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Orioles hold off Long Sox in 2C eliminator

SLEEPY EYE -- After losing his no-hitter in the sixth inning and seeing the Lamberton Long Sox start to rally late, Leavenworth Orioles right-hander Mark Anderson's game plan changed to simply buying his team enough time.

Anderson surrendered three runs during his final two innings pitched, but he escaped a jam in the eighth and let his closer Dylan Hillesheim take care of the rest as the Orioles held on for a 5-3 win in a Region 2C Amateur Baseball Tournament elimination game Sunday at Sleepy Eye Ballpark.

The win moves the seventh-seeded Orioles on to an elimination state qualifying game against the fifth-seeded Springfield Tigers at 7:30 p.m. Friday in New Ulm at Johnson Park.

Anderson gave up eight hits and three walks for three earned runs while striking out six. Seven of his eight hits allowed came during the seventh and eighth innings.

"It's kind of more just about setting up the team for the rest of the game," Anderson said. "I know I gave up those two runs [in the eighth], but gotta flush it and I know I'm probably not going to go the ninth, but if I can get out of it and set up my reliever like I did, that's the most important thing at that point."

The Orioles built a 5-0 lead after six innings, but the sixth-seeded Long Sox spoiled Anderson's no-no with a one-out bloop single into center field by Will Carlson in the bottom of the sixth. Anderson escaped the inning without any runs allowed, but the Long Sox got to him in the seventh. A leadoff single by Josh Altermatt ended up leading to a one-out double by Kyle Krzmarzick and an RBI single by Isaac Jenniges to have the Long Sox down 5-1.

The Long Sox got two more runs in the eighth on RBI singles from Altermatt and Jackson Jenniges, leading Leavenworth manager Zack Mickelson to the mound for a visit with Anderson. Anderson responded to the visit by forcing a popout and getting a strikeout to end the inning with the Longhorns still in front 5-3.

Hillesheim allowed a walk to Carlson and a single to Jack Hines in the ninth, both with one out, but he got a strikeout and a flyout to right to end the game and pick up the save.

Jackson Ludewig was 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI to lead Leavenworth at the plate, while Jaden Mickelson was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI and Jevan Richert was 2 for 4 with a double.

Quintyn Vold took the loss for Lamberton in five innings of work, allowing five hits and two walks for four unearned runs while striking out six. He hit three batters with pitches.

Hines finished 2 for 3 with three walks to lead Lamberton, while Altermatt was 2 for 4 with an RBI.

The Orioles first got to Vold in the fifth for four runs, but errors certainly aided Leavenworth's scoring outburst as the Long Sox had three in the inning.

Ludewig was hit by a pitch to begin the inning, but a pickoff throw got away for an error and let him take second and third. A throwing error allowed Austin Uecker to reach and Ludewig to score for a 1-0 Leavenworth lead before Vold got a flyout for the first out, which allowed Uecker to move up to third. Huiras check-swing chopped a ball towards first for an out, but it ended up working like a suicide squeeze as Huiras was out at first and Uecker slid into home safely for a 2-0 lead.

Richert singled to keep the inning going before Jaden Mickelson doubled off the wall in left-center to give the Orioles a 3-0 lead. An RBI double by Alex Sellner made it a 4-0 game.

Ludewig had an RBI double to right in the sixth to put the Orioles up 5-0.

After the Orioles took that big lead, Anderson said he was trying to get through the innings faster to keep the momentum going for his offense.

"Most important thing was just trying to get back in the dugout a fast as I can to keep the momentum for our guys going and going because we were kind of rolling at that point," Anderson said. "So it's just about trying to get ahead of guys, get quick outs and stuff like that so we can get back in the dugout and keep hitting and keep rolling and keep our momentum. I didn't do it late, but if I could do it in the beginning, get enough runs and we could keep putting them on and get enough run support, that's kind of what the goal is for that."

Now the Orioles will look to Friday and work to take down the Tigers, who missed the state tournament last year after making it back in 2024. Meanwhile, the Orioles are looking to keep a state run going after making it last year for the first time since 2012.

"It's going to be a good game," Anderson said. "Win and in you're in. They're seeking state, they lost out in like this round last year, they want it bad. We want it bad, too, because we want to get back to it. They're gonna throw a really good pitcher. We'll have a few guys gone, but we'll try and get through it."