The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
Carrington second baseman Max Whitman dives for an errant throw from home plate, as LaMoure/Litchville-Marion runner Dylan Carlson steals second. Carlson did not advance on the play. Others visible in this picture are base umpire Jim Hirsch and right fielder Owen Hagel.
Normally the quiet, reserved type, Hudson Schmitz lets out a bit of emotion as he scores the first run of the game against L-L-M on a triple and Lobo throwing error.
Courtesy runner Jack Paulson hits his stride coming towards third base. Paulson is one of the Cards' seniors whose high school season came to an end in New Rockford.
Senior Jack Erickson had a good tournament with the bat for the Cards, going 5-for-12 in the three games with two doubles, three runs scored and two runs batted in. Erickson had three of those hits against Nelson County/Midkota, seen here. The Mustang catcher is Brody Hoyt, and Grady Shipman waits on deck.
Two-time defending Region 3 champion LaMoure/Litchville-Marion was the prime target for the other five ballclubs at the postseason tournament from Jim Johnson Field in New Rockford May 22-24.
Second-seeded Carrington felt primed to dethrone the Loboes after seeing some pitching success against them this year, holding them to three runs in two games and giving them their one loss in 2023.
Unfortunately, everything came to a sudden, heartbreaking halt in Tuesday, May 23's games, as they fell to the Loboes in a tight one that got away late, 7-3, and were eliminated by third seed Kidder County by a 9-5 score in loser-out play.
CHS started their tournament against a surprise opponent, Nelson County/Midkota. The sixth-seeded Mustangs sprang a 14-8 upset over the Wolves in the first round, and the Cards needed to be wary of NC-M's newly-found moxie if they were to advance.
The 'Stangs played Carrington tough in the first few innings, but the Cards pulled away in the bottom of the fifth to win by 10-run rule, 12-2.
At the top of the CHS lineup, Jack Erickson and Grady Shipman each had three hits, and Shipman contributed a double and a triple to that total with a team-high three RBIs. Owen Hagel also went 2-for-2 would a double, and Corbin Clifton and Josh Bickett each had a hit and scored twice.
Bickett, along with Hudson Schmitz, shared mound duties in the victory. Bickett went three innings, giving up one earned run, walking and striking out three Mustang batters.
In the loss, Ross Thompson pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing all 12 runs (nine earned), walking three with two strikeouts. The three hits for NC-M came from Midkota athletes, as Kyle Johnson went 2-for-2 and Brody Hoyt had the other hit.
The Tuesday semifinal was a pitching rematch between Shipman and the Loboes' Jacob Nitschke, which the former won by a 1-0 score earlier in the season.
Carrington got single runs in the first, third and fifth innings, while L-L-M owned the even-numbered frames with two tallies each in the second and fourth.
The Cards were still in contention at a 4-3 deficit headed to the bottom of the sixth, but LaMoure finally got to a tiring Shipman in that inning with three fatal runs. Corbin Clifton got the final out on one pitch, but not before the damage was done.
Shipman (double), Schmitz (triple) and Hagel had two hits. Tate Wolsky had a triple and Erickson a double.
It was a tough-luck defeat for Shipman, as the junior struck out 12 and gave up seven runs, five earned, in 5 2/3 innings.
Nitschke kept the Cardinal rallies largely to a minimum, scattering nine hits. His control was impeccable, as he did not allow a single walk or hit batter and whiffed nine Cards in the win.
Tate Mart went 2-for-2 with a double for L-L-M, and Max Musland also had two hits.
With their season on the line, CHS met up with Kidder County later that afternoon, and the Wolves' Blake Braun did his part with a 4-for-4 effort at the plate, and a win on the mound.
Down 2-0 after two innings, Kidder exploded for a four-spot in the third inning against Cardinal starter Schmitz. CHS would get as close as 5-3 after four, but the Wolves tacked on two insurance runs in both the fifth and sixth.
Carrington had 11 hits in the loss, including multi-hit outings by Schmitz, Hagel, Corbin Clifton and Bickett. Erickson had a double, as did Clifton.
The Cards squandered numerous offensive opportunities in the elimination game, stranding 14 runners on base. A lot of that came from clutch pitches by Braun, who struck out five over 5 2/3 innings.
For Kidder County, who advanced to play L-L-M in Wednesday's championship games, Simon Hager, Jace Larson and Isaiah Oster had two hits apiece.
Carrington's season ended with a 12-6 record, and marked the end of the high school careers of seniors Schmitz, Erickson, Kael Kovar and Jack Paulson.
Region 3 Baseball
Tournament, New Rockford
Quarterfinals
Carrington 12,
Nelson Co./Midkota 2
NC-M 011 00 - 2 3 6
Cgtn. 301 44 - 12 12 4
Josh Bickett, Hudson Schmitz (4) and Grady Shipman; Ross Thompson and Brody Hoyt. W - Bickett. L - Thompson.
Carrington: Shipman 3-3, triple, double, 3 runs, 3 RBI; Jack Erickson 3-4, 2 runs, RBI; Owen Hagel 2-2, double, RBI; Corbin Clifton and Bickett 1-2, 2 runs; Kael Kovar 1-3, run; Tate Wolsky 1-3; Schmitz run, 2 RBI; Max Whitman run.
NC-M: Kyle Johnson 2-2, SB, run; Hoyt 1-2, RBI; Landon Sundeen run; Preston Lee SB.
Semifinals
LaMoure/L-M 7, Carrington 3
Cgtn. 101 010 0 - 3 9 2
L-L-M 020 203 x - 7 7 1
Shipman, Clifton (6) and Schmitz; Jacob Nitschke and Dylan Carlson. W - Nitschke. L - Shipman.
Carrington: Schmitz 2-4, triple, run, RBI; Shipman 2-4, double, SB, run, RBI; 5 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 2 BB, 12 K; Hagel 2-3; Wolsky 1-3, triple; Bickett 1-3; Erickson 1-4, double, run; Jack Paulson SB.
LaMoure/L-M: Nitschke CG, 9 H, 2 ER, 9 K; 2 runs; Max Musland 2-3, run; Tate Mart 2-4, double, run, 2 RBI; Connor Johnson 1-3, 2 SB, run; RBI; Dylan Carlson 1-3, SB, run, RBI; Mason Warcken 1-3, run; Damian Carlson 1-3, RBI; Blase Isaacson run.
Loser-Out
Kidder Co. 9, Carrington 5
KC 004 122 0 - 9 14 2
Cgtn. 020 101 1 - 5 11 4
Schmitz, Kovar (6) and Clifton; Blake Braun, Preston Fischer (6) and Collin Zimmerman. W - Braun. L - Schmitz.
Carrington: Bickett 2-2, 3 SB, 3 runs; Clifton 2-4, double, run, RBI; Hagel 2-4; Schmitz 2-5, run; Erickson 1-4, double; Kovar and Wolsky 1-4; Shipman SB.
Kidder Co.: Braun 4-4, double, run, 2 RBI; 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K; Jace Larson 2-3, SB, 2 runs; Isaiah Oster 2-4, SB, run; Simon Hager 2-5, SB, run, RBI; Trey Silbernagel 1-2, SB, 2 RBI; Blake Binder 1-4, SB, run; Jake Kartes 1-4, SB; Zimmerman 1-5, run; Tayden Jasper RBI; Fischer SB, 2 runs.
