Express centerfielder Brooks Marquardt is tagged out stealing second in the third inning. Staff photo by Jean Doran Matua
By Jean Doran Matua, Editor
Their 4-1 win over the Pearl Lake Lakers Saturday afternoon, July 28, secures the Kimball Express in the #3 spot going into the Region 11C tournament starting this coming weekend. Pearl Lake is in the #4 spot.
The game got off to a slow start, with the Lakers scoring the first run (an out-of-the-park home run to left field by Ryan Wieneke) in the fourth inning. The Express responded with two runs in the fourth, and stayed ahead the rest of the game.
Although a few men short, the Express still got the win. In the fourth inning, Joey Von Wahlde hit a double that scored Ben Johnson and Brian Marquardt. Johnson would cross the plate again in the sixth. Jordan Joseph scored the fourth run for the Express, in the bottom of the eighth.
Zach Dingmann earned the win for the Express, pitching all nine innings and keeping the Lakers to two hits on the game. Mitch Wieneke took the loss for the Lakers in seven innings, with Mitch Ergen in relief.
PEARL LAKE AB R H BI
Craig Pfannenstein 3 0 0 0
Colton Fruth 3 0 0 0
Mitch Wieneke 3 0 0 0
Chadd Kunkel 3 0 0 0
Derrick Garding 1 0 0 0
Ryan Wieneke 4 1 1 1
Andy Linn 2 0 0 0
Justin Kunkel 2 0 1 0
Matt Krippner 1 0 0 0
Mitch Ergen 2 0 0 0
Max Fuchs 2 0 0 0
Mitchell Kunkel 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 27 1 2 1
KIMBALL AB R H BI
Brooks Marquardt 3 0 2 0
Scott Marquardt 4 0 0 0
Jordan Joseph 2 1 0 0
Adam Beyer 2 0 0 0
Ben Johnson 4 2 4 0
Brian Marquardt 4 1 2 1
Kyle Winter 3 0 0 0
Zach Sufka 0 0 0 0
Joey Von Wahlde 4 0 1 2
Matt Dingmann 4 0 0 0
TOTALS 30 4 9 3
R H E
Lakers 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1
Express 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 – 4 9 0
In the Region 11C tournament, Kimball will face Sauk Valley #2-ranked St. Joseph Joes at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. Watkins is hosting the tournament. The winner of that game will play at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5; the loser plays at 11 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 5. The tournament continues Friday-Saturday-Sunday the following weekend (Aug. 10-12) for the Region 11C championship. The top four teams from Region 11C will advance to the state tournament, this year played in New Prague and Shakopee.