Baseball Split for the Hi-Liners
The Valley City Hi-Liners finally got a taste of real spring baseball weather Tuesday in Valley City, and after a frustrating start to the afternoon, responded with exactly the kind of offensive explosion they needed to salvage a split in their doubleheader.
The Hi-Liners dropped game one to the South Border Mustangs 7-6 before erupting for 14 runs in the third inning of game two on their way to a wild 23-8 victory over the Kidder County Wolves.
Against South Border, Valley City dug itself an early hole with defensive miscues and missed opportunities. The Mustangs capitalized on several Hi-Liner errors and extended innings throughout the game, building a 7-0 lead through five innings.
The Hi-Liners finally came alive offensively in the fifth inning. After Parker Roelfsema walked and Corbyn Powell was hit by a pitch, Jack Samuelson blasted a three-run homer to left field to suddenly cut the deficit to 7-3. Valley City kept pressuring South Border with aggressive baserunning and timely hits, eventually pulling within one run after Powell tripled and Samuelson added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
But the comeback stalled just short, as the Hi-Liners stranded the tying run opportunity late and fell 7-6 despite outhitting South Border late in the contest. Samuelson led the offensive charge with a home run, four RBIs, and multiple extra-base hits, while James Schwehr added a double and Hudson Kriewald delivered a key RBI single during the rally.
The bigger issue in game one was self-inflicted damage. Valley City committed five errors, several of them directly leading to South Border runs, and repeatedly extended innings that should have been over. South Border scored five runs in the second inning alone while taking advantage of defensive mistakes and free baserunners.
Game two looked like it might follow a similar script early. Valley City jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but Kidder County answered with five runs in the bottom half and added two more in the second to take a 7-2 advantage.
Then the Hi-Liner bats exploded.
The turnaround started when James Schwehr ripped a double to spark the offense, and from there the floodgates opened. Valley City sent wave after wave of hitters to the plate in a monstrous third inning, scoring 14 runs through aggressive baserunning, hard contact, and relentless pressure on the Wolves defense.
Chase Coghlan, Schwehr, Luke Praska, Parker Roelfsema, Corbyn Powell, Leighton Hendrickson, and Jack Samuelson all contributed during the inning as the Hi-Liners completely flipped the game from a 7-2 deficit into a 16-7 lead. Schwehr delivered multiple clutch hits, including a momentum-shifting double, while Roelfsema added a bases-clearing double later in the game.
Valley City kept piling on in the sixth inning with another seven-run outburst, eventually finishing with 23 runs on 18 hits.
The split honestly summarized where this Hi-Liner team currently sits: dangerous offensively when they get rolling, but inconsistent defensively and on the mound. When Valley City cleans up routine plays, they have enough lineup depth and athleticism to pressure teams quickly. But against better opponents, the defensive lapses and extended innings are the exact kind of mistakes that turn winnable games into uphill battles.
Images courtesy of Alyssa Thomsen Photography
