by Max Mercy

ASHLAND -- Frank Pufall drove in Casey Olson from second base on an RBI single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Ashland Merchants defeated the Duluth Padres 3-2 in an Upper 13 League amateur baseball game at James Pufall Field in Ashland.

Winning pitcher Bobby Tyndall threw a four-hit complete game. He had eight strikeouts, and allowed six walks and a hit batsman.

Hibbing Community College's Jesse Olson of Hermantown picked up the loss in relief of starter Anthony Bush. Olson (1-3, 2.49 ERA) allowed one run on three hits and an intentional walk in one-and-one-third innings. Bush, a former Wisconsin-Superior pitcher and Proctor alumnus, threw the first seven innings and allowed two unearned runs on nine hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

Duluth took a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning on an RBI single by [Donny Miller] (Victoria, Tex.) and a sacrifice fly by Nathan Windschill (Maple Grove, Minn).

Ashland took advantage of lead-off errors with single runs in the third and sixth innings.

Casey Olson led off the ninth with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nick Anderson. After an intentional walk to Taylor Stibbe, Pufall connected for his first hit in five at bats.

Scott LaPlavy and Jeff Eckstrom had three hits apiece for Ashland, and Stibbe and Joe Seeger had two hits each for the Merchants.

Ashland improved to 1-2, and Duluth dropped to 2-2 in league play and 4-8 overall. The Padres will compete in the Hibbing Hull-Rust Tournament next weekend.