Litchfield’s season ended with a loss to a long-time nemesis.
Glencoe-Silver Lake pounded out 14 hits as it rolled to a 9-2 win in the Section 5AA elimination bracket Saturday at Saints Field in Dassel.
Dragons, seeded ninth in the section, ended the season 9-13 overall. Glencoe-Silver Lake, the defending state champion, advanced to play top-seeded Southwest Christian in the elimination bracket semifinals Monday.
Litchfield managed just five hits Saturday, one each from Hunter Schultz, Winky Estrada, Beau Weseloh, Connor Taber and Calvin Jones.
Glencoe-Silver Lake, which beat the Dragons twice during the regular season, built 9-0 lead before the Dragons got their first run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Litchfield added another run in the sixth but never mounted a serious threat.
Owen Carlson took the loss on the mound, giving up 11 hits and walking six while striking out four.
Fall in quarterfinal
Five infield errors spelled doom for Litchfield in the Section 5AA quarterfinal game at Rockford.
The teams were scoreless after two innings, but Rockford broke things open with two runs in the third and four in the fourth on its way to a 9-1 win.
The Dragons managed just three hits, while striking out 10 times against Rockford. Senior catcher Bauer Wahl led the team with two hits.
Caden Besemer took the loss on the mound, allowing eight runs on nine hits.
Stunned top seed
Litchfield scored three runs in the top of the eighth, then survived a Southwest Christian rally in the bottom of the inning for an 8-7 win May 31 in the Section 5AA tournament.
Litchfield trailed 5-0 after the third inning, but just when things began to look bleak, the Dragons rallied, getting four runs in the fifth, then tying things up at 5-5 with a run in the seventh to send the game to extra innings.
The game, Litchfield coach Jeff Wollin said, “felt like a play with three different acts. There was no shortage of drama ….”
Besemer started on the mound for Litchfield, departing after giving up four runs in the first two innings. Carlson pitched 5 2/3 innings of “sterling relief” before tiring in the bottom of the eighth inning. That’s when Besemer, who moved to third base after leaving the mound, returned to the mound with two outs and bases loaded to strike out the last Southwest Christian hitter and preserve the Dragons’ win.
Carlson got the win on the mound, having allowed three runs and four hits during his stellar relief appearance. Besemer recorded the unusual save, having pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing four runs and six hits.
Six players — Hunter Schultz, Winky Estrada, Beau Weseloh, Connor Taber, Anthony Estrada and Calvin Jones — had one hit each for Litchfield. Anthony Estrada drove in two runs, while Schultz and Bauer Wahl both scored two runs.
