It looked as if the NRHEG baseball team would walk out of Blue Earth with a win Tuesday, April 15.
It slipped away in the late innings.
Leading 5-3, the Panthers committed a couple errors in the bottom of the fourth to allow the Buccaneers to score twice and tie it. The home team added a run in the fifth for a 6-5 decision.
“We competed,” said NRHEG coach Pat Churchill. “We just made some little mistakes that cost you a game. Hopefully, we can make some corrections and be able to win some of these close ones.”The key hits for the Panthers were delivered by Dillon Parpart and Noah Krell, who each doubled and drove in two runs. The other NRHEG hits were by Trevor Tracy and Dillon Kubiatowicz.
Matt Jensen pitched the first four innings for NRHEG, allowing three earned runs on five hits. He struck out six and walked two. In two innings of relief, Tracy gave up one earned run on two hits, with a walk and three strikeouts.
Quinn Huisman got the pitching win for Blue Earth Area, giving up four earned runs, walking five and fanning four, in six innings.