Patrick Arnold
Last week the hometown Kimball Express won two of three in amateur baseball action. Sunday the Express sent the St. Nicholas Nicks packing 16-4, cutting the game short in the seventh due to the ten run rule. On Friday evening the Lakers of Lake Henry stopped by for a game with the Express and the two teams battled to an 8-8 tie with the game being called after nine innings due to darkness. On Wednesday night the Express welcomed the Farming Flames to Kimball by taking an exhibition contest from them with a score of 6-1. A successful weekend for the home team as they picked up their sixth win in the CVL 6-1 still standing alone atop the CVL North and improved their overall record to 10-5.
Express send Nicks home in seven
With a nice crowd on hand the Express battled with the St. Nicholas Nicks on the home field this past weekend on a warm breezy Sunday afternoon coming away with a 16-4 win in Central Valley League baseball action. Mike Arnold was 3-5 with a two-run homerun, Nate Turck was 3-4 with a triple and 5 RBI and Kris Hagen (2-2) threw 5 innings to pick up his second win of the season.
Kimball would have to answer in the early going as the Nicks came out firing taking a 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The big blow came with a three-run homerun by Nicks pitcher Johan Kinnes. The Express would answer with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead to 4-3 on a bases loaded triple by Nate Turck scoring Brooks and Brian Marquardt along with Aaron Knaus.
Kimball would plate five more in the third inning. Scott Marquardt (2-5 three rbi, run) got things started with a single. Joe Pennertz (1-4 2B) would drive Scott in with a double to left center. Mike Arnold drove in Pennertz for the go ahead run as they would not look back scoring three more for a total of five for the inning giving them an 8-4 lead through three innings of play.
The Express were not done yet as they would explode for seven more runs in the fourth inning. Mike Arnold would hit a towering two-run homerun to left to get the Express going. With four consecutive singles and a double by Scott Marquardt to the left centerfield alley the Express found their lead expand to 15-4 after four innings of play. Kimball would plate one more in the sixth inning as Jeremy Kuechle was driven in by Justin Schmitz.
Kris Hagen got the start for the Express as he threw five complete innings allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits striking out four and walking one. He was relieved by Joe Krippner in the sixth inning who would pitch two innings of shut out baseball in relief. The game ended after seven innings because of the ten-run rule.
Game called due to darkness
The Lake Henry Lakers of the Stearns County League traveled to Kimball last Friday night to take on the Express in non-league play. The game ended in an 8-8 tie after nine innings being called due to darkness.
Lake Henry jumped out to an early lead 1-0 lead in the second inning taking advantage of a Kimball error. The Express would come right back in the bottom of the second inning scoring two to take that lead away. Brian Marquardt led the inning off with a walk, Brooks Marquardt would get on with a single. With two on Nate Turck lined a two-run single to right centerfield to score both Marquardt’s.
The lead didn’t last long as Lake Henry came back and scored two more in the third off Kimball starter Pat Arnold. They roughed him up getting a lead off double followed by a single scoring one and then another double to plate the second run of the inning for a 3-2 lead. Lake Henry would add to that lead in the fifth inning on a two-run homer by Mike Stalborger to give the Lakers a 5-2 cushion.
The Express would come back with a big sixth inning scoring five runs to take the lead 7-5. Joe Pennertz reached base after getting dotted by a pitch. Aaron Knaus would draw a walk. Brian Marquardt drove Pennertz home with a double to right centerfield. With runners on second and third and nobody out Brooks Marquardt popped out to the pitcher and Justin Schmitz reached first after swinging at a third strike got away from the catcher. Knaus scored on the play. With runners at first and third Nate Turck smoked a double to score Brian Marquardt to tie the game at 5-5. Pat Arnold then singled to through the hole on the left side of the infield driving in Schmitz and Turck to take a 7-5 lead.
Joe Krippner came on in relief of Arnold in the sixth inning and Lake Henry greeted him with two runs in the top of the sixth to tie the score at 7-7, getting the runs on a solo homerun and an RBI double. The Lakers would pick up one more run in the seventh inning to take the 8-7 lead.
The score stayed that way until the ninth inning. Jeremy Kuechle came on in relief of Joe Krippner to shut the door on the Lakers striking out two. Setting the stage for Kimball in the bottom of the ninth. With one out Scott Marquardt stepped up to the plate and jacked a solo blast over the left centerfield fence to tie the game at eight a piece. Kimball was unable to get anything else across in the inning and the game was called after the ninth.
Kimball played sloppy defense committing five errors. Lake Henry hit the ball well but take away a few Kimball errors and they win this game. A nice crowd was on hand for the Friday night game, it was a beautiful evening for baseball.
Kimball puts out the Flames
The Farming Flames made the trip to Kimball on Wednes-day evening to get in an exhibition matchup with the Express. Kimball came away with a 6-1 victory behind the hot hitting of Aaron Knaus who went 4-4 with two doubles and a combined pitching effort of Brooks Marquardt, Joe Krippner and Joe Pennertz as they allowed one run, keeping the Flames’ bats quiet most of the night.
Farming scored in the first inning on a RBI double by Greg Holthaus. That would be all the offense for the Flames on the night as they were shutout the rest of the way by the Kimball pitching staff.
Knaus was 4-4 with two doubles and an RBI to lead the Express and Pat Arnold went 3-5 with a solo homerun in the sixth inning. Kimball scored two runs in the second inning to take the lead for good. The Express would plate lone runs in the third, sixth, seventh and eighth innings to tally six for the game and a 6-1 victory. Brooks Marquardt pitched very well going four innings with 2 K’s, 1BB giving up the lone run. Joe Krippner would come on in relief in the fifth as he would go two innings pitching shutout baseball and Joe Pennertz made his first appearance of the season striking out three in two innings of work to put out any smoldering Flames that were left in the game. A final from the home ballpark last Wednesday was Kimball six, Farming one.
Upcoming Schedule
The Express have a week to relax as no games will be played until Friday night as they enter the Howard Lake Good Neighbor Days tournament to defend their first place finish of a year ago. This will be Kimball’s fifth trip to the tourney in as many years. The Express have taken first place in three of four appearances. Friday night they take on the Winsted Wildcats at 6 p.m. in the tourney’s opening game. Saturday’s game depends on how they do Friday night. If they win, game time is 8 p.m. If they lose game time will be 6 p.m. A great atmosphere for baseball as Howard Lake celebrates their version of Kimball Days. Large crowds attend all games. Howard Lake has a beautiful ballpark that is right off the shores of Howard Lake. A four-team tourney featuring Kimball, Howard Lake, Becker and Winsted starts Friday night and ends Saturday night with the street dance and other festivities following the Saturday games.
On Sunday the Express travel to Luxemburg for Central Valley League play with game time at 2 p.m. Kimball won the first meeting t