MANDAN, N.D. -- Pitching is the reason the Grafton Spoilers came into the North Dakota state Class B baseball tournament with one loss and riding a 26-game winning streak.
Pitching and one clutch hit is the reason they stretched that streak to 27 games with a 5-1 win over the Beulah Miners on Thursday at Memorial Ballpark.
Jaron Lunday’s two-run triple in the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie and the Spoilers advanced to Friday’s semifinals. It was their fourth of just five hits and second triple.
Coach Chad Kliniske credited his two pitchers with keeping the game close until the Spoilers got the key hits they needed. It’s been a common theme.
“We were running on a clip of about 14 (runs) a game, then two weeks ago we started struggling offensively,” Kliniske said. “But we continued to pitch. That’s what we needed.”
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Zak Hernandez started and worked five innings before giving way to Hunter Baldwin with the game tied 1-1. He pitched two innings of no-hit relief.
“Zak’s been a kid that if we need him to go the next two days, we can use him,” Kliniske said. “But he’s tied to a pitch count. When he got to that count, it was time to make the switch.”
The timing was perfect for Baldwin. He worked an easy sixth, then led off with a single in the Spoliers’ four-run sixth.
Cody Kingsbury was hit by a pitch and Baldwin and Kingsbury scored on Lunday’s first-pitch triple to center off losing pitcher Alec Battest.
Lunday later scored on a steal of home after being picked off third base. Charlie Thompson drove in Brock Janikowski with the final run after Janikowski reached on a fielder’s choice.
Janikowski scored Grafton’s first run in the second. He walked, stole second and scored on Jess Suda’s triple.
Baldwin struck out two and allowed just one base-runner.
“He is a senior and a leader,” Kliniske said. “He’s an all-state player and that’s an all-state situation.”
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Beulah tied it in the third on Devin Sardelli’s ground out, which scored Mikey Morris, who walked leading off the inning.
Hernandez allowed four hits, all singles in his five innings. He walked two and had no strikeouts.
Hernandez worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second.
