Staff photo by Ari Selvey Sleepy Eye St. Marys’ Kessler Severson (1) dives back to third base as Sleepy Eye’s Gavin Strong (17) looks to receive a throw during the first game of a Tomahawk Division baseball doubleheader Thursday at Sleepy Eye Ballpark.

SLEEPY EYE — Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s got the best of Sleepy Eye in Game 1 of a Tomahawk Division baseball doubleheader on Thursday, taking a 11-5 win in the game, but Sleepy Eye came back strong in Game 2, taking a 12-2 win in five innings.

Merrick Mathiowetz was the winning pitcher for St. Mary’s in Game 1, striking out five while allowing five runs, four earned, on three hits in four innings. Kessler Severson pitched three innings in relief, allowing one run on one hit and striking out six.

At the plate for the Knights, Kameron Kosak was 4 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Tyler Mathiowetz was 2 for 2 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Brandon Braulick was 2 for 3 with three runs scored, while Talan Helget had a hit, two RBIs and two runs scored and Michael Balko had a hit, an RBI and a run scored. Kessler Severson added a hit and an RBI.

Cody Schultz took the loss for Sleepy Eye, striking out two while allowing nine runs, eight earned, on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. At the plate, Jacob Fulmer was 3 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored, while Cole Eckstein had a double and a run scored. Carson Uecker and Kayden Klein each had an RBI.

Fulmer got Sleepy Eye going in the first, sending a ball into the outfield and finding grass, advancing all the way to third on the play. Two batters later, Schultz put a ball into play in the infield and Fulmer was able to reach home. St. Mary’s responded in the bottom of the inning, with a single from Kosak bringing home Tyler Mathiowetz to tie the game 1-1.

St. Mary’s had a big inning in the bottom of the second, as five consecutive batters reached base with two outs in the inning.

“It was just great at-bats from our kids,” St. Mary’s head coach Bruce Mathiowetz said. “We came up big with that, especially with two outs. Any time you can do that, that deflates the defense as well.”

A single from Tyler Mathiowetz scored Braulick, then an error in the outfield put into play by Merrick Mathiowetz scored both Helget and Tyler Mathiowetz. Finally, a single from Severson scored Merrick Mathiowetz to make it a 5-1 game.

Sleepy Eye responded with a three-run third inning, with a single from Fulmer and a double from Eckstein being followed by two hit batsmen, with Fulmer coming home. Eckstein scored on a wild pitch, then Klein then grounded into an out, but Schultz was able to score to make it 5-4.

St. Mary’s added a run in the bottom of the inning as Balko doubled to scored Braulick, and Fulmer scored in the fourth after he doubled, then advanced twice on wild pitches.

The St. Mary’s defense tightened up in the fifth inning, with Severson coming in for a 1-2-3 inning to keep the lead at 6-5.

“I think, in the one inning, they got two hits, we hit two batters, so we gave up free bases and you’re potentially going to give up runs,” Woitas said. “Merrick got out of that inning and did a nice job in another inning, and then Kessler came in and really closed the door for us.”

St. Mary’s had another big two-run rally in the fifth inning, with a single from Helget scoring Kosak and Braulick, then a single from Tyler Mathiowetz scored both Balko and Helget to make it a 10-5 game. Sleepy Eye was able to score one run in the sixth inning as Fulmer singled to bring home Landon Wendinger, but St. Mary’s got that run back as Kosak Singled, then scored on an error put into play by Braulick. Severson collected two strikeouts and a flyout in the seventh to end the game.

Klein earned the win for Sleepy Eye in Game 2, striking out three while allowing two earned runs on nine hits and no walks in five innings. At the plate for the Indians, Fulmer was 2 for 3 with an RBI and three runs scored, while Gavin Strong was 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Klein had a hit and two RBIs, and Schultz had an RBI and two runs scored. Wendinger added a hit and two runs scored.

Talan Helget took the loss for St. Mary’s in Game 2, striking out two while allowing eight runs, four earned, on five hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings pitched. Severson pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief, striking out two while allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits and no walks.

At the plate for the Knights, Kosak was 3 for 3, completing a 7-for-7 effort on the day, while Severson and Landry Folkens each had a hit and an RBI. Helget and Merrick Mathiowetz each had a hit and a run scored.

Sleepy Eye (8-7, 6-6) hosts Minnesota Valley Lutheran on Friday, while St. Mary’s (8-8, 7-4) travels to play Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop on Friday.