St. John five-hits Proctor in six
Hibbing Daily Tribune, May 27, 1988
By DAN ANDERSON
Jason St. John pitched a five-hit shutout, striking out six and walkeing none, as Hibbing won its third straight prep baseball game Thursday, 10-0 over Proctor at Bennett Park.
The Bluejackets cracked eight hits off three Proctor pitchers, finishing up with a two-RBI single by Dave Leathers that invoked the 10-run rule with none out in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Hibbing (11-6) winds up regular season play vs. Duluth Central at Wade Stadium 4:30 p.m. today, and will host a sub-region tournament game against Duluth Denfeld Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
Proctor went back home with a 6-11 record.
The Jackets scored three runs in the third, two in the fourth, three in the fifth, and two in the sixth.
Ray Niskanen led the hit parade by going 2-for-2 and scoring twice. A pinch runner for him in the fifth, Kevin Kearney, also scored.
Bryan Terzich singled, drove in two runs, and handled five chances at shortstop.
Bill Bussey hit a two-run double. Pinch runner and reserve third baseman Rex Gustafson scored twice, including the final run.
St. John stranded two runners when Matt Koski and Jeff Buetow singled with one out in the first inning. He got the next two on a grounder to short and a fly ball to center, played nicely by Rich Kolden.
In the second, St. John faced just three batters, striking out two [sic]. He struck out the third man on a pitch in the dirt that allowed Brian Peterson to take first. But catcher Jason Quiggin gunned him down on a steal attempt, with second baseman Tim Kemp making the tag.
Terzich handled two chances and Kolden got the third out in the third inning. St. John allowed a one-out single to the left side of center and Hibbing made its only error of the game on that play as Mike Robertson took second.
St. John retired seven straight batters in the middle innings. Terzich came in hard to get Kerry Helquist out at first on a dribbler, and St. John fanned the next two in the fourth inning.
He got two more in the fifth on a grounder to short and a strikeout, before Andy Morin doubled off St. John with a rising line drive over the left fielder's head. Niskanen made an unassisted putout at first to end that threat.
Hibbing's defensive play of the game came in the sixth after Jeff Buetow belted a high one-out double to right-center and St. John hit Helquist with a pitch. Eric Kindgren grounded to Wade Hanson at second, Hanson tagged Helquist and threw to first base for the double play to finish off the Rails offense.
Proctor's pitchers walked 11 batters and struck out only two. The Rails made two errors. Starter Brian Mrozik went 4 1/3 innings, allowing eight runs, seven of them earned, seven hits, walking eight, fanning two, and making three wild pitches.
Rick Sornberger went two-thirds of an inning, walking one but allowing no hits and no runs. Matt Koski pitched the sixth, not getting an out while giving up two runs on two walks and one hit.
Niskanen and Kolden walked to open Hibbing's third. Niskanen went to third on a wild pitch and scored when Terzich lined a single to left. Kemp ripped a single past the first baseman to score Kolden, and Terzich came home on the same play when the shortstop threw therelay from right field past the third baseman.
Quiggin walked for Hibbing in the fourth, Niskanen flared a single in back of first. Two wild pitches allowed Quiggin to score, and Todd Krollman walked to put runners on first and third. Niskanen scored on a double steal when the infielder dropped the throw to second base.
Hibbing led 8-0 after scoring three more in the fifth, on four hits and two walks. John Saccoman led off with a Texas Leaguer to right-center. Bussey's double to the gap in left hit the fence on one hop and scored Saccoman.
Gustafson pinch ran for Saccoman, and took third on a bunt single by St. John. Gustafson broke for the plate while Mrozik was in his set, and he beat the throw to steal home while St. John went to second.
Niskanen lined a single to right and Kearney pinch ran for him. Kolden walked, and Sornberger came in to relieve for Mrozik. Krollman hit into a fielder's choice that erased St. John at the plate. Terzich drew a bases-loaded walk to score Kearney.
Hibbing loaded the bases in the sixth on walks to Jim Paulsen and Gustafson, and a fielder's choce hit [sic] by St. John that ended in an error at second. Leathers stepped up and grounded a 3-1 pitch through second base to plate the final two runs, and that was it at 10-0.
"St. John looked tough today," said Hibbing Coach Tim Scott. "He mixed his pitches well and all three catchers did a good job calling the game. We also played strong defense behind him. Overall that's probably the best game we've had since Superior (a 5-1 win at home April 30).
"We did a lot of things right today," Scott said. "We ran the bases more aggresively than we have ever done. That's what you have to do with tournament time coming up."
Pitching
Brian Mrozik (L, 1-2) 4.1 IP, 8 R, 7 ER, 7 H, 8 BB, 2 SO
Rick Sornberger 0.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 SO
Matt Koski 0.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 SO