by Max Mercy

CROSBY -- John Aase tied a PHS record by tossing his fourth career shutout as Proctor defeated Crosby-Ironton, 9-0, in a non-conference baseball game on Friday, April 28, at Crosby. Aase (3-0 W-L, 1.31 ERA) allowed two hits, three walks, and a hit batsman in seven innings pitched. He had eight strikeouts.

Proctor took a 2-0 lead in the second inning as Zach Gunderson led off the inning by reaching on an error, taking second base on a wild pitch, and scoring from second when Blake Koski reached on a two-base error. Koski then took third on a passed ball and scored on Ryan Lear's RBI single.

The Rails plated three runs in the third for a 5-0 lead. Luke Nordquist led off by reaching on an error, stole second, took third when Aase singled, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bryce Huffman. Aase, who took third on Huffman's fly out, scored on an RBI double by Gunderson. Gunderson scored from second on Lear's two-out RBI double.

In the fourth, Jordan Linder led off with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on Reid Morin's ground out, and scored on Aase's RBI single with one out for a 6-0 lead.

Crosby-Ironton pitcher Jonathan Jacobson worked the first four innings for the loss. He allowed six runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Noah Gindorff relieved Jacobson to begin the fifth. Gindorff pitched two shutout innings before a bout of wildness led to his ouster with one out in the seventh.

In the Rails' seventh, Huffman and Gunderson drew walks with one out. Koski knocked in Huffman with an RBI single, and Lear walked to load the bases. Reliever Eli Winegarner then replaced Gindorff. With two outs, Linder knocked a two-RBI double that sent Gunderson and Koski home for the final tally of nine runs.

Aase was 3-for-4 and Lear was 2-for-3 to lead the Rails' offense. Lear and Linder each had two RBI, and Gunderson scored three runs while Koski scored twice.

Aase surrendered a single to Winegarner with one out in the fourth and a one-out single to Matt Stangel in the seventh for the Rangers' two hits.

Aase joins Dale Nikko (PHS '78), Jake Lewis (PHS '12), and Ben Nelson (PHS '13) as the Rails' record holders for career shutouts.

Proctor (3-1) is next in action on Monday, May 1, for a Lake Superior Conference game at Hermantown at 4:30 p.m.