The Big Lake American Legion Baseball team won a game and lost one over the past week.

Vs. Milaca

Last Monday, Dreeson Millam pitched a three-hitter and Big Lake put together just enough offense to beat Milaca, 3-1 on the road.

Millam had a leadoff walk to start the game, then went to second on an error. One out later, Caleb Martin’s infield hit sent Millam to third. He scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead.

Big Lake increased its lead in the fourth. After consecutive walks to Mason Spoden, Connor Lundquist and Dillon Spaeth, William Bilben’s grounder to second couldn’t be handled, allowing Spoden to score.

In the fifth, Millam walked and advanced to second on a passed ball. He moved to third on a groundout and scored on a single by Martin for a 3-0 lead.  

Milaca got its only run in the bottom of the fifth on an error, two stolen bases and a single. 

Millam pitched a complete game (five innings). He allowed one unearned run, three hits, no walks and struck out seven.

Martin had two hits and had the only RBI for Big Lake. Millam walked twice and scored two runs. Spoden walked twice and scored the other run for Big Lake. Spaeth and Dawson Veldhuizen had Big Lake’s other two hits.

Vs. Saints

Last Tuesday, Big Lake played one of its wildest games and came up short against St. Francis, 16-15.

Even with a total of 31 runs, it wasn’t really a slugfest. There were 11 errors in the game and a total of 27 walks. Another seven batters were hit by a pitch.

St. Francis jumped out to a quick lead with two runs in the first and four more in the second off starter Lundquist.

Big Lake got two runs back in the third when Millam and Martin each walked and later scored.

St. Francis added a run in the fourth off reliever Martin, then got three more in the fifth off Kaeden Tidrick in relief for a 10-2 lead.

But Big Lake put together a huge two-out rally in the home fifth, scoring nine runs on a single, two doubles and a triple, two walks, two hit batters and three errors to take an 11-10 lead.

The lead didn’t last long. St. Francis scored five more runs in the sixth off two Big Lake pitchers to go on top, 15-11.

Big Lake came back again to make it close in the home sixth. Jackson LaRoche walked and scored on a double by Spaeth. Tyrone Fjone walked one out later and both runners scored on an overthrow to make the score 15-14.

After Brendan Goedker came in to pitch in the seventh and allowed a run, Big Lake tried to fight back again. Lundquist was hit by a pitch, then stole second and scored on a single by Spaeth. But that was all Big Lake could get and the game ended at 16-15.

Big Lake pitchers (five total) allowed 16 runs (10 earned) on six hits and 17 walks. They hit three batters and struck out four.

At the plate, Goedker had a single, triple, a walk, scored a run and drove in three. LaRoche doubled, walked twice, scored two runs and drove in three. Spaeth had two hits, scored twice and drove in two runs. Lundquist  walked twice  drove in a run and scored two. Martin had a single, a walk, was hit by a pitch twice, drove in a run and scored twice.

Big Lake was scheduled to play Becker and Annandale this past week, results next week.

Playoffs began Thursday and run through July 23, all games at Big Lake.