Baseball sweeps Menomonie

• Brett Steinwagner delivers a pitch

Junior pitcher Brett Steinwagner delivers a pitch to the plate in the second inning of the first game of a doubleheader against Menomonie last Thursday at Grandview Park. Steinwagner went the distance, striking out 8 of the last 14 batters he faced, in Hudson’s 5-4 win. Photo by Bob Burrows
• Third baseman Kellen Pearson fields a ground ball

Raider third baseman Kellen Pearson fields a ground ball before firing to first for the out in the first game of a doubleheader against Menomonie last Thursday at Grandview Park. Pearson had a hit and scored two runs in Hudson’s 5-4 victory. The Raiders also won the nightcap, 4-2. Photo by Bob Burrows

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Brett Steinwagner went the distance to earn the win in the first game and Austin Lenzen and John Stoffer combined on a five-hitter in the nightcap as the Raider baseball team swept Menomonie, 5-4 and 4-2, last Thursday, April 21 at Grandview Park.

The sweep kept the Raiders perfect in the Big Rivers Conference at 3-0. They were scheduled to host River Falls on Tuesday, April 26, but that game was postponed due to rain, and will visit Eau Claire Memorial on Thursday, April 28.

Last Thursday in the first game of a doubleheader against Menomonie, the Indians scratched out three runs off Steinwagner in the top of the second inning before Hudson tied the score in their turn at bat.

Kellen Pearson and Matt Strachota each singled before Mike Hommes doubled in Pearson with the Raiders’ first run. A base hit by Miles Lewis plated Strachota and Hommes to tie the score.

Menomonie took a 4-3 lead with a run in the top of the third only to have the Raiders tie the score again in the bottom of the inning when Pearson drew a two-out walk and went to second on a base hit by Strachota. Hommes reached base when the Indian catcher dropped a third strike to load the bases before Lewis was hit by a pitch to force in Pearson.

Hudson scored the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the fourth when Lenzen tripled in Ben Christensen, who had reached on a single.

Steinwagner settled down after a shaky start to strike out eight of the last 14 batters he faced, including striking out the side in the fourth inning. He finished with 11 strikeouts and two walks while allowing six hits in the complete-game victory. Just one of Menomonie’s runs was earned.

In the nightcap, Andrew Entenza tripled in a run in the third inning and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Lewis to provide the margin of victory in a 4-2 Raider win.

Hudson took a 1-0 lead in the first on a sac fly by Strachota and added a run in the second on a two-out double by Lenzen that scored Christensen.

Menomonie scored a run in the second and another in the fourth to make the final 4-2.

Lenzen started on the mound and earned the win, working the first four innings and allowing two earned runs on three hits while striking out five and walking one. Stoffer allowed two hits over two scoreless innings of relief to earn the save.

Derek Krumrei contributed a pair of hits and a sacrifice bunt in the victory.

Raiders sponsor youth clinic

The Hudson Booster Club baseball season will begin for its recreational teams this Saturday, April 30, at Grandview Park. Many of the Booster team’s first practice will be attending the fifth annual free youth clinic sponsored by the Hudson High School baseball program.

This free youth clinic is part of a pledge drive fundraiser the HHS baseball program has committed to this baseball season. Each player and coach will be committing a minimum of five hours of community service as part of the pledge drive. To fulfill their community service hours the high school baseball program will be conducting the free youth clinic to help develop Hudson’s younger ball players.

In addition to the player clinic, the Raider coaching staff will be putting on a coaching clinic for the Booster coaches prior to the start of the youth clinic. Basic drills and skill development will be the main focus at both the coaching clinic as well as at the youth clinic.

“We feel it is very important for the young men in the Hudson High school baseball program to experience and contribute back to the community,” Raider coach Ryan Huppert said. “It will be a great learning experience for the high school ball players, as well as an exciting day for everyone.”

Along with the free clinic, the HHS program and the Hudson Booster program will be using this event as a food drive. Each player and coach from both the high school and Booster programs is being asked to bring at least two non-perishable food items to donate to the local food shelf.

“If all goes well, we should have close to 1,000 food items to donate to the food shelf,” Huppert said. “That would be pretty special and rewarding if the Booster and HHS baseball programs could generate such a large donation.”

The Hudson Boosters have nearly 1,200 youth participating in the baseball and softball program this summer. About 400 youth baseball players and their coaches will participate in this year’s clinic.

Tags: sports, baseball, raiders, prep