The Becker boys baseball team hosted a doubleheader Thursday and lost both games to last year’s state champion St. Cloud Cathedral.

 

Dominic Austing's one-hitter in game one paved the way for Cathedral’s sweep in a Granite Ridge Conference matchup.

 

Becker actually led the game, 1-0 in the fourth when Cody Gruenhagen reached base on an error and scored on a double by Eric Blomgren. The Crusaders put four on the board in the fifth and eight in the sixth to cruise to the win.

 

Austing allowed one just hit, one unearned run and struck out 10.

 

Brindley Theisen went 3-for-5 with four RBI and a home run in game one.

 

Tommy Auger went 3-for-5 with two RBI’s and one run scored for the Crusaders (7-0 GRC, 9-0 overall).

 

Jake Fobbe piched a complete game, only to lose a heart breaker in the bottom of the seventh when Cathedral scored three times to steal the win. 

 

Cathedral broke out with three runs in the first inning while Becker countered with one to start game two of the doubleheader. The Bulldogs added two more in the second, then four in the fourth to take a 7-4 lead.

 

The Bulldogs entered the final inning with a 9-7 lead but Cathedral got two hits, a fielder’s choice and a misplay in the outfield to preserve their undefeated record.

“I give our kids a ton of credit for the way they battled in the second game,” said Head Coach Chuck Stanger. “After losing the first game the way we did and falling behind early in the second game, our kids could have just quit but they didn't.   They battled all the way like they do in every game. 

 

Becker’s leading hitter was Blomgren who was 2-for-4 with  a double. Gruenhagen also went 2-for-4.

 

Theisen went 2-for-2 and Auger went 1-for-1 with two RBI’s for Cathedral.

 

Becker traveled to Little Falls Tuesday and lost to the Flyers by three.

 

Little Falls jumped out to an early lead 2-0 in the first and scored lone runs in the third and fourth.  Becker scored a lone run in the fifth with a base hit by Fobbe  and a double by Gruenhagen.  

 

Little Falls responded in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs to put the game out of reach. Becker did not quit though, scoring three runs in the seventh on a hit by Fobbe, a double by Gruenhagen, a double by Tyler Thorson and a double by Casey Vesledahl.  

 

Becker’s Fobbe went 3-for-4 and scored twice and Gruenhagen and Thorson each went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored.

 

Leading the attack for Little Falls was Troy Bell, who went  2-4 with a double and a home run. 

 

John Mann started on the mound for Becker and went 2-2/3 innings after giving up two hits, three runs and had one strikeout. Andrew Stanger came on in relief and pitched the final 3-1/3 innings, giving up six hits, four runs while walking three and striking out one. Stanger suffered the loss.

 

Little Falls’ Dan Marod was 3-for-3 with two RBI’s and three runs scored. Adam Hallberg got the win, going six innings and giving up five hits, one run while walking four and striking out five.

 

Up next for Becker is a home game against Sartell Friday (full report on game in next week’s Citizen), then a road game Monday at Princeton, a home game against Zimmerman and away games Thursday and Friday against Milaca and Monticello.