Hudson baseball team beats No. 4 ECM in a wild one

• Hudson’s Brett Steinwagner slides safely into home

Hudson’s Brett Steinwagner slides safely into home plate to score on a single by Miles Lewis and tie the score, 3-3, in the first inning of the Raiders’ Big Rivers Conference opener against Eau Claire Memorial last Friday at Grandview Park. The Raiders went on to score seven runs in the inning on their way to a 15-14 victory over the Old Abes. Photo by Bob Burrows

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Swirling winds, on-and-off rain and chilly temperatures only added to the drama in last Friday’s Big Rivers Conference baseball opener between Hudson and Eau Claire Memorial.

The two teams combined for 29 runs, 28 hits and eight errors in a wild affair that saw the Raiders pull out a 15-14 victory over the fourth-ranked Old Abes.

Hudson scored seven runs in both the first and fifth innings before scoring the game-winner on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Mike Hommes that scored Todd Mork in the bottom of the sixth.

Hommes, the third of four Raider pitchers in the game, was credited with the win while going 4-for-4 with a double, four RBI and two runs scored at the plate.

“It was a great all around team effort and team win,” Raider coach Ryan Huppert said. “We showed a lot of heart and perseverance throughout all the seven innings. There was a lot of momentum swings and our guys just kept at it and battled.”

After Memorial jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, Hudson answered with seven runs in their half of the inning. Hommes had two hits in the inning, including a double, and Austin Evenson doubled while Brett Steinwagner smacked a triple and Miles Lewis, Josh Evenson, Todd Mork, Drew Pheneger each contributed singles.

The Old Abes scored six times in the top of the fourth to go up 9-7, and tacked on two more in the fifth to open up a 11-7 lead before the Raiders struck for seven more runs in their half of the fifth, highlighted by a three-run home run by Mork, to regain the lead, 14-11.

After Memorial tied the score with three runs in the top of the sixth, Mork drew a one-out walk and Pheneger bunted for a single. A bad throw allowed the runners to move to second and third before Hommes lifted a fly ball to right field that allowed Mork to score with the winning run.

Steinwagner, the fourth Raider pitcher in the game, worked a scoreless seventh inning to pick up the save.

In addition to Hommes perfect day at the plate, Pheneger was 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored and Steinwagner was 2-for-3 with a triple, double, two runs scored and two RBI. Mork also had two hits, including a three-run home run, and scored three times.

The Raiders, now 3-2 overall, 1-0 in BRC play, traveled to Menomonie for a doubleheader this past Tuesday, April 17 and will visit River Falls for a 4:30 p.m. game this Friday, April 20. Huppert said he hopes his team can keep the momentum going.

“I am so proud of how they played today as a team,” he said about the win over Memorial. “The challenge now moving forward is to repeat what we did today.”

Tags: sports, baseball, raiders, prep