BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
ROYAL CENTER — Brayden Erickson tripled and hit a solo homer, but the Pioneer baseball team lost to North Judson 12-5 in a Hoosier North home game on May 12.
The game was called in the sixth inning after a torrential rainstorm.
Pioneer fell to 9-3 in conference play and had their seven-game conference winning streak snapped. They had beaten North Judson 16-6 one day earlier in Starke County.
Brian Gluth, Derek Duncan, Drew McKaig and Jake Erickson each contributed a hit and an RBI.
Noah Miller started on the mound and allowed 10 runs (seven earned) in three innings. He yielded eight hits and walked three while striking out four. Caleb Sweet relieved and struck out three over two hitless innings but walked three and allowed two unearned runs. Jake Erickson struck out one in a hitless inning.
“They got on us early,” Pioneer coach Josh Hardy said. “Second inning, they scored six on us, had a few errors, didn’t play the best defense today, but overall, we fought back and did pretty well offensively to fight back. … We want to finish the game. We want to try to come back. Last year, when we played Judson at home, we were down seven runs, and we were able to come back and win that game.
“So we were excited to have the opportunity, but with the lightning delay, and it was just getting darker.”
North Judson improved to 10-2 with a two-game set against Knox next week to close out conference play.
Caleb Ginder had two hits and four RBIs at the plate and also allowed one run and struck out seven over 3 ⅓ innings for the win on the mound.
North Judson would go on to win the conference title at 12-2. Pioneer finished second at 10-4.
North Judson 12, Pioneer 5 (6 innings, rain)
North Judson 064 020 – 12
Pioneer 040 01X – 5
WP – Caleb Ginder (3 ⅓ IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K)
LP – Noah Miller (3 IP, 8 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 4 K)
2B – Brock Benson (NJSP), Caleb Ginder (NJSP), Drew McKaig (PIO)
3B – Brayden Erickson (PIO)
HR – Brayden Erickson (PIO)
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