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Ironhawks out of running Rainy River rebounds and ends Vermilion’s baseball playoff hopes
An untimely interruption worked wonders for Rainy River and was disastrous for the Vermilion Ironhawks.
After beating the Voyageurs in the opening game of an April 25 community college doubleheader, the nightcap was suspended after seven innings, with the score tied at 7-7, because both umpires had to leave for contracted assignments later in the day.
The subsequent three-day delay didn’t work to the benefit of the Ironhawks, who lost the suspended game in 10 innings, then fell twice to the Voyageurs in Sunday’s Northern Division doubleheader at International Falls.
The Voyageurs’ escaped jams in both the eighth and ninth innings and erupted for four runs in the 10th to win 12-8, and they rallied twice for 12-7 and 13-4 victories.
Vermilion was knocked out of playoff contention with the sweep and will finish the 2024 campaign this weekend with doubleheaders against Mesabi - including Sunday’s finale at home.
Vermilion pitchers couldn’t contain Rainy River’s hot bats, and the four-run 10th inning in the suspended game was followed by nine-run and seven-run explosions in the fourth innings of the ensuing contests.
“We couldn’t stay away from the big inning,” said Vermilion Head Coach Tom Coombe. “It hurt us Sunday and really hurt us all year. Instead of limiting the damage, we got burned all of those innings.”
Pitchers Marcus Haire and Jerron Turney held the Voyageurs in check and the Ironhawks won the opening game of the series 8-5.
Nick Berglund scored the goahead run on a Chris Arambula single in the bottom of the fifth, while Kelbee Woodham and Landon Wilkins singled in runs in the sixth.
That was enough cushion for Turney, who pitched two innings of scoreless relief to get the save. Haire earned his fifth win, yielding seven hits in five innings.
DeSoto Hood went three-forfour for the Ironhawks, Berglund scored twice, while Chase Snyder and Jake Casazza had two hits each. Woodham drove in two runs, The second game was a backand- forth affair, with Vermilion taking a 6-4 lead when two runs scored on a Rainy River fifth-inning error.
The visitors countered with three unearned runs in the sixth, but Vermilion tied it when Berglund drove in catcher Charlie Spahn.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Ironhawks threatened and put two runners aboard with one out. Rainy River dodged that bullet with two straight fly outs, and the game ended because the umpires had to leave.
When things resumed Sunday, Turney set down the Voyageurs in order in the eighth but the Ironhawks loaded the bases with two outs and couldn’t score.
Rainy River took an 8-7 lead in the ninth and the Ironhawks were down to their last out when Snyder launched a ball deep over the left field fence to tie it up again.
The seesaw tilted the Voyageurs’ way in the 10th, when they scored four times.
For the game, Berglund was three-for-five while Thibodeau and Spahn both added two hits.
The Ironhawks took a 2-0 lead in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader but Rainy River sent 13 batters to the plate in the fourth, seizing control of the contest and scoring nine times.
Arambula had two hits including a run-scoring triple for the Ironhawks.
Vermilion led 3-0 in the finale but again was done in by a big inning.
Consecutive errors helped lead to a seven-run inning and the hosts were on their way.
Haire finished with two hits for Vermilion.
