LHS baseball team defeats West Central, falls to Dell Rapids

The Lennox High School Orioles baseball team split a pair of games last week, cruising to a 14-3 victory over the West Central Trojans on Monday, May 4, before falling to the Dell Rapids Quarriers 4-2 on Thursday, May 7.

Lennox exploded offensively and received a strong pitching performance from Mason Reischl to earn a convincing six-inning road win over West Central.

The Orioles wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning. Jaxson Bittner tripled to center field and scored on a groundout by Gabe Veurink.

Lennox broke the game open with a four-run third inning. Bittner reached on an error, Veurink singled, and Talen Eich drew a walk to load the bases. Cole Spieler delivered a two-run single, and Reischl followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 5-0.

The Orioles added five more runs in the fourth inning. Reischl highlighted the frame with a bases-clearing double to center field that plated three runs and gave Lennox a commanding 10-0 advantage.

West Central scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth, but the Orioles answered with four more in the sixth. Spieler drove in Eich with a single, Reischl doubled, and Cade Aasheim lined a two-run single to left field. A wild pitch brought home the final run for the 14-3 margin.

Reischl led the Orioles at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs. Spieler added two hits and three RBIs, while Bittner tripled, doubled, and scored three runs. Aasheim contributed a two-run single.

On the mound, Reischl struck out ten batters over five innings while allowing three runs. Eich recorded the final out in relief.

Lennox was held scoreless until the seventh inning in a 4-2 loss to Dell Rapids on Thursday.

Cole Spieler turned in a strong performance on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while allowing four runs, only two of which were earned.

Dell Rapids scored one run in the second inning, added two more in the third, and tacked on another in the fifth to build a 4-0 lead.

The Orioles threatened in several innings but were unable to capitalize until the bottom of the seventh. Justin Butler singled to open the inning, and Bittner reached on an error. Veurink drove in Butler with a groundout, and Eich followed with an RBI double to left field to score Bittner and cut the deficit to 4-2.

Lennox brought the tying run to the plate, but Dell Rapids recorded the final two outs to secure the victory.

Veurink collected two hits for the Orioles, while Eich had a double and an RBI. Butler added a seventh-inning single, and Bittner scored one run.

The Orioles were scheduled to travel to Hanson on Monday, May 11 before Region action begins next week.