The Baltic 16U baseball season came to an end in the Region 3B Tournament in Alexandria on Wednesday, July 26th. The team played two games on Wednesday, and four overall in the tournament, but Alexandria ended the Baltic run to try to get back to the championship game.
Baltic 5, Garretson 4
A run in the top of the seventh inning lifted Baltic to victory over Garretson to advance in the regional tournament. Garretson broke a 0-0 tie with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Baltic took the lead with two runs in the top of the fourth and then added two more in the top of the fifth for a 4-1 lead. Garretson scored one run in the bottom of the fifth and two in the sixth to tie the game 4-4. With two outs in the top of the seventh, Jackson Goehring had an RBI single for the game-winning run.
Braxton Allen had three hits, one a double. Riiker Rogers had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Riley Schultz also had two hits, one a double. Beau Breece finished with two singles. Goehring and Elias Oakley both had a hit and an RBI. Joey Grunewaldt added a single. Breece pitched six innings and allowed four runs, two earned, on seven hits and six walks with four strikeouts. Allen pitched one inning and recorded one strikeout.
Alexandria 13, Baltic 2
Baltic was one out away from making the region championship game, and thus qualifying for state, but Alexandria tied the game in the top of the seventh. Alexandria then exploded for 11 runs in the top of the eighth to win the game.
Alexandria scored one run right away in the top of the first inning. They continued to lead 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth inning. Allen tied the game with an RBI double. Oakley was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded later in in the inning to give Baltic a 2-1 lead. Baltic held a 2-1 lead even with two outs in the top of the seventh. A single to left field scored a runner from second to tie the game 2-2. Baltic had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but a double-play ended any hopes for a walk-off win by Baltic. Alexandria carried that momentum into the eighth inning and scored 11 runs.
Allen had three hits, two of them doubles, and an RBI. Schultz, Breece, and Rogers all had one hit each. Oakley added an RBI. Allen pitched five innings and allowed one earned run on three hits and four walks with one strikeout. Grunewaldt pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowed nine runs, eight earned, on three hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Oakley pitched2/3 of an inning and allowed three earned runs on a hit and two walks with one strikeout.
