Morris Eagles turn back Dawson, Appleton

The Morris Eagles were on a roll when May concluded and we embarked into June. Bring on summer!

The May 27 story had the blue-themed Morris crew prevailing over the Dawson Drakes, an expansion team. The score was 7-3. This was the Eagles' third straight win, and it didn't take long to savor win No. 4 in the skein.

The Eagles thundered to a 21-4 win over the beleaguered Appleton A's on June 2. The Eagles' bats sizzled to the tune of 18 hits at the Appleton diamond. (I always liked the atmosphere at the Appleton ballfield.)

 

Eagles 7, Dawson 3

The Eagles entertained with some extra-base hits on some balls that were really "stung." Ryan Beyer had one of them caught: a long drive to right field caught up against the fence. Undaunted, Beyer made sure he wasn't going to be robbed again. Beyer homered to left field - a solo shot in the eighth to add to the Eagles' cushion.

Craig Knochenmus got ahold of a Dawson delivery in the fifth, sending the ball over the fence to firm up the Morris lead. This was a two-run shot and when Craig was done circling the bases, the score was 5-2.

Kirby Marquart smacked a double in the third that got a run in. The third inning success continued with Eric Ashe connecting for a two-run double.

Double plays can be a pitcher's best friend. The Morris defense was up to the task of performing these, putting a smile on pitcher Matthew Carrington's face. These twin killings came in the seventh and eighth. Carrington was the winning pitcher with eight innings of work. He struck out three Drake batters, walked four and gave up six hits and two runs (neither earned).

Nathan Gades pitched the last inning, struck out a batter and gave up one unearned run.

Seven Eagles hit safely including the man at the top of the order, Dusty Sauter, who tripled and scored two runs. Marquart finished two-for-five with a run scored and an RBI. Beyer's boxscore line was 4-2-1-1 (at-bats, runs, hits, RBis). Ashe's line: 5-1-2-2.

Cole Riley added two hits to the mix. Knochenmus stood out with his home run. Mitch Carbert added a hit.

The Morris line score was seven runs, ten hits and three errors. Sauter, Marquart and Beyer had stolen bases.

 

Morris 21, Appleton 4

The Eagles took the field at Appleton for a makeup game on June 2. Morris led 8-3 after three innings and then really punched down on the accelerator. They ended up winning by a football-like point total, even with the extra points made!

The seven-run fourth put Morris in truly comfortable position.

Matthew Carrington helped set the tone with a two-run double in the first inning.

Craig Knochenmus' bat resonated with an opposite field two-run double in the second. Brett Anderson followed that up with a two-run single in the same inning.

The Morris bats kept on making noise as Nathan Gades singled to drive in two runs in the fourth. Ryan Beyer supplied fireworks with a three-run homer in the fourth, a drive that was clearly "out" when it left the bat. Appleton just couldn't hold the Eagles down. The Morris line score showed 18 hits to complement the 21 runs, plus there were eleven walks received.

Carrington pitched the first five innings and notched his third win, striking out four batters. He walked four and gave up seven hits. Eric Ashe mopped up for two innings and gave up no runs and one hit.

Jamie Van Kempen was at the top of the lineup and fashioned two-for-five numbers. He scored three runs and drove in two. Beyer drove in four runs and scored two. Craig Knochenmus had a boxscore line of 3-4-2-2. Cole Riley was hot, recording three hits in four at-bats and scoring four runs.

Carrington went two-for-four with three runs scored and three ribbies. Brett Anderson had a boxscore line of 4-1-2-3. Nathan Gades' line: 6-2-3-5. Mitch Carbert rapped two hits and scored a run. Eric Ashe added a hit to the mix. Van Kempen and Beyer had stolen bases.
Viva Morris Eagles baseball for the summer of 2012!

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com