Stars get win with help from Twins’ pitchers
Sports | Published on June 6, 2022 at 3:24pm CDT
May 29 at Marthaler Field
Starbuck 7
New London-Spicer 4
The Stars hosted New London on Sunday, May 29. Starbuck was looking for a two-game win streak, having beaten Regal a week earlier.
The game didn’t begin well for the Stars, at all. The Twins knocked a three-run homer in the top of the first inning, coming after two outs had been made.
Starbuck would do all of their scoring in the bottom of the third inning.
It was a good inning for Starbuck hitters, as Mike Andreas, Andy Toop and Matt Gruber each had singles. But it was the contribution of Twins’ pitching that turned the inning into a big one. New London walked six batters in the frame, including the first four to start the inning.
Darion Alexander, Matt Gruber, Austin VerSteeg and Aaron VerSteeg all drew walks before an out had been made. Multiple wild pitches also helped move the base runners around the diamond. When it was all said and done, Starbuck had scored seven runs and now led, 7-3.
Starbuck starting pitcher Austin VerSteeg, after giving up three runs in the first, was having some trouble in the second inning as well, having given up consecutive one-out singles. But the hard-throwing righty struck out the next two batters to get out of trouble. VerSteeg then struck out the heart of the Twins’ order in the third, making for five straight strikeouts. VerSteeg went on to set NL-S down in order in the fourth and fifth innings, stacking up 11-consecutive outs heading into the sixth inning.
New London-Spicer turned a walk and two singles into a run in the top of the sixth inning, but the Stars still commanded a 7-4 lead.
Matt Gruber would come on to pitch for the Stars in the top of the seventh inning. Gruber would face the minimum number of batters over the final three innings despite giving up singles in the seventh and eighth innings. Starbuck would turn double plays in each of those innings, ending any hopes for the Twins of a comeback.
Starbuck managed just five hits off of Twins’ pitching, but the visitors tossed in nine walks and five wild pitches to supplement the Stars’ offense.
New London 300 001 000 – 4 8 0
Stars 007 000 000 – 7 5 1
HITTING – Starbuck:
Micahel Gruber 0-3 r, Darion Alexander 0-3 r rbi, Matt Gruber 1-2 r rbi-2, Austin VerSteeg 0-3 r, Aaron VerSteeg 0-3 r, Mike Andreas 1-1 rbi, Jared Freese 1-2 r, Jackson Hendrickson 1-4, Andy Toop 1-2 r rbi
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so)
Austin VerSteeg (W) 6-6-4-3-2-13
Matt Gruber 3-2-0-0-0-2
