Indees win three in DC play
Independence/Gilmanton’s Tyler Kingsbury swung on a pitch during their game against Blair-Taylor last week Tuesday. (Times photograph by Andrew Dannehy)
Three strong pitching performances helped the Independence/Gilmanton baseball team win Dairyland Conference games last week.
Two of the wins came from senior Hunter Guenther who struck out a combined 29 batters in wins over Blair-Taylor, 2-0 on Tuesday, and Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran, 13-1 on Friday. The other was a win by Brandon Sylla, who limited Cochrane-Fountain City to three runs on a win on Thursday.
At 3-2 on the season, the Indees might be able to play at Pepin/Alma on Thursday of this week if the weather cooperates. Their next scheduled game is in Whitehall on Friday before they’re set to host Alma Center Lincoln next week Tuesday and go to Melrose-Mindoro next Friday.
I/G 2 B-T 0
The Indees scored two runs in their final at-bat to win a pitcher’s duel.
I/G’s Hunter Guenther and B-T’s Anthony Oldendorf both kept batters in check or most of the game as neither allowed a single hit until the top of the seventh.
Carlos Montalvo got the first hit of the game for either team when he led off the seven with a single. Hunter Guenther singled and both moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Oldendorf nearly got out of the game; after intentionally walking Xavier Santillian, the B-T pitcher got a strikeout for the second out of the inning. However, Dilan Dallman came through for the Indees as he got a ground ball threw the infield to bring home Montalvo and Guenther.
Brandon Sylla replaced Guenther in the bottom of the seventh and got two outs before allowing a walk. He ended the game with a strikeout to pick up the save.
Guenther and Sylla combined to throw a no-hitter and only allowed one walk in the game. Guenther struck out 14 batters and Sylla got two of the four batters he faced to strike out.
Oldendorf took the loss, despite allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out eight.
I/G 9 C-FC 3
A six-run second inning put the Indees in control.
Sylla homered to start the game for the Indees in the bottom of the first, tying the game 1-1, then had a two-run single that put the team ahead 3-1 in the second. Tyler Kingsbury doubled in two before Guenther homered to put the Indees ahead 7-1.
The Pirates scored one in the third, but the Indees picked up two in the sixth. C-FC scored one more with two outs in the seventh.
In addition to getting a couple big hits early, Sylla was the winning pitcher, striking out eight in four innings. Kingsbury pitched the last three frames with six strikeouts.
Sylla was two-for-four at the plate with three RBIs while Kingbury and Guenther both had two RBIs. The Indees had nine hits as a team.
I/G 13 ECI 1
The Indees broke the game open late as they shut down the Lancers at the plate.
Three walks with the bases loaded put the Indees ahead 3-0 after the top of the first. The Lancers got their only hit and run of the game in the bottom half of the inning, as the Indees maintained control.
I/G began to pull away with six runs in the fifth. The first game on a sacrifice fly by Guenther before Ben Pyka and Eric Rojas Lopez added RBI singles. Four hit batters and a single helped the Indees put up four runs in the sixth as they went ahead by the final score.
Guenther struck out 15 with just one walk and one hit in five innings.
Sylla led I/G with two hits at the plate.
