Baseball: Legends remain alive in Region 13 playoffs

The Alexandria College baseball team is still alive in the NJCAA DIII Region 13 playoffs after losing 3-2 to Minnesota North College-Itasca, but winning 3-0 over Minnesota North College-Vermillion in St. Cloud at Putz Field on Thursday.

Alexandria began Thursday trailing to MNC-Itasca, 3-0, after the first inning. The score remained that way until the top of the eighth inning when Carter Lang hit a 2-RBI double to cut Alexandria’s deficit to one.

But that’s all the offense Alexandria (19-8) had in game one as MNC-Itasca (25-16) held on to the slim win.

Lucas Burgum pitched the entire game for Alexandria and struck out five batters.

Alexandria got on the board early against MNC-Vermillion as Brady Goebel hit an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning. Burgum scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth inning, and Calen O’Connell hit a RBI double in the eighth inning to seal the 3-0 win.

Jalen Vorpahl delivered a gem on the mound for Alexandria as he struck out 11 batters in seven innings and allowed no runs and just four hits. Chuck Hackett pitched the final two innings in relief and allowed just two hits, and had one strikeout.

Alexandria now plays an elimination game in St. Cloud against Riverland at 2 p.m. on Friday. The winner of the Alexandria versus Riverland game plays either MNC-Itasca or Riverland at 5 p.m. to determine the second team from pool A that’ll advance to the super regionals.

Alexandria - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 - 2 5 1 

MNC-Itasca - 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 X - 3 5 4

ALEXANDRIA OFFENSE - Levi Lampert - 1-4, R; Jacob Merrill - 2-4, R, BB; Carter Lang - 1-4, 2 RBI; Brady Goebel - 1-4; Felix Porras - 0-3, BB

ALEXANDRIA PITCHING - Lucas Burgum - 8 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

MNC-Vermillion - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 6 2

Alexandria - 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 X - 3 5 0

ALEXANDRIA OFFENSE - Calen O’Connell - 1-1, RBI; Levi Lampert - 2-4, R, RBI, 2 BB; Jacob Merrill - 1-3; Lucas Burgum - 0-1, R, 2 BB; Carter Ruschmeier, 0-4, RBI

ALEXANDRIA PITCHING - Jalen Vorpahl - W - 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K; Chuck Hackett - 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K