Cardinals split four games; move record to 2-2

(Above) GHV’s Jordan Upmeyer had a great night on the mound for the Cardinals, helping them to pick up a 6-1 victory over North Iowa.  Upmeyer recorded five strike-outs.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

by Michelle Watson

The Garner-Hayfield-Ventura baseball team split four games this week, moving their record to 2-2.

GHV 2, N-K 0

It was a battle on the mound, with strong pitching on both sides, but it was the Cardinals that prevailed in a 2-0 shut-out on Thursday, May 23.

Jack Ermer was the winning pitcher.  He went five innings, allowing zero runs on three hits, striking out five and walking one.  Sam Childress also saw time on the mound.  He struck out one batter.  Northwood-Kensett pitchers were also strong, sitting down seven batters.

The game was knotted 0-0 heading into the seventh inning.  Landon Dalbeck singled on a ground ball to second base, bringing in Jordan Upmeyer and Ermer.  N-K couldn’t get a run in the bottom of the seventh and the game ended, 2-0.

Dalbeck went three-for-four at the plate to lead the Cards.  He also had two RBIs.  Collecting one hit apiece was Ermer, Jared Shaw, Rafe VanDusseldorp, Upmeyer and Adreyn Fausett.

GHV 6, North Iowa 1

A phenomenal night on the mound for Jordan Upmeyer helped the Cardinals to seal a 6-1 victory over North Iowa on Tuesday, May 28.

“Jordan was efficient and effective with both his fastball and off speed.  He really set the tone for us as he kept throwing up zeros to give our offense a chance to get something going,” said Coach Shawn Schlechter.

Upmeyer finished the night with five strike-outs in five innings.  He allowed three hits and had zero walks.  Dalton Graff and Landon Dalbeck provided relief to close out the game.  They each had one strike-out.

It took the offense a while to get rolling.  North Iowa scored first, with a run in the third inning.  The Cards scored two runs in the bottom of the third when Landon Dalbeck smacked a line drive to center field allowing Adreyn Fausett and Jack Ermer to score.

GHV scored two more runs in the fourth inning.  Dalton Graff scored on a passed ball and Ermer singled on a ground ball to second that brought in Race VanDusseldorp, 4-1.

A hard ground ball and a North Iowa error led to two more runs for the Cardinals in the fifth inning to close the game with a GHV win.

GHV had eight hits in the game.  Graff and Ermer each managed multiple hits.  Jared Shaw had a double.  Dalbeck led the team in RBIs with two.

Forest City 16, GHV 6

Forest City picked up a 16-6 victory in six-innings when they hosted the Cardinals on Wednesday, May 29.

“We had quality at bats, while swinging at good pitches early, but our defense didn’t help us prevent runs,” said Coach Shawn Schlechter.  “We didn’t trust our fundamentals to make the plays defensively.  It was an opportunity for us to learn and grow.”

The Cardinals kept pace with the Indians through the fourth inning, but a huge, seven-run inning by Forest City in the fifth sealed GHV’s fate.

Jack Ermer got the scoring underway when he scored on an error in the first inning.

Things were looking up for the Cards in the second inning, when they posted three runs to take a 4-2 lead.  GHV scored a run in both the third inning and the fifth, but it wasn’t enough as the big bats of Forest City took over.

Ermer, Jared Shaw,  and Dalton Graff all had multiple hits.  Shaw smacked a double and led the team with three RBIs.

Ermer took the loss on the mound.  He pitched four innings, giving up seven hits and 11 runs, while striking out three.

“Jack threw really well.  He just couldn’t get the help he needed behind.  We couldn’t ask for much better,” said Schlechter.

B-K 10, GHV 8

It was a close contest on Friday, May 31, when the Cardinals hosted Belmond-Klemme on Friday, May 31.

The Broncos jumped to a big 5-0 lead to start the game, but GHV posted a huge five-run second inning to get themselves back in the game.  Singles by Jordan Upmeyer, Jack Ermer and Jared Shaw aided in the comeback.

The Broncos scored three more runs in the third to take a 8-5 lead.  Landon Dalbeck smacked a single fly to right field that brought Shaw across the plate, 8-6.  B-K scored two runs in the top of the seventh, 10-6.  The Cardinals had their work cut out for them in the seventh.  Adreyn Fausett connected on a double fly ball to left field, scoring Sam Childress.  Brody Boehnke scored on a balk by the pitcher, 10-8.  That was all the runs the Cards could manage and the game ended with the Broncos capturing the win.

Dalbeck took the loss on the mound.  He surrendered six runs on four hits over two innings, striking out one.  Jordan Upmeyer and Sam Wood also saw time on the mound.  Upmeyer had two strike-outs and walked five over two and two-thirds innings.  Wood had one struck-out.

Shaw and Boehnke had multiple hits.  Upmeyer led the team with two RBIs.