Lake Superior Sea Dogs

Recap for the 08/09/2014 game @ Menomonie Eagles (Playoffs)

Preview Box Score Recap
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    Lake Superior Sea DogsLS
    Menomonie EaglesME
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By Max Mercy

 

HAUGEN, Wis. -- The Menomonie Eagles defeated the Duluth Dukes, 7-3, in the first round of the 66th Annual WBA Playoffs at Haugen on Sat., Aug. 9, to end the Dukes' season.

 

Winning pitcher Carter Vogt tossed a complete game three-hitter for the win. He allowed one earned run and had two walks and four strikeouts. Joe Mohr was 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs, and one RBI for the Eagles.

 

Duluth struck first in the top of the first inning when Tim Nylund walked, was sacrificed to second base by Corey Pavlich, and scored when the Eagles made two errors on the same play. Jimmy Merling put Duluth ahead 3-0 with a two-run home run in the third inning, his third of the season.

 

Menomonie tied the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the third inning on four hits, including a two-run single by Kasey Kruse, a walk, and a hit batsman. The Eagles scored two unearned runs in the fifth inning on one hit and three Dukes errors.

 

Menomonie's Brad Stokke led off the bottom of the sixth with a double and scored the Eagles' sixth run when Mohr hit an RBI double with one out. After a walk to Sam Arnott, Duluth starting pitcher Jake Lewis was lifted in favor of reliever Jesse Olson, who, after walking a batter to load the bases, was saved from further damage by an outstanding over-the-shoulder catch on the run in deep right field by Bob Baxton, who then threw the ball to second baseman Evan Scherber who relayed it to first baseman Travis Bartlett for a double play.

 

Lewis, the losing pitcher, allowed four earned runs on seven hits and three walks. He had two strikeouts. Olson allowed one run on one hit and four walks in two innings. Anthony Bush relieved Olson with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning. After walking one batter to make the score 7-3, Bush induced a 4-6-3 double-play grounder to end the threat.

 

Duluth recorded four inning-ending double plays in Menomonie's eight innings of batting.

 

The Dukes end their season with an overall record of 9-14. They finished in second place in the Upper 13 League, with a 7-3 league record. They qualified for their third consecutive WBA Playoffs berth, and fourth overall in their eight-year history.

 

Merling, a 2013 graduate of Proctor High School, set new single-season club records for batting (.423), slugging (.667), hits (33), doubles (10), home runs (3), total bases (52), and RBI (16).