With a pair of Mississippi 8 wins last week, the Becker baseball team sits atop the conference standings with a 3-0 record.  

Last Thursday, the team hosted North Branch and came away with a 5-3 win before knocking off Monticello 8-4 in a Friday afternoon Strikeout Cancer matinee.

In the win over the Vikings, Becker once again found itself in a come-from-behind position as North Branch scored a first inning run for a 1-0 lead.  The Bulldogs answered in the fourth inning, when they plated four runs.

Josh Groskreutz started the inning off with a single and Kellan Graning added a hit of his own before Reid McCalla reached on an error (scoring Groskreutz).

Ethan Guck then lined an RBI single to score a run before Gerad Hanle nailed a two RBI single to center field and a Becker 4-1 lead.

Becker added an insurance run in the sixth inning when McCalla was hit by a pitch, Sawyer Anderson doubled and Guck then hit a fielder’s choice.

Hanle started on the mound and went five innings to pick up the win as he scattered four hits, just one earned run and struck out five.

“Gerad pitched well for us,” Coach Brett Knudsen said.  “Our hitters had a slow start, but our second and third time through the lineup gave us some timely hits.”

Guck worked the final two innings to secure the save.

Strikeout Cancer

Friday’s Strikeout Cancer game was a huge success for the Bulldogs, as they knocked off the defending Section champion Magic and also showed their community spirit by supporting the charitable cause.

Before the game, Becker resident Charles Wojciechowski and his family were honored with an on-field ceremony.  The Bulldog and Magic softball and baseball teams lined the field and donned maroon accents on their uniforms to signify their support of Wojciechowski’s battle against Multiple Myeloma.  Announcer Chris Harmoning introduced the family, including Charles, wife Ashley and children Finnley and Kendall, who delivered the game balls to the Bulldogs’ starting catchers in a moving ceremony.  The girls’ classmates also made the trek to the baseball field to support the cause, meaning nearly 500 students joined a sizable crowd to witness the ceremony.

“This was an exciting game for our program,” Knudsen said.  “We were able to pick up a big conference win over Monticello, but more importantly we were able to support and recognize Charles and his family.”

As the game started, the huge crowd provided an energy boost to the Bulldogs, who trailed 1-0 after the first but scored two runs in the second and three in the third to race to the lead.

The Bulldogs outhit the Magic 9-3, with Senior Ethan Guck providing the fireworks via a pair of two run home runs, one each in the second and fifth innings.

He finished three-for-three with five RBIs, while Isaac Daluge also had three hits for the Bulldogs.

Graning was a workhorse on the mound, going 5.1 innings, scattering just three hits and striking out six batters.  Sawyer Anderson worked the final 1.2 innings to seal the win in the emotional game.

“I love this tradition (Strikeout Cancer) we have as it reminds our players that helping others is such an important part of life,” Knudsen added.

Cards

Monday night, Becker remained undefeated with an 8-4 win over Annandale.  Once again, Becker trailed early, 1-0 after the first inning, but came back with four runs in the top of the second.  

McCalla, Guck and Anderson each walked and Ethan Obermoller came through with an RBI single to tie the game.  Jase Tobako then was hit by a pitch to notch an RBI, followed by a Groskreutz RBI single.  Daluge then drove in Obermoller for the fourth run in the inning.

Becker added two runs in the fourth, and one each in the fifth and sixth to remain unbeaten on the season.

Groskreutz took the win on the mound, pitching four innings and scattering four hits while striking out five, while McCalla finished the final three innings on the mound.

Groskreutz had two hits and Graning had three RBIs to pace the Bulldogs offensively.