Baseball roundup: Paynesville Bulldogs shut down NLS Wildcats

May 7—PAYNESVILLE — Esau Nelson shut the door for the Paynesville baseball team against New London-Spicer in a bout between two Section 3AA-North heavyweights on Tuesday evening.

Nelson pitched six scoreless innings with as many strikeouts in the Bulldogs' 6-0 non-conference victory over the Wildcats. The sophomore's effort helped Paynesville improve to 3-0 in the section and 13-1 overall. NLS is 0-1 in the section and 7-3 overall.

Nelson, who allowed one hit and five walks and retired the first 10 batters he faced, was able to get out of two bases-loaded situations to keep the Wildcats off the board. After walking three straight batters with two outs in the sixth inning, Nelson forced Grant Paffrath into a fly out to get out of the frame unscathed. Then, In the fourth inning, Nelson got Paffrath to hit another fly out to right field and the Bulldogs' later turned it into a double play after Isaac Lieser tagged out a sliding Chi Schneider at home plate to escape with no damage.

Paynesville got on the board when Josiah Utsch took a 3-1 count and hit a solo home run over the right field fencel in the third inning. The senior first baseman finished 1-for-3.

The Bulldogs tacked on five runs in the fifth inning. Abe Brunner, Reed Johnson, Brayden VanderBeek and Nelson all had RBIs in the frame.

Carson McCain had the Wildcats' one hit. The senior was 1-for-2 with a walk.

NLS next plays host to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted for a Wright County doubleheader at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Green Lake Diamonds in Spicer. Paynesville next plays Maple Lake for a Central Minnesota doubleheader at 4 p.m. Thursday at Maple Lake.

Blake Thompson secured 10 strikeouts and allowed four walks and two hits through 6-2/3 innings to help Dawson-Boyd to a win over Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian at Dawson.

Eli Olson and Nathan Hansen both went 2-for-2 for the Blackjacks. Olson had four steals, two walks, one run and an RBI. Hansen had a double, one steal, a run and an RBI.

Dawson-Boyd plays Renville County West for a Camden matchup at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Sacred Heart.

Landon Gess-Norling tossed a seven-hit shutout to beat Willmar at Knute Nelson Stadium in Alexandria.

Gess-Norling struck out nine and walked one.

For Willmar, Dylan Staska was 2-for-4 and Ryan Christianson went 2-for-3.

Alexandria is now in first place in the conference with an 8-2 record. It is 9-3 overall. Willmar fell to 4-5 in the conference and 6-5 overall.

Willmar is host to the St. Cloud Crush at 5 p.m. Thursday at Willmar's Baker Field.

Montevideo completed the sweep of Benson in an emotional evening at Montevideo.

The Thunder Hawks honored Andy Coulter, who died of esophageal cancer in March. His three young sons threw out the first pitches before the second game.

"It was hard," Montevideo head coach Tim Epema said. "He was very active in the baseball community in Montevideo. He worked at the radio station and did a nice job covering us, but then he got sick."

Coulter was a youth travel coach and a 1999 MACCRAY graduate, where he was an assistant when the Wolverines won the state title.

"It was kind of a tough thing," Epema admitted. "We didn't wear our normal jerseys. We wore shirts that were replicas of a Twins Homer Hanky."

Montevideo improved to 10-1 in the West Central Conference and 11-1 overall. The Thunder Hawks next play at 5 p.m. Friday against Redwood Valley in Redwood Falls.

Gannon Reidinger pitched a six-inning perfect game with 16 strikeouts for the Thunder Hawks in their win over Benson at Montevideo.

Reidinger went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and one run at the plate. Landon Olson and Zach DeBeer both had a pair of hits.

Brody Larson tossed a five-inning four-hit shutout to lead Minneota past Central Minnesota Christian at Minneota.

Larson struck out six and walked two. The Vikings scored seven runs in the bottom of the first to take a commanding lead.

Kadin Dehmlow was 2-for-2 with a stolen base for the Bluejays.

CMCS plays Tracy-Milroy-Balaton at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Prinsburg.

Jamie Cortez tossed a four-hitter, striking out eight, walking two allowing one earned run, In Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg's victory over Tracy-Milroy-Balaton at Milroy.

Hunter Engelke was 4-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base for the Fighting Saints, who also got a 2-for-3 performance from Kylen Payne and a 2-for-4 effort from Clayton Olson.

KMS plays Lakeview at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Cottonwood.

Griffin Howard struck out 13 in his complete game victory for Renville County West as it beat MACCRAY at Sacred Heart.

Howard scattered seven hits and allowed one earned run, walking no one.

Jacob Savig went 2-for-3 with a double and a run for the Jaguars.

Xavier Noble was 3-for-3 with a double, a triple, a hit-by-pitch, two runs and an RBI for MACCRAY. Keegan Rand was 2-for-3 with a stolen base for the Wolverines.

RCW next plays Dawson-Boyd at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Sacred Heart. MACCRAY is host to Ortonville at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Lilleberg Field in Raymond.

Senior right-hander Dyllon Geiser tossed a six-inning no-hitter to lead Lac qui Parle Valley past Lakeview in Cottonwood.

Geiser struck out 13 and walked two for his first official no-hitter. Geiser combined with Kaden Mortenson and Brock Bjornjeld for a no-hitter against Central Minnesota Christian on April 11 in Prinsburg. It's the third no-hitter for the Eagles, who also got another combined no-hitter by Davis Patzer and Mortenson on April 25 against MACCRAY in Madison.

Patzer went 2-for-3 with a run, an RBI and four stolen bases and Peyton Radermacher was 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBIs and two stolen bases for the Eagles.

LQPV next plays Canby at 5 p.m. Thursday in Madison.

Braden Nelson was 3-for-4 with five RBIs in Yellow Medicine East's victory at Ortonville.

Connor Fagen went 2-for-4 with a run, Jacob Peterson was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, a stolen base and an RBI and Adam Stengel was 2-for-4 with a run and a stolen base for the Sting.

Isaiah Tandoh went 3-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI for Ortonville.

Eric Jimenez went the final four innings for the pitching win, striking out three with no walks. He allowed four hits and one unearned run.

YME is host to Minneota at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Richter Field in Granite Falls.

Nolan Haag, Lane Harff and Landon Neiman each had two hits in Eden Valley-Watkins' win over Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City at Kingery Field in Atwater.

Haag went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two walks. Harff was 2-for-4 with two runs and a pair of RBIs. Neiman batted 2-for-4 with a triple, four RBIs, two runs and a steal.

Tucker Johnson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for the Falcons. Jaxon Drange, Isaiah Renne, Jonas Morrison and Eric Fester each had one hit for ACGC.

ACGC goes to Kimball for a Central Minnesota doubleheader at 4 p.m. Thursday.