The Estherville-Lincoln Central baseball team beat Storm Lake 10-6 Wednesday night in Storm Lake giving the Midgets the 2022 Lakes Conference title.
E-L-C sent eleven batters to the plate in the2nd inning scoring five runs despite only getting one hit. That led to the exit ofTornado starter Hunter DeMey. Demey, who entered the game with onlyeleven walks allowed in 38 1/3 innings this season, walked a pair and hit three batters in that 2nd inning. Jake Eddie relieved DeMey and walked the first batter he faced but struck out the next two to get out of the inning.
E-L-C held a 9-2 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning and that’s when Carson Lullmann led off with a double. That hit chased Midgets starter Carter Snyder. Ryan Schiltz would relieve Snyder and the Tornadoes would endup scoringfour runs on four hits to make it a 9-6 game heading into the 7th inning.
The Midgets would add a run in the 7th and Schiltz then pitched a scoreless bottom of the 7th and E-L-C celebrated the conference title.
Snyder gave up three runs in five-plus innings on seven hits, he struck out eight and walked one. Schiltz pitched two innings and gave up three runs on four hits while striking out four.
DeMey suffered the loss going 1 1/3 innings. Eddie pitched the final 5 2/3 and struck out nine batters.
Storm Lake had eleven hits in the game with Edgar Barriero, Drew Taylor, Sam Dvergsten and Eddie each getting two.
E-L-C is 27-2 overall and they finish 9-1 in the league and they will finish the regular season tomorrow night with a game against North Iowa.
Storm Lake is now 19-9, and they finish the conference 7-3. The Tornadoes next game is Friday at Sioux City-East.