Aces drop two games in return to Fuller Field

The Owatonna Aces returned to Chuck Fuller Field for a pair of games this last weekend after not having a game at home since July 3.

The Aces played the Wanamingo Jacks on Friday night and lost to them 9-3. They then played against the Dodge County Diamondbacks in a high-scoring battle on Saturday, losing 24-14. The matchup against the Diamondbacks was a make-up game from July 10.

Versus Wanamingo

Matt Seykora was the starting pitcher for the Aces against the Jacks on Friday night. With two outs and being down 1-0 in the top of the first, Seykora was able to work out of a bases loaded jam.

Owatonna quickly answered the Jacks’ run in the first inning with a score of their own in the bottom half of the first. A double by Matt Seykora scored Theo Giedd to tie the game up at one.

The Jacks quickly retook the lead in the second inning with a solo home run by Jacob Glarner to start the inning. Wanamingo scored another run in the inning to take a 3-1 lead.

Chris Homuth started the bottom of the second with a single for the Aces. He then stole second base, advanced to third on a flyout, and scored off of a single by Jack Helget.

The Jacks then scored one run each in the third and fourth innings to take a 5-1 lead over the Aces. After a scoreless fifth inning, they scored two runs each in the sixth and seventh innings.

Mitch Seykora hit a solo home run for the Aces in the eighth inning, their first run since the bottom of the second. They had another chance to score in the inning with a single by Teagun Ahrens, but Theo Giedd was thrown out at home.

The Jacks did not score in both the top of the eighth and top of the ninth as the Aces entered the bottom of the ninth being behind 9-3. Chris Homuth and Jacob Meiners both singled for the Aces to start the inning, and the Aces had the bases loaded with two outs. The Jacks were able to strike out Theo Giedd for the last out of the game as they won 9-3.

Versus Dodge County

The Aces came back to play right away as they hosted the Dodge County Diamondbacks at home on Saturday night. The game was originally scheduled for July 10 but rain postponed it.

Both teams started the first inning with a runner on first as the Diamondbacks had a leadoff walk in the top of the first and Giedd got hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the first. Both teams were unable to score as the game was tied at 0-0 going into the second.

Gavin Saxton hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the second, but was caught in a rundown between first and second during Johnny White’s at-bat. White then walked to get on base with one out. After stealing second, White scored on a bad throw to second on a pickoff attempt to take a 1-0 lead.

Chris Homuth was the starting pitcher for the Aces and he had two scoreless innings to start the game. He had trouble in the third inning as he walked three batters and gave up three hits which led to the Diamondbacks scoring three runs.

The Diamondbacks added to their lead in the fourth inning as they scored five runs. Addison Andrix came into pitch for the Aces with one out in the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, Jack Helget walked to start the inning and later scored on an error by the Diamondbacks defense. Teagun Ahrens came up to bat in the inning with the bases loaded and two outs and reached base on an error that also scored two runs. The Aces three-run inning cut the Diamondbacks lead to four.

After a walk and a single by the Diamondbacks, Aces manager Cody Johnson came into pitch. The Diamondbacks scored six runs in the inning to take a commanding 14-4 lead.

The Aces scored three runs in the sixth and one run in the seventh to make the score 14-8. After the Diamondbacks scored six runs in the fifth, Johnson pitched three scoreless innings for the Aces to allow his offense to come back into the game.

The Aces scored three more runs in the eighth to cut the Diamondbacks’ lead to just 3 with a 14-11 score. But the Aces’ hopes for a comeback were dashed in the top of the ninth as Dodge County scored ten runs in the inning.

The Aces scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning, but that wasn’t nearly enough as the Diamondbacks won against the Aces 24-14.

The Aces will play their last regular season game at home on Monday night against the Austin Bluejays at 7:30 p.m. They will then start the playoffs on the road on Wednesday night.