fifth of the seven inning game. McEachran started the game and went five innings, throwing 84 pitches, 47 strikes, struck out 3, walked 3 and gave up 9 hits, 8 runs, 4 earned. Sam Graves threw the final inning with 21 pitches, 12 strikes, 2 hits allowed, 0 runs. 0 strikeouts and 0 walks.
Travis Noren picked up the win for Mankato East going 5 innings with 69 pitches, 42 strikes, 2 hits, 0 runs, 3 strikeouts, 4 walks. Ryan Kuechle threw the last two innings with 24 pitches 15 strikes, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 strikeouts, 0 walks.
Turner had 3 hits and 3 RBI for the Cougars who smacked 11 hits and had 1 error. Faribault was held to 2 hits and had 3 errors.
Kipp Bonde and Dylan Vargo had the Falcons two hits. Austin Rendler's string of games with multiple hits came to an end in the first game of the doubleheader. He had multiple hits in every game this season until that one and pinch hit in the second game.
Faribault hosts Northfield tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. on POWER 96 Radio with John Anderson on the call at Bell Field. They will start the first game of the doubleheader at the start of the third inning and then have a second five inning game. Both are on the radio and the best way to listen is to download the FREE KDHL Radio app and tap the app for static free listening.