By Mark Zinnel- Buttermaker Reporter The Hadley Buttermakers’ season ended after losing to the Luverne Redbirds in two games in the quarterfinal round of the Region 10C tournament. Here is the series recap:
WEDNESDAY: LUVERNE 8 HADLEY 0
Game 1 of the Region 10C quarterfinals had the Buttermakers on the road to take on their Gopher League rival, Luverne Redbirds. The Buttermaker squad was hoping to duplicate their winning way against the Redbirds since their matchup a month earlier. On Wednesday, the Redbirds were looking for payback and that is what they got.
Lincoln Swanjord started on the mound for Hadley to silence the veteran Redbird team. Both starters breezed through the 1st inning. In the 2nd inning, the game turned. It looked like Hadley was going to get the momentum on their side. Max Zwart led off by working out a walk. Jakob Olson would then hit a ringing double to the left field fence to put Buttermak-ers in scoring position with no outs. Unfortunately for Hadley, the Redbird starter would get a weak fly ball out, a strikeout and a routine ground out to stymie the Buttermakers scoring effort.
In Luverne’s at bat, Lincoln Swanjord would walk the Redbird lead-off batter. A stolen base and a throwing error by Jakob Olson would advance the runner to 3rd. Lincoln would pick up a strikeout but then hit a Redbird batter and walk the next batter to load the bases. Lincoln would record another strikeout. It looked like Lincoln would escape damage, but the next Redbird batter would battle Lincoln for a bases loaded walk, forcing in a run. The next batter would then hit a fly ball down the rightfield line that would be called fair as it cleared the foul ball pole for a grand slam and a 5-0 lead. In the 3rd, Luverne would pick up 2 more hits off Swanjord; causing a Buttermaker pitching change, Bryce Ahrendt would come in to pitch to close out the inning. Luverne would end up scoring three times to extend their lead to 8-0.
Hadley could only collect 3 more hits in the remaining innings. The Redbird outfield defense was superb as they made several outstanding catches to squelch any Buttermaker scoring opportunities.
Abe Paulzine, Alex Petersen and Max Zwart picked up Hadley’s other hits. Lincoln Swanjord took the loss. Bryce Ahrendt finished the game on the mound for Hadley.
Final Box Score
RH E Hadley 0 4 4 Luverne 8 6 2
SATURDAY: LUVERNE 13 HADLEY 1
The Buttermakers needed to win on Saturday to force Game 3 or go home. The hopes were high for the Buttermakers as they had their ace, Tucker Sorenson, on the mound to face the Redbirds. Unfortunately for the Buttermakers, the Redbirds came to Hadley determined to take care of business and that is just what they did.
While Tucker kept Luverne off the boards in the first three innings, Hadley let opportunities slip by when they led off the 1st and 2nd innings. In the 1st, Tucker Sorenson started off the game with a double, but Hadley was unable to advance him. Derek Kluis doubled in the 2nd and was thrown out at 3rd on a failed sacrifice bunt attempt.
Luverne would be the first team to score when they strung 3 hits together to score 2 runs. Hadley erased a run at the plate to hold Luverne to just 2. Hadley was able to cut the lead in half when Alex Petersen doubled in the 5th and scored after Luverne centerfielder dropped a fly ball.
Luverne collected 4 more hits off Tucker in the 6th and scored twice to go back up 4-1. The Luverne pitchers shut down the Buttermakers the rest of the way.
Luverne threatened to add to their lead in the 7th. After Tucker hit and walked the first two Redbird batters, Skyler Feikema came in to relieve Sorenson. Skyler pitched under pressure but was able to halt the Redbirds from scoring. Luverne would blow the game open in the 8th when they scored 6 runs on 6 hits off Skyler for a 10-1 advantage. In the inning, Luverne would get a grand slam and solo homerun back-to-back off Skyler to highlight their scoring. Trevin Prins would pitch the 9th, and Luverne would collect 4 hits and score three times for the 13-1 final.
Teague Meyer, Tucker Sorenson, and Krew Schneider picked up Hadley’s other hits. Tucker Sorenson took the loss to end the season with a 6-3 pitching record.
Final Box Score
R H E Hadley 1 6 2 Luverne 13 18 1 With the loss, Hadley ended the season with a 14-13 record. Already looking forward to 2027. Hope to see you back at the park.
