Faribault Legion Baseball Team Holds on For Win

Faribault American Legion Post 43 scored a hard fought 4-3 win over Mankato East tonight at Bell Field in Faribault.  Zach VanThomme went the distance for Faribault allowing 4 hits over 7 innings with all 3 runs given up earned, 4 walks, 2 hit batsman and 2 strikeouts.  VanThomme threw 99 pitches, 57 strikes.

Faribault had 7 hits in the game and committed no errors while Mankato East had 2 errors in the contest.  Jack Jandro, Kipp Bonde and Jake Doelter each had 2 hits and Noah Murphy the other hit.  Jandro collected 2 RBI, Murphy clubbed a double and had a RBI, Kyle Kohl had the other RBI.

Faribault is 3-11 with a handful of games remaining before their playoffs which Head Coach Kyle Murphy believes starts in two weeks.  Final regular season games are next Thursday, July 18th.

Faribault scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning.  With one out Kipp Bonde clubbed a single to right field followed by a Jake Doelter single to center field.  Tim Leider came in as the courtesy runner for catcher Doelter.  Murphy smacked a RBI double with Bonde scoring and Leider stopped at third base.  Jandro hit a 2 RBI single.  The next batter hit into a double play to end the inning.

Faribault added another run in the bottom of the 5th inning.  Bonde opened the inning with a single, Doelter followed with a single.  Murphy attempted a sacrifice but was safe at first thanks to an error.  Bases are loaded with nobody out.  Bonde was forced out at home on a grounder. Josh Oathoudt hit a fly ball to right field that appeared to be deep enough to score the runner from third base but he didn't tag up in time to make the trip home.  Luckily for Faribault Kyle Kohl coaxes a bases loaded walk to get what proved to be a very important run on the board.

Mankato East opened the 6th inning with a walk, following a strikeout a batter was hit by a pitch.  The next batter stroked the ball to Bonde at third who stepped on the bag to retire the lead runner for the second out.  The next hitter took a 1-2 pitch to center scoring a run.  Runners advanced on a passed ball and steal before the next batter hit a pop up to shallow right center perfectly placed.  Oathoudt in center and Alex Korbel in right had to run a long way and couldn't catch the ball.  Two runs scored on the play.  Van Thomme walked the next hitter to load the bases.

Mankato East tried to get the runner at first into a hot box situation and send the runner from third home but Faribault recorded the out easily at home plate.

In the top of the 7th VanThomme recorded two outs with the first two batters and the next hitter connected for a single.  He tried to stretch the hit into a double and slid by the bag and was tagged out to end the game.