Last Saturday, the Becker Buzzards 35+ baseball team traveled to Menahga for their Mid-Summer Classic and came away with a pair of convincing wins.  In the first game, Becker took on the Clarissa Cubs and came away with a 8-1 win.  

The Buzzards got on the board first with four runs in the bottom of the second inning, with Matt Koester, Dave Kreft, Ryan Williams, and Nick Allerson putting up four consecutive singles to start the inning.  Steve Newman then had a single later in the inning and Todd Klaers drove in the final run with a sacrifice fly.  

The Cubs answered with an unearned run in the top of the third on a single, error, and RBI groundout. The score would stay 4-1 in favor of the Buzzards until the bottom of the fifth, when a Cub error allowed Newman to reach and Klaers would follow with an RBI double. After Chico Shroeder drew a walk, Kyle Sytsma singled to drive in another run for Becker. An RBI groundout later in the inning would plate a third run and make the score 7-1. Becker added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Newman doubled and Klaers singled to score the team’s final run.

Tanner Bakke picked up the win on the mound, going six innings and allowing one unearned run on two hits. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out four, while Williams closed things out with a scoreless seventh inning.

In game two, Becker took on the Verndale Geezers and ran away with a 13-1 victory.  The bats came alive in the top of the first, when a Geezer error and singles from Klaers, Schroeder, and Koester would plate two runs.  

The Geezers answered with a two out rally in the bottom of the inning to make the score 2-1. However, Becker’s lead would grow in the third when singles from Klaers, Schroeder, and Koester would lead to twomore runs and a 4-1 lead.  

The top of the fifth saw the Buzzards increase their lead as a double from Sytsma, a single from Koester, and a Geezer error would lead to two more runs and a 6-1 lead. A barrage of hits in the sixth and seventh innings, including a deep double off the bat of Deron Trovall, would blow the game open and lead to the 13-1 win.

Dave Kreft picked up the win in his first Buzzard start, going five innings and allowing one unearned run on five hits. Todd Klaers closed things down from there, throwing two  innings of shutout baseball.

Leading hitters on the day were Todd Klaers (7-for-8, five RBI), Steve Newman (5-for-8, three RBI), Kyle Sytsma (4-for-9) and Matt Koester (4-for-8).

The two wins move Becker’s record to 3-0 in Northwest League play and 3-2 overall. The ageless wonders will be back at it Sunday, July 18  with two games in Urbank.  Becker will take on the host Goldtimers at 1:00 and the Menahga Relics at 3:00.