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The Luverne Redbirds amateur baseball team swept the Heron Lake Lakers in the best-of-three league playoff series last week.
The Redbirds defeated the Lakers 13-1 in seven innings July 20 in Luverne and won 5-0 Saturday afternoon in Heron Lake.
With the victories, Luverne, now 23-2 on the season, extended its winning streak to 17 games and advances to the Region 13C tournament (see related story).
Luverne 13, Heron Lake 1
Phil Paquette would not be denied at the plate Wednesday, July 20.
The veteran Redbird was 4-4 at the plate, scored twice and added three RBIs to lead his team to a 13-1 home win over the Heron Lake Lakers in the first game of the playoff series.
Paquette singled in the first inning, doubled in the second, singled in the third and singled in the fifth.
As has been the case all season, the Birds’ lineup had plenty of offense.
Luverne totaled 14 hits and eight RBIs during the seven-run contest that was shortened by the 10-run rule.
Derek Lundgren and Paquette scored the first runs for the home team off Heron Lake fielding errors in the first inning.
After Ethan Beyer scored on an RBI-double by Paquette in the second inning, the Birds plated five runs in the third.
Ben Serie (two hits and two runs), Newt Johnson, Cade Wenninger (one hit, one run), Beyer (two hits, two runs) and Gaige Nath (one hit, two runs) all scored during the third stanza.
Luverne added five more runs in the fifth inning. Nath, Lundgren (three hits, two runs), Paquette, Skyler Wenninger and Serie all crossed home plate in the frame.
Serie pitched six innings for the Redbirds. He gave up only three hits, one run and one walk while striking out seven Lakers.
Player-manager Brooks Maurer came to the mound in the final inning, giving up no hits and no runs and striking out one.
HL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 x x 1
Luverne 2 1 5 0 5 0 x x x 13
AB R H BI
D Lundgren 5 2 3 0
P Paquette 4 2 4 3
C Crabtree 1 0 0 0
S Wenninger 4 1 0 0
C Sehr 0 0 0 0
B Serie 5 2 2 1
D Beers 3 0 1 1
N Johnson 3 1 0 0
C Wenninger 3 1 1 1
E Beyer 3 2 2 1
G Nath 3 2 1 1
Luverne 5, Heron Lake 0
The Redbirds swept the best-of-three playoff series with the Heron Lake Lakers with a 5-0 victory in Heron Lake Saturday.
Derek Lundgren and Cade Wenninger combined to pitch a shutout.
Lundgren was on the mound for the first seven innings, giving up only three hits and two walks and striking out seven.
Wenninger pitched the final two innings. He struck out the first five batters he faced before the sixth batter was out on a fly ball to end the game.
Lundgren, Paquette, Wenninger, Casey Sehr, Beyer, Colby Crabtree and Charlie Reisch all recorded hits in the contest.
Crabtree, Lundgren, Sehr and Wenninger all had doubles.
Beyer added two RBIs.
Luverne 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 1 5
HL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
AB R H BI
G Nath 4 1 0 0
D Lundgren 5 0 1 0
P Paquette 4 1 1 1
C Wenninger 4 1 1 0
C Sehr 4 1 1 0
E Beyer 3 0 1 2
C Crabtree 2 1 1 1
C Reisch 2 0 1 1
M Sterrett 4 0 0 0