It was a winning week for the Britton U12 baseball team with the local diamondmen picking up seven victories, including a tournament championship.
Coach DuWayne Bosse’s crew swept Groton last week Wednesday 7-1 and 10-4, took two from Milbank in league play on Thursday 8-3 and 144, and waltzed through a tournament in Sisseton last weekend defeating Hankinson, ND, 12-2 in the opening round, downing a very good Breckenridge, MN, club 113 in semifinal play, and hammering Groton 18-4 in the title game.
This week the local nine hosts Sisseton Gray on Thursday and Groton on Tuesday.
“So many takeaways from last week,” said Bosse. “Max Suther and Bowen Micko are seeing and hitting the ball very well, and the boys are finding their roles. Henry Kilker didn’t have an at-bat this past weekend but scored several runs as a courtesy runner for the catchers. Speaking of running the bases, there is no one better at it than Carter Grobe. He is a menace to opposing pitchers. One second he is on first base and the next time I look up he is sliding across home plate. And our dugout and fan chatter was too good I guess. They were both asked to quiet down. No, we are loud because we are proud!”
Britton 7-10 Groton 1-4
Britton led just 3-1 after four innings but put the opening game away with a four-run fifth. Micko tripled, Easton Zuehlke doubled, and Levin Mill singled. Drew Heitmann, Jack Teveldal, and Luke Bosse handled the pitching chores and combined for 13 strikeouts.
In game two Groton led 32 after three frames but Britton scored two in the fourth and exploded for five tallies in the fifth. Max Suther laced a triple, single, and knocked in four runs to lead the local attack. Zuehlke doubled and singled, Chaz Vietor doubled, and Heitmann and Micko each singled. Bosse, Vietor, and Micko were on the mound and fanned 10.
Britton 8-14 Milbank 3-4
Big innings lifted the Junior Jacks to a sweep of the twin bill with the local nine pushing across five runs in the first inning of the opener and 11 runs in the first two frames of the nightcap.
Max Suther tripled and doubled and had a pair of RBI’s and Try Biel added a base hit in the first contest. Liam Peters and Biel allowed just two Milbank hits with Peters fanning seven in three innings and Biel striking out six in just two innings.
In game two, five of Britton’s eight hits were for extra bases. Zuehlke and Vietor both slammed homers, Teveldal tripled, and Blayden Downs and Peters doubled. Peters, Mills, and Grobe added singles. Five Britton pitchers – Vietor, Zuehlke, Jacob Folkman, Carter Nelson, and Teveldal - allowed just a single hit and struck out 15 batters in five innings.
Sisseton Tourney Britton 12 Hankinson 2
Britton scored in every inning and pushed across four tallies on both the first and fourth frames.
Heitmann laced a pair of safeties, and Zuelke, Micko, Suther, and Grobe all singled. Heitmann picked up the pitching win with relief help from Teveldal and Peters. The trio allowed just one hit and struck out 10.
Britton 11 Breckenridge 3
Britton trailed 3-0 after two innings but exploded for five runs in both the third and fifth innings to take charge.
Vietor tripled, and Teveldal, Heitmann, Micko, and Suther each singled. Heitmann again picked up the pitching win and Vietor pitched two innings in relief, striking out five.
Britton 18 Groton 4
The championship affair was tied at 4-4 after two innings but Britton exploded for 14 runs in the third, fourth, and fifth to post a lopsided victory.
Micko had a big game for the Junior Jacks, lacing a triple and three singles and knocking in three runs. Mills added three safeties, Suther doubled and singled, and Peters, Teveldal, Vietor, Grobe, and Bosse singled. Teveldal and Heitmann pitched the first two innings and Vietor hurled three innings of relief and struck out nine.
