Ty Straus was back home on the baseball field Friday.
The right-hander pitched two scoreless innings to pick up the win as Grand Forks Red River beat host East Grand Forks Senior High 7-3.
Straus was one of the top pitchers on last spring’s high school team, as well as the Grand Forks Royals American Legion baseball team last summer. But a football-related injury kept Straus sidelined for most of the basketball season and limited him to first base duties for the Roughriders’ first 16 games.
“I thought it would be closer to the end of the season before I could pitch,’’ the senior said. “It was a relief to be out there; I missed pitching. That’s where I think I contribute most to the team. It was frustrating (not pitching). I was itching to get back out there.
“I pretty much just threw fastballs. I’ve lost a little speed. I threw strikes and let the defense do the work.’’
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Straus threw 21 pitches in his two innings, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out two.
“We’re glad to have Ty back throwing,’’ Red River coach Mark Varriano said. “That’s a great bonus for us. He threw strikes, that was the big thing. If he can do that, with our defense, he can keep us in a lot of games. He’s still easing himself back in. Ty will throw harder.’’
Straus also started the game-winning rally. With the teams tied 3-3, Straus led off the seventh by hitting a double off the base of the right-field fence. That started a four-run inning that saw Brock Montgomery with a single and Casey Schumacher with a triple each driving in a run.
Big innings aren’t unusual for Red River. The 14-3 Riders have had at least one inning with four or more runs in eight of their last nine games.
”We’ve been hitting the ball well of late, and we’ve been hitting the gaps,’’ Varriano said.
Senior High (6-4) had taken an early lead behind the bat of Wyatt Swanson. He singled in a run in the first and drove in two more with a double to deep left in the third for a 3-2 lead. The Wave left the bases loaded in the first.
“That’s tough,’’ Senior High coach Garret Hjelle said. “And we’ve done that a few times. But it was early. They were able to string some hits together at the end.’’
