Luverne senior Nick Uilk lays down a bunt that resulted in a single during the second inning of the first game of Monday’s home baseball doubleheader against Jackson County Central. Uilk had a pair of hits in a 5-3 victory in the opener. The Cards cruised to a 14-3 win in the finale to sweep the twin bill from the defending Section 3AA champions.By John RittenhouseThe Luverne baseball team reeled off three consecutive wins early this week to extend its current winning streak to four straight games.The Cardinals stunned Jackson County Central, the defending Section 3AA champions, by sweeping a Southwest Conference twin bill from the Huskies Monday. Luverne entertained Red Rock Central-Westbrook-Walnut Grove for one game Tuesday and secured a one-run victory.Luverne, 4-1 overall, plays in Slayton Friday before hosting Pipestone for a doubleheader Monday.Luverne 5,RRC-W-WG 4The Cardinals survived a late scare from RRC-W-WG to pull out a one-run home victory Tuesday.Luverne appeared to be in control of the game when it took a 4-0 lead into the top of the seventh inning, but the visitors rallied to score four times in the frame to knot the game.The Cardinals, however, battled back to score one run in the bottom of the seventh to record a win.Senior Aaron Schmidt singled, stole second, moved to third and scored the game-winning run on a passed ball.Luverne plated three runs in the fifth inning and one in the sixth to open a 4-0 cushion.Nick Uilk walked and scored the game’s first run in the fifth when Schmidt singled. An error by RRC-W-WG’s first baseman allowed two more runs to score in the inning.Senior Nick DeWispelaere walked and scored Luverne’s sixth-inning run on another error by the RRC-W-WG first baseman.Jake Studer started the game on the mound and didn’t gain a decision. Studer, who fanned 11 batters in six and one-third innings, surrendered one run, three hits and five walks. Rob Fodness, who was touched for three runs, three hits and issued two walks, picked up the win after recording the final two outs in the top of the seventh.Box score AB R H BIJo.Pick 3 1 1 0Remme 1 0 0 0Schmidt 3 2 2 1Studer 2 0 0 0Kurtz 3 0 1 1Boen 2 0 0 0Reisch 1 0 0 0Wysong 3 0 0 0Johnson 2 0 0 0DeWispelaere 0 1 0 0S.Pick 1 0 0 0Deutsch 2 0 0 0Uilk 1 1 1 0Petersen 1 0 0 0Luverne 5, JCC 3A three-RBI effort by senior Jake Studer led the Cardinals to a two-run win over the Huskies during Game 1 of Monday’s doubleheader in Luverne.Studer slapped a two-run single in the bottom of the second inning to give the Cardinals a lead they would never relinquish. He added an RBI double to cap a three-hit performance in the bottom of the sixth.JCC gained a 2-0 lead in the top of the first before the Cards moved in front 4-2 with one run in the bottom of the first and three more in the second.Joey Pick walked in the first inning and cut JCC’s lead in half (2-1) when he scored on a passed ball later in the frame.Luverne loaded the bases with a walk to Mark Remme, an error by JCC on a chopper hit by Adam Reisch and Nick Uilk’s bunt single. Zach Wysong was hit by a pitch to force home Remme, and two more runs scored when Studer singled to make it 4-2.The Huskies pulled within one run (4-3) with a counter in the top of the fourth before LHS added an insurance run in the sixth. Pick singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Aaron Schmidt and scored when Studer doubled.Jared Pick pitched five innings of three-run ball (one was earned) to pick up the win. He allowed six hits and recorded three strikeouts. Jesse Kuhlman pitched two scoreless innings of hitless ball to record a save. Kuhlman, who pitched his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth, fanned two batters.Box score AB R H BIJo.Pick 3 2 1 0Schmidt 2 0 0 0Studer 4 0 3 3Kurtz 2 0 0 0Boen 4 0 0 0Remme 2 1 0 0Reisch 2 1 0 0DeWispelaere 1 0 1 0Uilk 3 1 2 0Wysong 2 0 1 1Luverne 14, JCC 3The Cardinals completed their sweep of the Huskies with an 11-run victory in the nightcap.Adam Kurtz tossed five innings of three-run ball (one was earned) to set the tone defensively. Eleven Cardinals recorded RBIs to highlight a 14-run, 15-hit offensive outburst.JCC led 1-0 before the Cards gained a 5-1 cushion by scoring two runs in the top of the third and three more in the fourth.Schmidt and Studer, who led the Cards with two and three RBIs in the game, doubled home one run each in the third. Scott Boelman and Studer doubled home runs and Schmidt added an RBI single in the fourth.After JCC plated a run in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 5-2 game, Luverne iced the contest with a seven-run eruption in the top of the fifth.Studer, Devin Goembel and Ryan Johnson drew bases-loaded walks in the fifth, and Scott Pick was hit by a pitch with the sacks full to pick up an RBI. Joey Pick and Wysong singled home runs, and Nick DeWispelaere received an RBI for a ground out.The Huskies scored their final run in the bottom of the fifth before the Cards capped the scoring with two runs in the sixth.Kurtz doubled in a run and Rob Fodness drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth for LHS.Kurtz fanned eight batters and limited JCC to four hits while picking up the win. Fodness tossed one inning of scoreless relief.Box score AB R H BIJo.Pick 5 4 4 1Schmidt 3 1 2 2Goembel 0 1 0 1Studer 3 1 2 3Kurtz 4 1 1 1DeWispelaere 1 0 0 1Remme 3 0 2 0Deutsch 0 0 0 0Wysong 3 1 1 1Johnson 2 2 1 1Fodness 0 0 0 1Boelman 4 2 2 1Reisch 1 0 0 0Petersen 2 1 0 0S.Pick 1 0 0 1
