Hudson Raider baseball team stays in Big River Conference hunt

• Hudson senior Drew Pheneger slides home safely

Hudson senior Drew Pheneger slides home safely to score on a double by Brett Steinwagner in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Raiders a 6-0 lead over Rice Lake last Tuesday at Grandview Park. Photo by Bob Burrows
• Mike Hommes delivers a pitch

Junior pitcher Mike Hommes delivers a pitch to the plate on his way to a complete-game, two-hit shutout over Rice Lake last Tuesday at Grandview Park. Hommes took a no-hitter into the fourth inning and finished with 10 strikeouts in the win. Photo by Bob Burrows

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The Raider baseball team spent three days alone in first place in the Big Rivers Conference after a 6-0 victory over Rice Lake last Tuesday, April 24, but a 9-1 loss Friday, April 27 to defending state champion Eau Claire North left Hudson a half-game back of the Huskies heading into this week’s action.

Hudson, 4-2 in BRC play, 7-4 overall after a 10-5 nonconference victory over East Ridge (Minn.) last Thursday, played a road game at Chippewa Falls this past Tuesday and will visit Eau Claire Memorial on Friday, May 4. Saturday, May 5, they play a nonconference game at South St. Paul.

Last Tuesday against Rice Lake, junior lefty Mike Hommes pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout and Brett Steinwagner and Kellen Pearson each drove in a pair of runs in a 6-0 Raider win.

Hommes took a no-hit bid into the fourth inning and didn’t walk a batter after the second inning while striking out 10 Warrior batters.

“Michael did a great job for us on the mound today,” Raider coach Ryan Huppert said. “He really settled in after the first two innings, threw strikes and challenged hitters.”

Pearson had a two-run double to highlight a four-run Raider first inning and give Hommes all the runs he would need. Pearson later scored on a base hit by Austin Evenson while Miles Lewis added an RBI sacrifice fly in the inning.

Rice Lake got a one-out triple in the top of the sixth, just their second hit of the game, but Hommes struck out the next batter and got an infield pop-up to end the inning.

Steinwagner doubled in Lewis and Drew Pheneger in the bottom of the sixth to make the final 6-0.

“That was a big hit by Brett to break the game open,” Huppert said. “We needed those couple extra insurance runs.”

Thursday at East Ridge, Jake Shaw went 2-for-2 with a triple and three RBI and Pheneger had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run in a 10-5 Raider victory.

Stef Smith picked up the complete-game win on the mound, allowing five earned runs on seven hits while striking out one and walking three. Smith settled down after a five-run first inning by East Ridge and allowed just four hits and one walk the rest of the way.

Lewis drove in a pair of runs in the win, and Todd Mork had two hits and an RBI while Evenson and Pearson each drove in a run.

Friday at Eau Claire North, Pheneger had two hits and scored the only Raider run on a passed ball in the sixth inning after the Huskies had taken a 6-0 lead. North added three more runs in their half of the sixth to make the final 9-1. Lewis had the only other Raider hit in the game.

Pearson took the loss on the mound, allowing five earned runs on nine hits with one walk in four innings of work.

Tags: sports, baseball, raiders, prep