Eagles win 6-4 in Sunday home affair

Eric Riley zips 'em in for Morris during the win over Monte. (Photos by B.W.)
Jamie Van Kempen bats for Morris during the 6-4 win.

Eric Riley made his first pitching appearance as an Eagle and ended up with the "W" next to his name in the boxscore.

Eric, coming up from high school ranks, pitched seven innings and Craig Knochenmus for the other two. Knochenmus got the save as the Eagles beat Montevideo 6-4.

This game was played on Sunday, July 24, at Chizek Field. It was an ideal day for enjoying baseball.

There's more to come. The Morris town team, fresh from two weekend triumphs, now plunges into Region 9C play.

The first order of business is to determine seeding. A full menu of baseball is set for our Chizek Field again this Saturday, July 30.

First, Montevideo will play Appleton at 1 p.m. The winner of that game will play the Eagles at 4 p.m. It's a one-game playoff to determine the #1 seed in the Division.

The Eagles are striving to stay on a roll.

Eric Riley was "effectively wild" in his pitching performance of this past Sunday, according to Eagles spokesman Matthew Carrington. He did walk seven batters but he struck out seven.

Maybe the occasional wildness disrupted the focus of the Montevideo batters?

None of the four runs that Riley allowed were earned. He gave up five hits.

Knochenmus got the save with three strikeouts, one walk and one hit allowed in his two innings.

The Eagles had lost twice previously to Montevideo this season. They began Sunday hitting on all cylinders as they assumed a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Knochenmus drove in a run with a single and Ryan Beyer doubled in a run.

Riley blanked Monte over the first five innings and then allowed three unearned runs in the sixth. So Monte had the lead at 3-2 but that didn't last long.

Nathan Gades rapped an RBI single. On that hit, the Monte rightfielder committed a miscue and Riley came around to score from first, so Morris now had the lead back at 4-3.

Then the score became 5-3 when Knochenmus connected for an RBI single in the seventh.

Montevideo broke through with another unearned run in the eighth vs. Riley, who seemed to be showing some fatigue signs. The potentially tying run was "90 feet away," Carrington recalled, as Riley exited from the mound and Knochenmus was handed the ball.

"Knochy's" fresh arm was good for setting down two straight batters on strikes. The Eagles then got out of the jam when a double steal attempt went awry.

The Eagles scored their final run in the eighth on an RBI double by the "in the zone" Dusty Sauter. Sauter had seven hits in ten at-bats on the weekend. His sizzling .433 average is tops on the squad.

Monte's faint hopes in the top of the ninth faded when Morris executed a double play, and then Knochenmus bore down to fan Monte's No. 3 hitter in the order.

Morris had a line score of six runs, eleven hits and two errors. Monte's numbers: 4-6-1.

Eagles with multiple hits were Sauter, Chris Boettcher, Knochenmus and Ryan Beyer.

Morris Eagles baseball anticipates continued success and excitement.
The more fans the better!

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com