BUTTERMAKER SEASON UNDERWAY

On a cool overcast Mother’s Day afternoon, the Hadley Buttermakers opened their 2022 Gopher League schedule as they faced the Fox Lake Foxes from the First Nite League. It looked like Mother Nature would throw a wrench in the Hadley baseball fans of the home opener after overnight rains threatened to delay action for a second week in a row. Fortunately, the Hadley ground crew would get the field in playing condition. Game time was set back an hour. Here is the game recap:

Trent Carlson started the game on the mound for Hadley. Fox Lake would get the game started off on the right foot as they would collect 3 hits and score 3 times in the 1st inning for a quick 3- 0 lead. Trent would get out of the inning without any further damage as he would strand two Fox Lake runners on base in scoring position. The Fox Lake fast start did not faze the veteran Buttermakers as they came storming back to tie the game in their at bat.

Joe Larson would start off by reaching base after a passed ball on a strike out and move to 2nd base after the catcher’s throw to 1st base sailed into right field. Nick Bruning would then walk. Larson and Bruning would move up a base on a passed ball. Max Zwart would then line a drive down the left field line to score Larson and Bruning. After an out, Eric Wieneke would double to put two Buttermakers in scoring position. Alex Petersen would get hit by a pitch to load the bases. Trent Carlson would reach on a bases loaded walk to plate Max. The Fox Lake pitcher would get the next 2 Buttermakers out on strikeouts to leave the bases loaded and a 3-3 tie.

Trent Carlson would allow Fox Lake 2 more hits in the 2nd but kept the Foxes scoreless. In Hadley’s at bat in the bottom of the inning, Hadley would collect 4 more hits off the Fox Lake starter and scored twice to take the lead at 5-3.

In the 3rd inning, Fox lake would collect 3 more hits off Carlson and scored once to cut the lead to 5-4. In Hadley’s at bat, Derek Platt would pick up an infield single and move to 2nd on a unique stolen base as he jumped over the Fox Lake 2nd baseman to avoid the tag. Derek would be called safe as he would touch the base before 2nd baseman could apply the tag. Derek would get thrown out at 3rd as he tried to advance on a fly ball out as the game moved the 4th at 5-4.

Avery Weber would come into replace Trent Carlson in the 4th. Fox Lake would load the bases off Avery. Avery would strand the runner on base after a 3rd out strikeout to keep Fox Lake off the boards. Hadley would strike back with 4 runs on 5 hits to go up 9-4.

Fox Lake would come charging back as they would score three times. After loading the bases to start the inning, Avery would get a first out strikeout, Fox Lake would get a run on a sacrifice fly. The next Fox Lake batter would hit a double to score two but he would get thrown out at 3rd base trying to stretch the double into a triple. Hadley would counter with 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Nick Bruning would double with 1-out. Max Zwart would walk, and Danny Blankenship would reach on an infield single. Nick Bruning would score on a wild pitch and Max would cross the plate after Alex Petersen would reach on a Fox lake fielding error for a 11-7 advantage.

Hadley would widen the league to 14-7 in the 6th inning. The big hit would come off the bat of Danny Blankenship when he would send a fly ball over the left field fence for a 2-run homer.

Fox Lake would threaten in the 7th. Once again Fox Lake would load the bases with no outs. Nick Bruning would catch a line drive out at 3rd and touch the bag before the runner could get back to the bag for a double play. Fox Lake would ground out for the final out to keep the game at 14-7.

Hadley would complete their scoring for the day as they would score one run in the 7th thanks to two Fox Lake fielding errors to go up 15-7.

Both teams would go down in order in the 8th.

Fox Lake would not go down easy in the 9th. Fox Lake would once again load the bases off Avery on a single, hit batter and two Buttermaker fielding errors. Max Zwart would be brought in to relieve Avery to stop the Fox Lake rally. Max did his job as he limited Fox Lake to only 2 runs and preserved the Buttermaker 15-9 season opener victory.

On the hitting front, Max Zwart and Nick Bruning led the way at the plate with each going 4 for 5 for the afternoon. Eric Wieneke would add 3 hits in the hitting column. Danny Blankenship and Alex Petersen would collect 2 hits with Joe Larson, Justin Benda, and Derek Platt each picking up a hit. In the rbi column, Max Zwart would collect 4 rbis, Eric Wieneke, Danny Blankenship and Alex Petersen would get 2 rbis each with Nick Bruning and Justin Benda adding 1 rbi each. Avery Weber earned with the victory for Hadley.

Hadley will entertain the First Nite League power, Fairmont Martins on Sunday May 15th. Game time is set for 2:00 pm.