St. Augusta The Central Valley League (CVL) losing woes continued for the Kimball Express Sunday, June 27, as they fell to the St. Augusta Gussies in a 13 inning battle that ended 3-2. There was a nice crowd at the game, thanks to the St. Augusta church festival. A Dave Fritz bloop single over third base dropped in no man’s land for the game-winning run. Justin Hill started on the mound and pitched 10 innings for the Express. Hill allowed two runs with only one earned-run. The Gussies jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Express answered with one run in the second and another in the third. The score remained tied until Fritz’ game-winner in the 13th. Brooks Marquardt (3-1) relieved Hill in the 11th inning to take the loss. The Express had two outs in the 13th inning; the winning run reached base on an error, for a frustrating loss. The Express defense committed five errors to allow three runs for the Gussies; a rare event for the Express. Kimball had bases loaded with no outs in the top of the ninth, but were unsuccessful in sending a run home. The Express also had the go-ahead run on third in the 10th inning, but again failed to get the clutch hit. This loss gives the Express a 16-7 overall record and a 7-5 record in the league, a far cry from last year’s success. Delano A six-run third inning propelled Kimball to the 16th win of the season as they defeated the Delano Athletics in Delano Friday, June 25, 8-4. The third inning was a big one for the Express as they plated six runs. Starting pitcher Pat Arnold (6-1) had all the run support he needed to notch his sixth win of the season. The inning was highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of shortstop Jeremy Kuechle and an RBI double by Joe Pennertz. The Express offense pounded out a total of 13 hits in the game. Five players collected two hits for the Express. Jeremy Kuechle led the way scoring two runs and driving in a pair. Mike Arnold and Joe Pennertz both doubled in the win as they kept the big sticks mashing. On the other side of the ball, pitcher Pat Arnold started in his seventh game of the year. Arnold pitched six innings; he allowed one run, struck out four and walked two. The only run scored off Arnold was the result of a walk. The runner moved to second on a wild pitch, and got to third as a pick-off attempt at second base went awry as the ball sailed into centerfield. The run finally scored on another wild pitch by Arnold. Arnold needs to “batten down the hatches” before playoff time in order to be successful. Brian Marquardt came on as relief pitcher in the seventh inning. This was his third appearance of the season. Marquardt had two outs in the inning before an Express error led to three Delano runs. Joe Krippner relieved Marquardt in the eighth. Krippner allowed one hit in two innings, and faced one over the minimum for two innings as the Express improved to 16-6 for the season. Litchfield The Kimball Express unloaded an offensive barrage against the Litchfield Blues Wednesday, June 23, at Optimist Park in Litchfield. The Express scorched the Blues for 21 hits in a 14-2 game in CVL action. Starting pitcher Brooks Marquardt pitched six innings and struck out eight to pick up his third win of the season. Marquardt also had three hits including a bases-clearing triple, and drove in four runs in the game. Joe Pennertz chipped in three hits with a solo blast in the second to start the scoring for the Express. Kimball shortstop Jeremy Kuechle belted out three hits including an RBI double in the fourth. The Express scored two runs in three of the first four innings, and added a five run sixth inning to blow the game open. The Blues added two runs in the fourth to bring the score to 6-2. Another highlight in the game was an RBI triple by Brian Marquardt in the third inning. Brooks Marquardt pitched six strong innings. He was relieved by Joe Krippner at the beginning of the seventh. Krippner pitch two scoreless innings before giving way to Jeremy Kuechle, who threw a goose egg on the board in the ninth. Rail Report The Express will not play again until 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 7, when they travel to Howard Lake to take on the Orphans. Kimball will visit Meeker County to take on the Eden Valley Hawks Friday, July 9. This is their second meeting of the season: Kimball took the first game 12-7. Both teams are trading places week after week a top the CVL South Division. The game starts at 8 p.m. Both teams will strive to be at their best, as playoffs are just around the corner. Senior Citizens’ Day is Sunday, July 11, at Kimball Veterans Memorial Field, where seniors can attend the game for free. The Express will play CVL nemesis Cold Spring Rockies. The Express look to avenge an early season 3-1 loss to the Rockies in Cold Spring. The Express will use their week off to rest sore bodies and arms, and spend time with their families. The summers tend to be very busy with children, wives and family members sometimes having to make sacrifices for the great game of baseball. All the Express players are very thankful for their understanding families. Two noteworthy announcements for the team are that Jeremy and Alisha Kuechle and their daughter Caitlyn are expecting another little Kuechle. Pat and Leslie Arnold are expecting their first child. The summer will finish with a bang both on and off field for these families. There is plenty of excitement for the arrival of two future Express fans.
