By Chad Koenen

Publisher

With a combined 35 hits and 27 runs, the Henning North Stars defeated the Vergas Loons in extra innings by a score of 14-13 on Friday night. 

Both teams traded runs throughout the contest with Vergas taking a 6-4 lead in the top of the fifth inning when Mike Maanum, Jacob Galbrecht and Dalton Smith led off the inning with three straight singles. Maanum scored on Smith’s RBI single and Aaron Felker loaded the bases with no outs when he reached on an error. Gage Post followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to make the score 4-3 in favor of Henning, before Jesse Klatt tied the game with an RBI single and Isaiah Maanum put the Loons in front 5-4 when Felker scored on a fielder’s choice to second base. Klatt would score when Blake Sonnenberg reached on an error to give Vergas a 6-4 lead. 

After Henning made the score 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning when Nick Lindberg scored on an Austin Koep bases loaded walk, Vergas scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning on RBI singles by Galbrecht and Felker, as well as back-to-back bases loaded walks by Klatt and Maanum to give the Loons a 10-5 lead. 

Henning answered with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning when Ryan Despard, Jesse LaManna and Owen Harig led off the inning with three straight singles, including an RBI off the bat of Harig. Garrett Kuhn-Rice followed with a two-run double to make the score 10-8 in favor of Vergas heading into the top of the seventh inning.

Vergas added three more runs in the seventh inning to take a commanding 13-8 lead, before Henning scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and two runs thanks to a one out RBI double by Nick Lindberg and a two out RBI single by Stephen Lindberg with two strikes on him to bring Nick Lindberg across the plate and tie the game at 13-13. 

After a pair of scoreless innings in the 10th and 11th innings, Owen Harig connected with a two out double in the bottom of the 13th inning, before Rowan Finseth reached on an error that allowed Harig to score from second base and hand Henning a tough 14-13 win. 

Vergas was led offensively by Mike Maanum and Gage Post who each collected four hits in the win, while Jacob Galbrecht finished with three hits. Jesse Klatt, Aaron Felker and Dalton Smith all finished with a pair of hits in the loss.

Jacob Galbrecht took the loss on the mound as he pitched 2/3 inning and gave up one hit and one unearned run.

Henning was led by Owen Harig and Nick Lindberg who each finished with three hits in the win, while Garrett Kuhn-Rice, Stephen Lindberg, Jayden Lindberg and Jesse LaManna all finished with two hits.

Stephen Lindberg picked up the win in relief as he went five innings and gave up one hit and walked one batter, while striking out two. 

In other action last week, Vergas dropped a 4-3 game to Nimrod on Saturday.

Vergas is scheduled to wrap up its regular season on Saturday with a doubleheader in Perham. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Bluffton is currently leading the way in league action as they are 15-2 league and 13-1 in the Hi-10, but will be playing in Class B for the playoffs, as well as NY Mills who is 10-3 league and 8-2 in the Hi-10 in the standings. 

Deer Creek is currently 10-4 in the league and 8-3 in the Hi-10, Perham is 8-4 league and 6-4 in the Hi-10, Clarissa is 5-9 league and 5-6 in the Hi-10, Henning is 5-10 league and 3-0 in the Hi-10, Vergas is 4-11 league and 3-9 in the Hi-10 and Dent is 0-15 league and 0-12 in the Hi-10.