An eighth-inning rally lifted the Haugen Knights to a regular season Independent League baseball title after a 6-4 victory over the Brill Millers on Saturday at Haugen Ball Park.
The Knights trailed 3-0 entering sixth when they pushed across single tallies in the sixth and seventh. Down 4-2 entering the bottom of the eighth, Haugen scored four times to get the win.
After starting the season 2-3 in the Independent League, the Knights won seven straight to claim the title.
In the eighth Haugen had Christian Lindow and Callub Paulson draw consecutive walks with one out against Brill relief pitcher Logan Brunclik. The Millers attempted to bring starting pitcher Joe Serbiak back into the game, as he exited after five innings for Brunclik. The umpires ultimately deemed that although Serbiak could re-enter for Brunclik, he could only play another position but not return to the mound.
When play resumed Brunclik remained at pitcher and the next batter Vaughn Johnson doubled to right center to bring Haugen within a run as Lindow scored. Ryker Ebert then followed with a single to bring in Paulson as the tying run.
Brill then had Jere Fisk take over on the mound, and after getting a fly out for the second out, Easton Stone sent a lined shot to left field. The ball hit the ground and bounced high over the left fielder's head bringing in both Johnson and Ebert on Stone's double. A long fly ball into the left center gap off the bat of Travis Thompson was hauled in by Josh Halverson to end the inning.
Lindow was back on the mound for his second inning of relief. He allowed a single by Tyson LaPoint and walked Fisk but got a strikeout looking to end the game.
Stone was 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Ebert was 1 for 2 with two walks, two runs scored and one driven in, while Paulson reached base three times with a hit, two walks, an RBI and run scored. Vaughn Johnson also had a hit, RBI and run scored.
Brill got a 2 for 3 game from Bill Brown, who plated one run and scored another. Rece Dietrich was 2 for 4 with two RBIs, and Halverson also had two hits and scored once.
Thompson, celebrating his 40th birthday on Saturday, worked 7.1 inning for the Knights, striking out eight and walking three. He allowed 10 hits and two earned runs. Lindow pitched 1.2 innings with one hit, walk and strikeout.
Serbiak got the start for Brill and pitched five scoreless innings with one hit allowed. He struck out two and walked four. Brunclik in relief threw 2.1 innings with four hits and four runs allowed. He struck out three and walked four. Fisk gave up a hit in 0.2 innings.
Brill had led the contest early with a three-run third inning. The Millers had loaded the bases with one out. After a single by Halverson, hit-by-pitch for Brown and stolen bases, the Knights intentionally walked Kirby Brunclik. Thompson got a strikeout but then Dietrich singled to right field. The ball got past the right fielder for an error as Halverson, Brown and Brunclik all scored.
Haugen left the bases loaded in both the third and fifth innings before breaking through in the sixth. Nolan Rowe walk, stole second and scored as Paulson dropped a single into left center field. In the seventh Ebert started the frame with a walk and was sacrifice bunted to second. Stone then followed with a base knock that brought in Ebert as Haugen closed to within 3-2.
Brill had a chance to break the game back open in the top of the eighth but the Knights escaped with limited damage. Uriah Johnson singled with one out and then David Olson reached on an error after a bunt. A bunt single from Halverson then loaded the bases. Thompson walked the next batter, Brown, which put the Millers in front 4-2 and ended Thompson's time on the mound.
Lindow took over and two pitches later Kirby Brunclik lined the ball toward second. Turner Swanson made the catch and dove toward second base to beat the retreating runner for the double play that ended the inning.
Haugen 11, Blue Hills 7
In Haugen's other victory last week, the Knights had a five-run inning that propelled them to a victory over the Blue Hills Beasts on July 24 in Ladysmith.
Tied at four runs apiece Haugen broke the game open in the sixth by scoring five two-out runs. Blue Hills narrowed the margin with a single run in the seventh and two in the eighth, but the Knights added on two more in the ninth and closed out the victory.
Haugen had scored first as it loaded the bases with no outs in the opening inning. Reid Olson headed home on an RBI ground out from Stone but that was all the Knights got in the inning.
Darek Dieckman doubled the Knight lead with a solo home run in the third, and a Lindow run-scoring double made it 3-0 later in the inning.
Blue Hills quickly evened the game in scoring three times in the fourth, which included a two-run triple from Ryan Lundmark. Both Haugen and Blue Hills scored once in the fifth as Lindow had another RBI double.
In the sixth the Knights had one on with two outs when they started their rally. Dieckman singled and then Stone reached on an error that allowed the first run to score. Consecutive walks to Nolan Rowe and Lindow pushed across another run, and then Isaac Rohde cleared the bases with a double for the 9-4 advantage.
Stone had an RBI ground out to bring in Olson in the ninth, and then Cole Paulson raced home as Blue Hills attempted to catch Rowe in a rundown.
Lindow was 2 for 4 with two doubles, three RBIs and a run scored, while Rohde drove in three in a 2 for 5 game. Dieckman was 2 for 4 with home run, one RBI and two runs scored. Paulson had two hits and two runs scored. Olson and Rowe each drew three walks and two scored two runs.
Callub Paulson got the win on the mound with seven innings pitched, three strikeouts and one walk. He gave up eight hits and all four runs were unearned.
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