By John RittenhouseThe Luverne VFW baseball team secured two wins in three tries while playing road games since last Thursday.The Cardinals split a twin bill in Pipestone Thursday before posting a one-run victory in Edgerton Monday.Luverne, 10-2 overall and 4-1 in league competition, will play four games at the New Ulm Tournament Friday and Saturday. The Cardinals will play in Worthington Tuesday.Luverne 11, Edgerton 2The Cardinals put together two big winnings during Monday’s nine-run win in Edgerton.Luverne scored six runs in the top half of the first inning and added four more in the fourth on the way to a convincing victory.Four Luverne batters drove home runs, including a four-RBI effort from Chris Fitzer.Fitzer opened the scoring in the first when he delivered a two-run single. Ben Nath added a three-run homerun moments later, and Jake Clark slapped a RBI single to cap a six-run uprising.Edgerton countered with two runs in the bottom of the first, but Luverne scored four times in the fourth and once in the sixth to pull away from the hosts.Fitzer and Craig Oeding slapped two-run singles when the Cards increased their lead to 10-2 in the fourth. Clark singled home Luverne’s sixth-inning run.Andrew DeBoer pitched the first four innings to secure the victory. He allowed two runs and four hits. Brett Lundgren pitched two innings of scoreless, no-hit relief. Marc Boelman blanked Edgerton in the seventh.Box score AB R H BIClark 4 0 2 2Elbers 4 1 1 0Boelman 3 2 1 0Reisch 4 1 1 0Fitzer 4 2 2 4Finke 1 0 0 0Lundgren 3 2 1 0Nath 3 1 1 3Oeding 5 2 3 2Boomgaarden 2 0 0 0Richters 1 0 0 0Pipestone 5, Luverne 1The Cardinals dropped their first league tilt of the season during Game 1 of Thursday’s twin bill in Pipestone.Luverne batters were limited to three singles in a game that wasn’t decided until the Arrows scored four runs in the fifth and sixth innings.Pipestone scored the game’s first run in the home half of the first inning before Luverne tied the game in the top of the fourth.Derek Elbers was hit by a pitch, stole second, advanced to third on a throw to first base and scored the run on a passed ball.Pipestone broke the deadlock by scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth before adding two more counters in the sixth.Ben Nath pitched the first five innings and took the loss. He fanned three batters, allowed three hits and three runs. Chris Fitzer surrendered two runs and three hits in one inning of relief.Tyler Reisch, Elbers and Micah Boomgaarden all singled once for the Cards.Box score AB R H BIClark 3 0 0 0Lundgren 3 0 0 0Fitzer 2 0 0 0Reisch 2 0 1 0Nath 4 0 0 0Elbers 3 1 1 0Oeding 3 0 0 0Boler 2 0 0 0Boomgaarden 2 0 1 0Luverne 10, Pipestone 5The Cardinals earned a split of the twin bill by besting the Arrows by five runs in a non-league game Thursday.Boomgaarden earned the pitching win and drove in three runs at the plate to lead Luverne to victory.The Cardinals scored eight runs in the first two innings and never lost the lead during the game.Boomgaarden swatted a two-run single and Nathan Boler drew a bases-loaded walk during a five-run eruption in the top of the first.Reisch singled home one run, Nath received a RBI for a fielder’s choice and Boomgaarden produced a sacrifice fly when Luverne scored three runs in the second inning to make it an 8-0 game.Pipestone trimmed the difference to three runs (8-5) before the Cards scored twice in the top of the fifth to make it a five-run difference.Elbers drew a bases-loaded walk after one run scored on an error to account for Luverne’s final two runs.Boomgaarden worked four innings on the mound to get the win. He allowed five runs and four hits. Caleb Bruynes tossed three innings of shutout relief. Bruynes fanned six batters.Box score AB R H BIOeding 5 1 1 0Lundgren 1 2 1 0Finke 1 1 0 0Fitzer 1 2 0 0Clark 1 0 0 0Reisch 4 0 1 1Elbers 2 2 1 1Boler 2 1 1 1Nath 5 1 0 1Boomgaarden 2 0 1 3Bruynes 1 0 0 0Richters 2 0 0 0
