L/E/M Cardinals salvage two-game split against May-Port-C-G in Park River
PARK RIVER – The Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich Cardinals looked to overcome two primary obstacles Saturday afternoon when they took to the diamond against the Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg Patriots for two games.
Their first problem revolved around where they were playing. Despite being the “home” team by technicality, the Cardinals, in actuality, had to play close to an hour south of their home confines at Park River due to poor field conditions. Secondly, the all-too-apparent North Dakota winds made fielding and pitching conditions challenging.
Although they dropped the first game to the Patriots, 4-0, the Cardinals rebounded in a huge way as they scored 18 runs in game two for the 18-1 victory on April 9.
With the two-game split, the Cardinals are now 2-2 on the year through their first four games played (heading into April 11 action).
During the first game, the top of the first inning could best be defined as inconsistent for the Cardinals. A hit-by-pitch to open the game by L/E/M pitcher Jack Romfo was only the precursor for what was to come as he walked four of the next five batters he faced.
Before they knew it, the Cardinals were down 2-0 through one and immediately went to Carter Tetrault in the bullpen, who pitched five shutout innings. Tetrault finished the game with seven strikeouts and one hit allowed.
Offensively speaking, the Cardinals could not overcome the two-run deficit as they finished their first game with five total hits. While the Cardinals additionally tallied four walks, the team could not kindle a rally.
“The biggest thing is our hitting has struggled, which is to be expected early in the year,” Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich head coach Joshua Krivarchka said. “We have seen some good pitching early on, which will only help us as the year goes on.”
Meanwhile, the second game saw the Cardinals’ fortunes shift in their favor. Four different L/E/M batters (Markus Kingzett, Nickolas Kingzett, Tucker Welsh and Cole Welsh) knocked in two hits or more during the contest. A seven-run bottom of the first, headlined by four singles, three walks and a back-breaking double proved to be the difference-maker as the Cardinals never looked back after the fact. The 18-run performance is the first time L/E/M has scored 15 runs or more since May 17, 2021 (17-1 vs. Midway/Minto).
To Krivarchka, playing a non-region opponent like the Patriots proved to be a solid test to show where his team currently sits.
“The biggest thing today was with that wind blowing in, it made it tough on the offenses,” Krivarchka said. “We knew coming into the year that we would have a chance to be good, and we still feel like we will be. It is good to play these non-region games to see where everyone fits and see what lineup and defense will give us the best shot to win once region play starts.”
Game breakdowns:
Game 1: Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich vs. Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg
Final score: 4-0 Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg
The breakdown:
- MPG: 2 0 0 0 0 0 2: 4 4 0
- LEM: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0: 0 5 2
Standout stats:
- L/E/M:
Pitching:
- Jack Romfo: L 1.0 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 K
- Carter Tetrault: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
- Tucker Welsh: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Hitting:
- Carter Tetrault: 1 H, 1 BB
- Mason Romfo: 2 H (1 2B)
- Theodore Romfo: 1 H, 1 BB
Game 2: Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich vs. Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg
Final score: 18-1 Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich
The breakdown:
- MPG: 0 1 0 0 0: 1 2 3
- LEM: 7 0 6 5 x: 18 12 3
Standout stats:
- L/E/M:
Pitching:
- Theodore Romfo: W, 2.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
- Dawson Hein: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
- Parker Rime: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Hitting:
- Brady Regner: 3 R, 1 RBI, 2 HBP
- Nickolas Kingzett: 2 R, 2 H (1 2B)
- Tucker Welsh: 3 R, 2 H, 2 RBI
- Cole Welsh: 2 R, 2 H, 3 RBI
Contact John Crane via email (jcrane@gannett.com) or Twitter @johncranesports)
This article originally appeared on Devils Lake Journal: L/E/M, May-Port-C-G battle to a two-game draw at Park River
