by Max Mercy

HIBBING -- Proctor defeated Cloquet 9-7 in the first round of the Section 7AA Final Four double-elimination tournament at Al Nyberg Field.

 

Winning pitcher Jack Nikko (3-1, 1.56 ERA) allowed five unearned runs in five innings on six hits and one hit batsman. He did not allow any walks and had four strikeouts. Jake Lewis pitched the final two innings for the save.

 

Taylor Blundell picked up the loss for Cloquet. He allowed six earned runs on six hits and three walks in four and two-thirds innings pitched.

 

Proctor scored two runs in the top of the third inning on an RBI single by Jimmy Merling and a sacrifice fly by Jesse Scanlon, but Cloquet tied the score 2-2 in the bottom of the third after Adam Hanson reached base safely on a third-strike passed ball with two outs. Kellin Lamirande later scored on a passed ball and Trent Moe hit an RBI single scoring Hanson.

 

Proctor's Cody Dolsen hit a solo home run in the fourth to put Proctor ahead 4-3, and the Rails exploded for a four-run fifth inning to take a 7-2 lead.

 

Cloquet stormed back with three runs in the fifth on two hits, a hit batsman, and two Proctor errors to close the gap to 7-5.

 

The teams traded single runs each in the sixth and seventh innings.

 

Cloquet had the bases loaded and the potential winning run on first base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh before Lewis induced a fielder's choice ground out to end the game.

 

Merling was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs, Evan Scherber was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Ian Scherber was 2-for-4 with a run scored for Proctor.

 

Moe was 3-for-4, Lamirande was 2-for-4, and Gavin Takkunen was 2-for-4 for Cloquet.

 

Proctor (15-6) will face Hermantown, a 10-1 winner over Mora, on Tuesday. Cloquet (16-6) will face Mora in an elimination game, also on Tuesday.