Saint Cloud Crush Baseball Can’t Ground Cardinals

(KNSI) – The Saint Cloud Crush Varsity Baseball Team let a game slip away Tuesday evening against the Willmar Cardinals. After five innings, the home team had a 4-1 lead and looked to be set to snap a losing streak in the Central Lakes Conference that dates back to May 5th against Fergus Falls.

Willmar put up 10 runs in the last two innings en route to an 11-4 win. It was a game that felt far more competitive than the final score indicates.

Crush starting pitcher Hank Bulson was dynamite for most of his outing. He no-hit Willmar through four and allowed an unearned run in the fifth. Shortstop Jaxon Kenning mishandled a grounder that would have let St. Cloud escape unscathed with runners on base. He made up for it on the next play by going deep into the hole to track a groundball and gun it across the diamond for the last out.

The Crush took advantage of three walks by Willmar starter Cayden Hansen, mixed in with a double and an infield single, to plate two in the second. A two-run single by Joe Hess capped the bottom of the fifth.

In the top of the sixth Willmar sent 11 batters to the plate. They eventually chased Bulson and reliever Luke Boettcher could not stem the bleeding. The Cardinals scored via a balk and a wild pitch. There was also an error that played a crucial role in extending the inning by right fielder Kadyn Mork. Without some of those mistakes, St. Cloud may have been able to get out of the inning still tied or within one.

___