DARLINGTON - The Darlington baseball team split two games Saturday.
One day after sophomore Jesse Sturtz's big three-run homer to beat Iowa-Grant, Sturtz took the mound against Argyle in Wiota. Sturtz pitched a complete five-inning game to lead the Redbirds to a 12-1 win over Argyle Saturday.
Sturtz gave up just one run on three hits. He struck out seven and walked two. The Redbirds (3-2, 2-0 SWAL) led going into the fourth inning. The Redbirds took control of the game with a four-run fourth and sealed the victory with a five-run fifth.
Darlington coach Brad Solberg's Redbirds got the win against his older brother, Jeff Solberg, who is the head coach for Argyle.
"I look up to him," Brad Solberg said. "To be able to beat him was fun. I have the bragging rights for at least one Christmas."
Darlington senior Cole McDonald and Hayden Hadyman each went 2-for-3.
Argyle's Colton Ploessl pitched five innings and gave up 12 runs on nine hits. However, the Orioles were plagued by seven errors. Ploessl struck out three and walked four.
"I thought we were focused for the game against Argyle," Solberg said. "We didn't want to have any mental errors. It showed because we didn't have any mental errors. I just feel like on Saturday all the chips fell into place against Argyle."
Spencer then defeated Darlington 15-2 in the second game in Darlington. River Ridge/Scales Mound knocked off Argyle 9-1 in the Orioles' second game. River Ridge/Scales Mound pounded out 17 hits and the Orioles were limited to three hits.
Darlington senior Jason Singer pitched five innings and gave up 10 runs against Spencer. He struck out one and walked two.
"They (Spencer) are a Division 3 traditional powerhouse," Solberg said. "We ran into a buzzsaw. The two best things about the game against Spencer are we competed and Jason learned how to pitch against really good teams. From the third inning on, he was mixing up his pitches and moving the ball around."
One day after sophomore Jesse Sturtz's big three-run homer to beat Iowa-Grant, Sturtz took the mound against Argyle in Wiota. Sturtz pitched a complete five-inning game to lead the Redbirds to a 12-1 win over Argyle Saturday.
Sturtz gave up just one run on three hits. He struck out seven and walked two. The Redbirds (3-2, 2-0 SWAL) led going into the fourth inning. The Redbirds took control of the game with a four-run fourth and sealed the victory with a five-run fifth.
Darlington coach Brad Solberg's Redbirds got the win against his older brother, Jeff Solberg, who is the head coach for Argyle.
"I look up to him," Brad Solberg said. "To be able to beat him was fun. I have the bragging rights for at least one Christmas."
Darlington senior Cole McDonald and Hayden Hadyman each went 2-for-3.
Argyle's Colton Ploessl pitched five innings and gave up 12 runs on nine hits. However, the Orioles were plagued by seven errors. Ploessl struck out three and walked four.
"I thought we were focused for the game against Argyle," Solberg said. "We didn't want to have any mental errors. It showed because we didn't have any mental errors. I just feel like on Saturday all the chips fell into place against Argyle."
Spencer then defeated Darlington 15-2 in the second game in Darlington. River Ridge/Scales Mound knocked off Argyle 9-1 in the Orioles' second game. River Ridge/Scales Mound pounded out 17 hits and the Orioles were limited to three hits.
Darlington senior Jason Singer pitched five innings and gave up 10 runs against Spencer. He struck out one and walked two.
"They (Spencer) are a Division 3 traditional powerhouse," Solberg said. "We ran into a buzzsaw. The two best things about the game against Spencer are we competed and Jason learned how to pitch against really good teams. From the third inning on, he was mixing up his pitches and moving the ball around."
