Eagles baseball rolls through weekend

The above photo shows Eagle Kirby Marquart hitting safely as the Eagles' first batter Saturday. The Eagles beat Ortonville 6-1 at Chizek Field. Photo by Brian Williams

The weather was quite fine for mid-May baseball involving the Morris Eagles this past weekend (May 15-16). The Morris town team proudly donned its blue colors to vie at Chizek Field. The weather actually couldn't have been better. It was the weekend of the UMM graduation.
There was no need to have the lights turned on for the start of the 7:30 p.m. Saturday game. The sun was out in all its glory as the Eagles and Rox began the contest. The fans who were seated in the permanent stands, along with those bringing their own collapsible chairs (a popular approach for game viewing), watched the Eagles host Ortonville. The Eagles defeated the Ortonville Rox 6-1.
It took a while for the Eagles to build a comfortable margin. A five-run rally in the seventh finally seemed to put this game away. The Eagles batted around in that rally, a rally that included four hits. A couple of walks stoked the cause too.
Leadoff batter Kirby Marquart had two hits and an RBI on the night. He connected solidly for a hit in the first inning and scored the Eagles' first run. They led 1-0 until the fifth when the Rox got the score tied. The Eagles finally got wind in their sails with that seventh inning rally.
Ortonville's bats were kept cool by the reliable pitching of Adam Torkelson. Torkelson got the win with his seven innings of work in which he struck out two batters, walked three and gave up four hits. Craig Knochenmus earned the save. Knochenmus allowed no hits and fanned one in his one inning. One inning was also pitched by Jamie Van Kempen.
Dusty Sauter and Chase Rambow contributed RBI hits. The line scores showed Morris with six runs on six hits and no errors, while Ortonville had 1-6-1 numbers.
The sun was out in its shimmering glory again Sunday when the Eagles' assignment was to play Madison. Ross Haugen's bat was sizzling with four hits in five trips. Eric Asche had a sharp eye at the plate too: a solo home run and a double. The boxscore showed Tony Schultz and Chase Rambow with multiple-hit games. All these offensive heroics were instrumental in the Eagles shooting the Mallards out of the sky. The home fans were treated to an 11-1 win.
The solid-as-a-rock veteran Matthew Carrington showed savvy with six strong pitching innings. He gained his first pitching win of the season. Chase Rambow came on to pitch the last two innings in this game which was shortened by the ten-run rule.
An Eagles spokesman said "It was good to see Chase on the mound after a year removed from shoulder surgery."
A four-game homestand is coming up soon. The Eagles will host the Rosen Express at 7:30 p.m. on May 28 (Friday). Then comes a June 2 home contest against the Benson Chiefs which will have a 7:30 p.m. start.
The June 5 assignment will be to host the Canby Knights (1 p.m.). And on June 9, the Eagles will take to the field at Chizek to vie with the Raymond Rockets at 7:30 p.m.
Bring your collapsible chairs or just park your derriere on the permanent bleacher seats. Morris Eagles baseball will add spice to the summer.
-Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com