The Britton U14 baseball team lost to eventual state champion Scotland-Menno in semifinal play but bounced back to take third place in the Delta Division tournament held in Britton Friday through Sunday.
The local nine opened pool play on Friday with a 4-3 loss to Garretson but rebounded with an 8-0 shutout over Volga in the second pool play contest. On Saturday the Lumberjacks bounced Elkton 12-2 in the first game of bracket play before falling to Scotland-Menno 8-0. Britton ended its season in style on Sunday with a 17-0 three-inning blowout of Volga to finish the season with a 24-11 record.
“The 14U team is a group that has consistently put themselves in positions to compete and I couldn’t be any more proud of our program for constantly giving our teams a chance,” said BJ Richter, a member of the Britton coaching staff for both the U14 and U17 ballclubs. “We haven’t pulled one (state title) off yet, but I think our time is coming and our kids compete with the upmost class.”
Garretson 4
Britton 3
Garretson broke a 2-2 tie with single runs in the third and fourth frames and then weathered a final inning Britton rally to win the opening game of pool play.
Britton was out-hit just 4-3 but was guilty of four errors. Max Suther and Luke Bosse both doubled for the local nine and Henry Kilker added a single. Liam Peters was tagged with the pitching loss in relief of Drew Heitmann.
Britton 110 01 – 3 3 4
Garretson 201 1x – 4 4 0
Drew Heitmann, Liam Peters (2), Levi Mills (4) and Luke Bosse; Buchholz, Smith (4) and Zell
Britton 8
Volga 0
Britton’s Jack Teveldal pitched a complete game to record the shutout in the second pool play contest, allowing just a single hit in five innings and fanning six.
Bowen Micko doubled, and Mills, Bosse, and Joseph O’Brien added safeties. Britton played errorless ball in the field.
Volga 000 00 – 0 1 1
Britton 103 4x – 8 4 0
Ford, Kissner (3), Rud (3), Arbach (5) and Volkers; Jack Teveldal and Drew Heitmann
Britton 12
Elkton 2
Britton erased a 2-1 deficit with a seven-run explosion in the third inning and tacked on four more for good measure in the fourth to put the game away.
Heitmann led Britton’s seven-hit attack with a doubled, two singles, and a pair of RBI’s. O’Brien, Peters, Blayden Downs, and Micko each had base hits, and Bosse was credited with four RBI’s. Chaz Vietor was the winning pitcher in relief of Bosse, striking out four in 2.1 innings.
Elkton 020 00 – 2 3 6
Britton 107 4x – 12 7 1
Kinner, N. Kinner (4) and Otto; Luke Bosse, Chaz Vietor (3), Max Suther (5) and Drew Heitmann
Scotland-Menno 8
Britton 0
Scotland-Menno scored twice in each of the first and second innings and then took charge of the semifinal game with a three-run fifth.
Britton was out-hit 9-3 in the contest and was guilty of eight errors in the field, allowing just three earned runs. Micko doubled and Heitmann and Peters each singled for the Lumberjacks. Peters absorbed the pitching loss.
Britton 000 000 0 – 0 3 8
S-M 220 031 x – 8 9 1
Liam Peters, Chaz Vietor (3), Bowen Micko (6) and Drew Heitmann; Lehr, Pavel (7) and Keppen
Britton 17
Volga 0
Britton pounded out 14 hits in just two innings, scoring eight runs in the first and nine more in the second to end the third place game after three innings.
Teveldal rapped three base hits and knocked in two runs, Heitmann tripled and singled, and Vietor laced two safeties and collected three RBI’s to lead Britton’s attack. Micko and Carter Grobe each singled and had two RBI’s, and Mills, Suther, Downs, Bosse, and Peters hit singles. Heitmann went the distance on the mound and struck out four while allowing just one hit.
Volga 000 – 0 1 0
Britton 89x – 17 14 2
Oines, Thomas (2) and Tangen; Drew Hetimann and Luke Bosse
