by Max Mercy

Proctor defeated Ashland, 12-8, in a Lake Superior Conference baseball game at LumberJack Field on the campus of Northland College in Ashland on Thursday, April 28. It was Ashland's first loss in eight games.

Zach Gunderson (1-1 W-L, 5.88 ERA) earned his first varsity win as he worked the first five innings. Gunderson allowed six runs (two earned) on eight hits and three walks. He had one strikeout. Lucas Nordquist pitched two innings in relief for his first varsity save.

Proctor took a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Derek Dahlgren led off with a walk and advanced to second base on a single by Reid Morin. Matt Morris hit an RBI double with one out, scoring Dahlgren. Blake Koski smacked an RBI single with two outs, scoring Morris. Matt Tracey reached on an error with Matt Sievert, who had reached base on a fielder's choice, and Koski scoring on the play.

The Rails went up 5-0 in the fifth. Morris began the inning by reaching base on a two-base throwing error. [Sievert] then socked an RBI single, scoring Morris from second.

Ashland erased the lead with a six-run fifth. The big hits came from Jake Erickson and Matt Tarasewicz, who both delivered two-run singles. The Oredockers capitalized on four hits, two walks, and two Proctor errors to take the lead.

Earl Kraft started on the mound for Ashland. He allowed five runs (two earned) on six hits and four walks with two strikeouts. He was relieved by Erickson to start the sixth. Erickson, the losing pitcher, allowed three runs, all earned, on one hit and three walks in one third of an inning.

Dahlgren drew a one-out walk off of Erickson and was followed by another walk to Morin. Jake Malec then hit an RBI single, scoring Dahlgren. Another walk to Morris loaded the bases and chased Erickson, who was replaced by Moe. Moe got out of the inning relatively easily; he retired two of the three batters he faced, but he did allow an RBI walk to Koski with two outs that scored courtesy runner Jordan Linder.

Nordquist took over for Gunderson in the bottom of the sixth. Pitching with an 8-6 lead, Nordquist retired the side in order on four pitches.

In Proctor's four-run seventh, a lead off walk to Nordquist and a single by Nathan Carlson prompted another pitching change for the Oredockers. Tarasewicz replaced Moe and walked Dahlgren to load the bases and walked Morin, which scored Nordquist. Carlson then scored on a wild pitch. Malec's RBI groundout scored Dahlgren. Morris reached on an error, but was credited with an RBI as Linder scored on the play.

Proctor took a 12-6 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but Ashland did not go down without a fight. Grant DeMars led off the inning on a hit-by-pitch, pinch-hitter Larson walked, and Erickson singled to load the bases. Nordquist recorded two strikeouts before Wyatt O'Bey connected for a two-run double, making the score 12-8. Tarasewicz grounded out to second baseman Dahlgren to end the game.

Proctor improved to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the Lake Superior Conference. Ashland drops to 7-1 overall and 1-1 in the LSC.

Rails Notes

Jake Malec moved into sixth on Proctor's all-time plate appearances list. He surpassed Charlie Habermann (Class of 2009), 259, and now has 262…Matt Sievert became the 83rd player on record to reach 100 career plate appearances. He now has 102…Malec moved into seventh on the Rails all-time at bats list. He surpassed Kyle Wojtysiak (Class of 2005), 209, and now has 210…Malec moved into a tie with Habermann for seventh on Proctor's all-time hits list, with 66 apiece…Matt Morris cracked into the PHS top 10 all-time RBI list. He now has 41 and bumped Jesse Scanlon (Class of 2012), 40, out of the tenth spot.