Cloquet stops Proctor on Sorenson no-hitter

by JIM MUFF staff writer

CLOQUET -- Proctor baseball players were trying to figure out a way to hit a Scott Sorenson pitch before the Rails faced Cloquet Thursday.

"Don't swing at the high fastball. That's his strength," one Rail said.

"And watch out for that curve," said another.

Thirty times a Rail stepped into the batter's box intent on smacking a Sorenson offering. Twelve struck out. Another 12 were retired in various ways. Six walked. But none had a hit.

Sorenson gained his first high school no-hitter in Cloquet's 3-1 Lake Superior Conference win in front of 250 fans at Athletic Park.

The Lumberjacks improved to 11-3 overall and remained in contention for the league title with an 8-1 record. Proctor, 11-4, 7-2, will finish third in the 10-team conference.

"It felt good to get this one, because I had one for 6 2/3 innings before and gave up a double," Sorenson said. "This isn't a bad way to win."

Sorenson's gem outshined Proctor pitcher Chris Kindgren's three-hit outing. Kindgren, who hurled a no-hitter of his own last Saturday, struck out seven but allowed two second-inning runs on two hits and two walks.

Sorenson started the Cloquet second by ripping a double down the left-field line. Bruce Baker and Scott Carlson walked and right-fielder Dennis Rule scored Sorenson and Baker with a single to right.

The Lumberjacks made it 3-0 in the fourth. Sorenson led off with his second double and Baker was hit by a pitch. Carlson sacrificed the runners to second and third, but Sorenson was out trying to score on Rule's grounder to third.

After the first pitch to Kiviok Hight, Rule intentionally walked off first. Rule was tagged out in a rundown, but not before Baker scored from third.

Meanwhile, Sorenson was splitting the Rails every inning but the fifth, when three walks and his throwing error led to an unearned run.

Sorenson, an NCAA Division I prospect and possible pick in the June major-league draft, ran his record to 4-1. The 6-foot-5 right-hander has 65 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings and carries a 0.85 earned run average. Ten of his strikeouts Thursday came against the top four hitters in the Proctor batting order.

Though offered financial aid by a University of Minnesota baseball coach Wednesday night, Sorenson won't sign a scholarship with any of the schools pursuing him for at least another week.

"He throws hard, has a good curve and places his pitches well," Proctor left-fielder Bill Bergstrom said. "He throws just hard enough so it throws you off. Hopefully the results will be different if we meet him in the playoffs."

Sorenson had walked only seven batters before Thursday, when his season total jumped to 13. The control troubles stemmed not from mechanical errors but from 80-plus mph fastballs with too much movement.

"Sorenson gave us the base runners, but we couldn't get a hit," said Proctor Coach Rich Petersson, who was ejected from the game in the fifth inning after arguing a call at first. "Against a kid like Sorenson, you have to have one big inning to beat him. We didn't have it."

Sorenson seemed just as happy about his two doubles as his no-hitter.

"I was kind of in a slump, hitting about .270 or so," said Sorenson, who bats fourth in the Lumberjack lineup. "Coach (Jerry) Erickson has helped me out a lot lately, and hopefully my offense is coming back.

"I always want to do well against (Proctor), because we play them in high school and American Legion. It's a big, big rivalry, and every time we beat them it means a little more than most games."

(Duluth News Tribune, May 15, 1987)