The Hutchinson Huskies crammed four games into seven days this past week and earned four wins to stay undefeated this season. Hutch took down Maple Lake, Dassel-Cokato, Maple Plain and Montrose/Waverly to climb to the top of the North Star League standings.
Playing that many games in such a short span can put a strain on pitching. While the Huskies earned wins in all four games, they needed all their arms in the bullpen.
The games against Maple Lake and Dassel-Cokato had lots of offense, with scores of 10-7 and 8-7, respectively. Maple Plain was a tight contest with Hutch winning 2-1, and Sunday against Montrose/Waverly was a blowout as the Huskies won 16-7.
Regardless of the scores, Hutchinson found ways to win and is now tied with the Buffalo Bulldogs with a 5-0 NSL record.
“Whenever we're not doing well (in one area),” Hutch outfielder Tyler Schiller said, “we counteract that with something else. I think that's been helping us a lot.”
While the bats have come around the last couple of games, it was pitching and defense on Friday that carried the Huskies to a victory against the Maple Plain Diamond Devils. Huskies starter Jeremiah Van De Steeg had one of the best pitching performances this season, throwing a one-run complete game and striking out eight batters.
What's lost in the numbers, however, is that Van De Steeg and the Huskies defense had a perfect game going through seven innings. A Billy Soule single in the eighth inning broke up the perfecto. The Huskies were already out to a 2-0 lead, so it was on Van De Steeg to carry them to the win.
“It was definitely on my mind,” Van De Steeg said of the perfect game. “In the end, we were just trying to get the win. Their pitcher was really dialed up. He kept our hitters off balance, and I knew we had to keep them with less than two runs because we weren't going to score off of him. Unfortunately he got the hit, but we got the win in the end and that's all I care about.”
Holding a 2-0 lead in the top of the ninth, Maple Plain scored one run to avoid the shutout, but Van De Steeg held one for the win.
Huskies manager Mike Kutter doesn't want to say that they are in a groove right now, but it's hard to argue with the results.
“I don't think we're quite there yet,” Kutter said. “We still have some things at the plate a little bit to work out. Right now, we're also working out some things, feeling it out a little bit. But more importantly we got to be ready to go in August.”
In this weird shortened season, a manager is going to have to possibly manage their bullpen differently. Is there pressure of over-taxing your top arms? For Kutter, the bullpen situation has been fluid and will continue to be for the rest of the season.
“Not having Evan Kohli around to give you innings is different,” Kutter said about Hutch’s top pitcher last year, who is on the roster but has not played yet. “So we've had to ask a few guys to step up, using Dan Van De Steeg a couple times early. Jacob Kraft has been really good for us on the mound as well. But at times we're just going to have to piece it together. But a night like tonight when Jeremiah is on, you let him go out and finish it. Otherwise, we have a plan. But at the same time, if we need to make our changes down the road, that's what we got to do.”
Jeremiah said that with the shorter season, he knows he will be called on more than he would in a normal year. But he's fine with that. He and his brother Dan continued playing catch during the quarantine to keep their arms strong.
It's going to be a larger group effort if the staff wants to make a big run in August.
“I'm going to be called on, other guys are going to be called on a little more to be in relief when they just threw the other day,” Jeremiah said. “Everyone's going to have to team up together and grind out.”
Hutchinson 16, Montrose-Waverly 7 (July 12)
Hutchinson... 331 101 430 - 16
Mont-Wav.... 302 002 000 - 7
Hutch stats
Batting: Adam Katzenmeyer 3-5, R, BB, RBI; Cody Arlt 2-5, R, RBI; Mike Kobow 0-1; Lane Glaser 2-6, 2R, HR, 3RBI; Dan VanDeSteeg 3-6, R, 2RBI; Tyler Schiller 2-6, 2R, 2B; Jeremiah VanDeSteeg 4-6, 2R, 2RBI; Brady Zackrison 2-4, 2R, HR, SAC, 3RBI; Caleb Marquardt 2-5, 2R, BB, RBI; Noah Corrow 2-3, SAC, BB, RBI
Pitching: Jacob Kraft 3IP-5R-4ER-5H-4BB-2K; John Jennings (W) 3IP-2R-2ER-2H-3BB-1K; Dan Van De Steeg 2IP-0R-0ER-0H-0BB-1K
Hutchinson 2, Maple Plain 1 (July 10)
Maple Plain ... 000 000 001 – 1
Hutchinson ... 011 000 000 – 2
Hutch stats
Batting: Adam Katzenmeyer 1-4; Cody Arlt 0-3, HBP; Matt Piechowski 0-4, SB; Dan Van De Steeg 0-4; Lane Glaser 0-4, SB; Tyler Schiller 1-3, 2B, RBI; Brady Zackrison 1-3, 2B, RBI; Mitchell Kurth 0-2, BB; Noah Corrow 0-2, BB
Pitching: Jeremiah Van De Steeg (W) 9IP-1ER-0ER-2H-0BB-8K
Hutchinson 8, Dassel-Cokato 7 (July 8)
Dassel-Cokato... 022 210 000 – 7
Hutchinson........ 021 300 020 – 8
Hutch stats
Batting: Matt Piechowski 1-2 2R, 2B, SB, SAC, 2BB, RBI; Cody Arlt 2-3, R, 2HBP; John Jennings 0-0, R; Marcus Hahn 2-3, R, 2B, SB, 2BB, 3RBI; Dan Van De Steeg 1-2, SB, 2SAC, BB, RBI; Lane Glaser 1-4, SAC, RBI; Brady Zackrison 0-4, HBP; Tyler Schiller 0-2, R, SAC, BB, RBI; Mitchell Kurth 1-4, R; Adam Katzenmeyer 0-2, 2BB
Pitching: Conner Kern 2.1IP-4R-2ER-3H-3BB-0K; Kyle Messner (W) 6.2IP-3R-2ER-6H-1BB-2K
Hutchinson Huskies 10, Maple Lake Lakers 7 (July 6)
Hutchinson.... 410 201 020 – 10
Maple Lake... 400 000 120 – 7
Hutch stats
Batting: Matt Piechowski 3-6, 2SB; Cody Arlt 1-4, 2R, HBP; Caleb Marquardt 0-1; Marcus Hahn 1-4, SAC, BB, 2RBI; Dan Van De Steeg 3-6, 2R, 22B, RBI; Lane Glaser 3-4 2R, HR, SAC, 3RBI; Brady Zackrison 1-4, BB, 2RBI; Tyler Schiller 0-2, 2BB, HBP, RBI; Mitchell Kurth 1-4, BB; Noah Corrow 0-4; John Jennings 0-1
Pitching: Jacob Kraft (W) 7IP-5R-2ER-7H-1BB-1K; Kurth 1IP-2R-2ER-3H-1BB-1K; Jeremiah Van De Steeg 1IP-0R-0ER-2H-0BB-0K
