The International Falls VFW baseball team has opened its 2012 season with three victories in four games, sweeping a home doubleheader Tuesday against Chisholm-Cherry after playing two extra-inning games Sunday and splitting the twin bill at Hibbing.
“It’s always nice to win a doubleheader and start out the season on a positive note,” said Falls VFW head coach Tim Mellstrom. “Once again, we had two good pitching performances (Tuesday).”
In game one against Chisholm-Cherry, Wyatt Ulrich allowed 7 hits and struck out six in seven innings as the Falls scored the game-winning run on a walk-off single by Clay Bergstrom in the bottom of the seventh to win, 6-5.
Falls ended up with 6 hits for the game, including two from Luke Spilde.
Falls had been in front, 3-1, after five innings, before multiple fielding miscues in the top of the sixth led to Chisholm-Cherry scoring 4 runs and taking a 5-3 lead.
However, Falls tied the game in the bottom of the sixth when Cole Miggins doubled with two outs to drive in a pair of runs.
Falls shortstop Ben Humbert opened the bottom of the seventh at the plate with a walk and, after stealing second base, ended up on third on a Texas League-style single by Spilde.
With no one out, Jack Bartkowski was intentionally walked to load the bases when Bergstrom scored his game-winning hit.
I. Falls 10, Chisholm-Cherry 1
In the second game, in which both teams agreed to go just five innings, Falls broke a scoreless tie with 7 runs in the second inning on the way to winning, 10-1.
Spilde recorded the pitching victory allowing just a hit while striking out 11.
Of Falls’ 9 hits, Humbert and Spilde each had two of them.
I. Falls 6, Hibbing 5
Game one of Sunday’s doubleheader at Hibbing went a couple of extra frames before the Falls won in nine innings, 6-5.
Miggins scored the game-winning run after hitting a lead-off double in the top of the ninth.
He ended up with a pair of hits, while Rylan Henrickson added 2 singles for the Falls.
Humbert pitched all nine innings as he recorded 15 strikeouts to pick up the victory.
Hibbing 11, I. Falls 10
Game two went an extra inning before Hibbing won, 11-10, in eight.
Ulrich started for the Falls before being relieved by Miggins, who ended up with the loss.
The Falls overcame a 5-run deficit to send the game to an extra frame by scoring 3 runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
Ulrich and Miggins each had 4 hits, while Humbert provided two more.
While the Falls has a 3-1 record for the first four games of the season, Mellstrom said the first game of the doubleheaders, for which the team is 2-0, count for the tournament seeding at the end of the regular season schedule.
Tuesday’s results
Game one
I. Falls 6, Chisholm-Cherry 5
Ch-Ch 0-0-0 1-0-4 0 — 5
I. Falls 1-0-2 0-0-2 1 — 6
WP—Wyatt Ulrich
Game two
I. Falls 10, Chisholm-Cherry 1
Ch-Ch 0-0-0 0-1 — 1
I. Falls 0-7-0-3 X — 10
WP—Luke Spilde
