Lyle/Pacelli Athletics baseball team edges Southland 2-0 in battle of unbeatens Tuesday
It was a battle between not only two of the top teams in the Southeast Conference, but also in the state of Minnesota in Class A at Marcusen Park in Austin Tuesday as the unbeaten Lyle/Pacelli Athletics, the No. 1 team in the state in the latest Class A rankings played host to unbeaten Southland in a rematch of the Section 1A title game from a year ago. Three of the top pitchers in southeastern Minnesota took to the mound for the two teams Tuesday, and when the dust cleared, it was the Athletics pushing across single runs in the third and fourth innings for a 2-0 victory.
The two starting pitchers in the game, Hunter VaDeer for Lyle/Pacelli and Riley Jax for Southland were both dominant, as VaDeer pitched the first five innings and gave up no runs on no hits, striking out 11 and walking seven, while Jax pitched six innings and gave up the two LP runs, which were both unearned, on two hits, fanning 10 and walking five. Isaac Nelsen came in for the Athletics in the top of the sixth inning and went the rest of the way, giving up no runs on one hit, striking out three and walking none.
Landon Meyer and Isaac Small picked up the two hits in the game for LP, as both were 1 for 3, with Small’s hit being a double, and Easton Meyer doubled for the only Southland hit for the game. Two costly errors on the Rebels proved to be one of the biggest differences in the game, as Dane Schara and Grady Meyer scored the two Lyle/Pacelli runs in the win. Lyle/Pacelli finished with two run, two hits, no errors and six runners left on base, while Southland had no runs on one hit, two errors and seven men left on base.
With the win, the Athletics are now 5-0 on the season, and Lyle/Pacelli returns to action in a Southeast Conference doubleheader versus Mabel/Canton at Marcusen Park Friday, with Game 1 scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. With the loss, Southland is now 4-1 on the season, and the Rebels return to action in Rochester Thursday afternoon versus Schaeffer Academy, with first pitch from Field 1 at the Rochester Baseball Complex at 4:30 p.m.
