Frazee to host LPA on Tuesday

Derek Zitzow connects with a pitch during last week’s game against Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale.

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The Frazee Hornets picked up a big non-conference win and narrowly lost a pair of other games last week.

Drew Mekalson picked up the win on the mound against Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale after pitching five innings and giving up just two runs.

The Hornets opened the week with a tough 3-2 loss to Pelican Rapids, before defeating Berhta-Hewitt/Verndale by a score of 5-4 and falling to New York Mills 5-3 on Thursday in a split doubleheader.

This week the Hornets, who are 2-4 on the season, will host Lake Park-Audubon on Tuesday, before traveling to Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton on Thursday for a Heart O’ Lakes Conference game against the Rebels. 

Monday

Frazee took an early lead on a wild pitch, but could not hold on as Pelican Rapids was able to get the best of the Hornets by a score of 3-2 last Monday night. 

Photo by Chad Koenen
Adam Vigen went 1-3 with a single during last week’s non-conference game against the Raiders.

The Hornets scored first in the top of the first inning when Asher Blaine scored on a wild pitch with two outs to take a 1-0 lead. Pelican Rapids tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third inning on a fielder’s choice, before taking a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI triple and sacrifice fly to right field. 

The Hornets made the score 3-2 in the top of the sixth inning when Derek Zitzow hit a one out single to left field to bring Adam Vigen across the plate. Blaine advanced to second base on the hit to leave runners on first and second base with just one out. Unfortunately, the Hornets stranded runners on second and third base to end the inning.

Frazee had another chance to score in the top of the seventh inning when Andrew Aho reached on an error. He would later be caught stealing third base to end the game. 

Zitzow led the way offensively for the Hornets with a pair of hits, while Karson Krause took the loss on the mound as he gave up six hits and two earned runs over five innings. He also struck out six hitters.

AB R H     BI

A. Vigen 2 1 1 0

C. Pausch 3 0 0 0

A. Blaine 2 1 0 0

D. Zitzow 3 0 2 1

D. Lyman 0 0 0 0

D. Mekalson 3 0 0 0

K. Krause 3 0 0 0

L. Brekke 3 0 0 0

A. Aho 3 0 0 0

C. Ullrich 2 0 0 0

N. Mekalson 1 0 0 0

HITTING- 2B- A. Vigen, A. Blaine

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- K. Krause 5.0-6-3-2-4-6, D. Mekalson 6.0-6-3-2-4-8

Thursday

Frazee hosted Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale and New York Mills in a split doubleheader on Thursday night.

The Hornets opened the night with a 5-4 win over BHV. The big difference in the game came in the bottom of the third inning as the Hornets scored four runs to take a 4-2 lead. 

Drew Mekalson tied the game at 1-1 when he hit an RBI double to bring Cael Pausch across the plate. Derek Zitzow followed with a one out, two-run home run to make the score 3-1. The Hornets added a fourth run later in the inning when Andrew Aho hit a two out double to bring Adam Vigen across the plate. 

After BHV made the score 4-2 in favor of Frazee in the top of the fourth inning, the Hornets added a run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Karson Krause hit an RBI single to bring Zitzow across the plate to make the score 5-2. 

BHV made a game of it in the top of the seventh inning when the opening two hitters of the inning reached base and one runner scored on a wild pitch and another on a fielder’s choice. The tying run reached base on a walk with one out, but was stranded on first base to end the game. 

Seven starters got at least one hit for the Hornets with Mekalson leading the way with a pair of singles. He also started the game on the mound as he went 5 innings and gave up two unearned runs and four hits. Pausch picked up the win in relief as he went 1 1/3 inning and gave up two hits and two earned runs. 

In the final game of the day, Zitzow struck out nine hitters and Pausch struck out another three in just 1 1/3 innings, but Frazee was unable to string together enough hits as they fell to New York Mills 5-3. The Hornets outhit the Eagles 11-5 and NY Mills committed four errors in Frazee’s loss. 

NY Mills took an early lead in the top of the third inning on a two-run triple, before jumping out to a 3-0 lead just one inning later when the Eagles led off the fourth inning with a solo home run. 

Frazee got within one run in the bottom of the fifth inning when they scored on a two out error and Mekalson scored on a two out single by Asher Blaine. 

NY Mills added a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI single to make the score 5-2. In the bottom half of the sixth inning, Aho hit an RBI single to bring Krause across the plate to make the score 5-3. The game would later end by the same score. 

Pausch, Mekalson, Blaine and Logan Brekke all led the way offensively with a pair of hits, while Zitzow collected the loss on the mound as he went 5 2/3 innings and gave up jut three hits, while striking out nine hitters. 

Frazee vs. Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale

AB R H     BI

C. Pausch 4 1 1 0

D. Mekalson 3 1 2 1

A. Blaine 3 0 1 0

D. Zitzow 2 2 1 2

K. Krause 3 0 1 1

A. Vigen 3 1 1 0

A. Aho 3 0 1 1

L. Brekke 2 0 0 0

C. Ullrich 3 0 0 0

HITTING- 2B- D. Mekalson, A. Aho

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- D. Mekalson 5.0-4-2-0-4-4, C. Pausch 1.1-2-2-2-1-1, D. Zitzow 0.2-0-0-0-0-1

Frazee vs. New York Mills

AB R H     BI

C. Pausch 4 1 2 0

D. Mekalson 4 1 10

A. Blaine 4 0 2 1

D. Zitzow 3 0 1 0

K. Krause 3 1 1 0

A. Vigen 3 0 0 0

A. Aho 3 0 0 1

L. Brekke 3 0 2 0

C. Ullrich 3 0 0 0

HITTING- 2B- K. Krause, L. Brekke

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-k)- D. Zitzow 5.2-3-4-3-3-9, C. Pausch 1.1-1-1-0-1-3