DULUTH — Grand Rapids pitcher Dominic Broberg kept Duluth Lakeview pitchers off balance throughout the game in a 2-1 win for the Wolfpack in the American Legion Sub-State 10 tournament Thursday at Ordean Stadium.
Broberg allowed six hits and struck out five batters, but no Tropics played advanced past first base until the top of the seventh inning and even then it took a Grand Rapids throwing error on a force out at second base Lakeview to get a runner in scoring position.
Jamey Malcom / Duluth News Tribune
“We’ve pitched and played defense all year and Dom was dominant again again today,” Wolfpack coach Bill Kinnunen said. “He hit spots, changed speeds and kept them off-balance all day and he threw strikes — that’s the big thing. For the most part we played defense behind him until the last inning when the pressure was on.”
Lakeview’s Ethan Cole allowed just three hits and struck out four, but the Wolfpack were able to take advantage of the baserunners they had.
News Tribune All-Area Player of the Year Ben Keske led off the game with a single and scored on a hard-hit double by Andy Linder two batters later.
Kyler Miller scored from second in the bottom of the fifth when teammate Nolan Svatos was caught in a rundown trying to steal second base.
Dylan Manchester scored in the top of the seventh, but the Tropics couldn’t plate another run to extend the game.
Jamey Malcom / Duluth News Tribune
“This summer, we’ve done a really good job of coming out with some pretty high and positive energy,” Lakeview coach Steve Plesha said. “Today it was tense and negative. This is a team that feeds of of the good energy that we need and I thought today it just wasn’t what we needed to win this game. You definitely have to credit Broberg, who did a really good job keeping out guys off-balance.”
With the win, Grand Rapids clinches a spot in the sub-state championship game Saturday, but the Wolfpack will play Hibbing at 2 p.m. Friday in Duluth. If the Wolfpack beats Hibbing, whoever they play in the championship game Saturday will need two wins to advance to the state tournament.
Lakeview will play West Duluth at 5 p.m. Friday at Ordean Stadium. The Tropics beat the Cubs 11-2 in the first game of the tournament Wednesday.
West Duluth eliminates Hermantown
Jamey Malcom / Duluth News Tribune
West Duluth’s Nolan Harju had four RBIs and Earl Hendrickson had three to lead the Cubs to a 9-3 win over Hermantown to set up a rematch with Lakeview Friday.
West Duluth took a 2-1 lead into the fifth inning and picked up three runs in the top of the fifth and three more in the top of the seventh to secure the win.
The Cubs’ Ethen Carlson allowed five hits and struck out five in the win.
Wylee Arro had a hit and two RBIs to lead the Hawks in the loss.
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