Millers to face Pirates for 11C title

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

New York Mills and Detroit Lakes combined for 31 hits and the Millers pounded five home runs in a wild 12-6 win for NY Mills on Sunday afternoon. 

With the win the Millers improve to 18-4 on the season and will take on Perham on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Perham for the right to go to state from Region 11C as the top seed. The loser will fall to the elimination bracket and will take on whoever comes out of the elimination bracket on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Perham for the right to advance to state as the second seed from the region. 

The state tournament is set to kick off next weekend at a number of locations in the Twin Cities metro area. 

On Sunday, Detroit Lakes scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning on a two out single and a passed ball to take a 2-0 lead. Derin Gaudette quickly answered one of those scores for the Millers in the bottom half of the inning as he hit a solo home run on the first pitch he saw to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Ligers. 

Just one inning later the Millers took the lead when Finn Roder hit an RBI single to center field and Bergen Roder scored on a passed ball to give NY Mills a 3-2 lead. 

Detroit Lakes tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the third inning on an RBI double, before Brayden Ehnert hit NY Mills’ second home run on the game in the bottom half of the third inning when he connected with a two run home run to put the Millers in front 5-3. 

After the next two hitters reached on singles, Roberts connected with an RBI single and Zach Hocking brought another run across the plate on a fielder’s choice to push the Millers’ lead to 7-3. Logan Small led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo home run, before Brandon Kupfer hit a two-run home run and Roberts followed Kupfer’s bomb with a solo home run of his own to go back-to-back and put the Millers up 11-3. 

The Millers added another run in the sixth inning, before Detroit Lakes scored three runs in the eighth inning to make the final score 12-6 in favor of NY Mills. 

NY Mills was led offensively by Roberts with four hits, including two doubles and a home run. Kupfer finished with three hits, while Small, Ehnert, Austin Maneval and Finn Roder each chipped in with two hits apiece. 

Maneval started the game for the Millers as he went four innings and gave up seven hits, three runs of which two were earned and struck out three batters. Small picked up the win in relief by going three innings of scoreless ball, while DaShaun Robinson pitched the final two innings of the game and gave up three runs and four hits.

AB R H     BI

Derin Gaudette 5 1 1 1

Logan Small 5 2 2 1

Brayden Ehnert 5 1 2 2

Austin Maneval 3 2 2 0

Creed Koll 0 0 0 0

Brandon Kupfer 5 2 3 2

Bode Roberts 5 2 4 2

Zach Hocking 5 0 0 1

Bergen Roder 1 1 1 0

Braxton Ehnert 2 1 1 0

Finn Roder 5 0 2 2

HITTING- 2B- Bode Roberts (2), Brayden Ehnert, Logan Small; HR- Bode Roberts, Brandon Kupfer, Brayden Ehnert, Derin Gaudette, Logan Small

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- Austin Maneval 4-7-3-2-0-3, Logan Small 3-2-0-0-3-5, DaShaun Robinson 2-4-3-3-3-3