A three-run homer from Brayden Mathews and a grand slam from Ben Brockmann highlighted an eight-run fifth inning that helped LCWM put St. Mary’s away early 11-1 in five innings of a nonconference baseball game at Sleepy Eye Ballpark.

Sanderson pitched four innings in the win LCWM, allowing one hit and three walks for one run while striking out six. Griffin Larson pitched the fifth, striking out two without allowing a hit, walk or run.

“We’ll get better, we anticipate getting better,” Knights head coach Bruce Woitas said. “We thought our pitching staff would kind of be one of our strengths this year and I still believe that, we’ve just gotta go out and just compete.”

Landry Folkens got the start on the mound for St. Mary’s and despite getting into a few jams, often worked out of them and was tagged with three unearned runs on three hits and five walks while striking out eight.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Sleepy Eye St. Marys’ Adam Braulick slides back into first during a nonconference baseball opener against Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial on Monday at Sleepy Eye Ballpark.

Tyler Mathiowetz moved from behind the plate to the mound to open the fifth for St. Mary’s but had a tough time as he allowed four hits and three walks for seven earned runs, getting two outs in the inning. Adam Braulick got the final out of inning for St. Mary’s but not until LCWM got two hits and a walk for one earned run off him.

“[Landry] gave up five free bases with five walks, but he actually survived that,” Woitas said. “It was 1-1, could’ve got out of the inning but we had a couple errors that hurt us, so that provided them a couple runs. Overall, he’s got to pitch better than what we did. He knows that, but he survived, got out of some stuff and pitched well around that, then Tyler came in and typically a good strike thrower, stuff like that, they got a long ball off him, just one of those things. First game out, no excuse, but we’ve just got to play better than what we played. We learn from this and we grow into the next one.”

LCWM got on the board right away in the first when Jack Goeringer, who walked to lead off, took second on a wild pitch, was singled to third by No. 2 hitter Carson Othoudt and then scored on a passed ball for a 1-0 lead. Sanderson walked to have two on, but Folkens struck out the next three batters he saw to end the threat.

Folkens got out of trouble in the third also after a wild pitch allowed Sanderson to take off from third to home. Tyler Mathiowetz got the ball quickly behind the plate, however, and got it to Folkens, who made the tag in time to end the top of the third.

In the bottom of the third, Tyler Mathiowetz walked to lead off and took second on a pickoff attempt thrown away. Merrick Mathiowetz made Sanderson pay for that with a double to left to score Tyler Mathiowetz and tie the game up. Unfortunately, that was the first and only hit St. Mary’s could get a run from in the game and LCWM jumped back in front in the fourth thanks to a pair of errors and an RBI double by Goeringer. Folkens was able to avoid any more damage with a strikeout, giving St. Mary’s a 3-1 deficit to deal with.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Sleepy Eye St. Marys’ Merrick Mathiowetz connects on a pitch for an RBI double during a nonconference baseball opener against Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial on Monday at Sleepy Eye Ballpark.

Despite St. Mary’s committing five errors to LCWM’s two, St. Mary’s did get a run-saving catch in center field in the second when Michael Balko made a diving catch near the warning track for the third out.

LCWM broke out the big bats in the fifth, with all runs but one scoring by way of the long ball. Will McDougal scored on an error in the inning, but the first big jolt of offense came on a three-run homer to left-center by Matthew. Despite Tyler Mathiowetz getting two outs, the LCWM power struck again when Brockmann hit a grand slam to left to make it 11-1.

Mathews finished going 2 for 3 with a walk and three RBIs on his three-run homer, while Goeringer was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs.

Adam Braulick had St. Marys’ only other hit in the game in the fifth on a single to left with two outs.

LCWM, which 10-runned Blue Earth Area in its season opener in Lake Crystal this past Thursday, moved to 2-0 on the young season with the win. LCWM plays in New Ulm against Minnesota Valley Lutheran on April 7.

St. Mary’s will look to move on quickly when it travels to Searles for a 4:30 p.m. nondivision game against Madelia on Tuesday.

“[LCWM has] got a top-notch pitcher in the kid we saw, Landon Sanderson, one of the best pitchers in our area,” Woitas said. “You want that, you want to see their best so you can learn from that as well. [Tuesday], we’ll probably see [Tate] Becker [pitch for Madelia] I’m anticipating, we’re gonna go with Merrick [Mathiowetz] and then Eli Christensen will ne the next one up in relief after that.

“We’ve just gotta pound the strike zone more. We’re always 2-0, 3-0, 3-1, and you can’t do that and be effective. We’ve got to limit the free bases we give and make plays defensively, can’t let the ball bounce by you so they’re getting extra bases because you’re not keeping the ball in front of us, stuff like that.”