Defending Section Champion Rails Open Season In A Big Way

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April 10, 2012

By Max Mercy

PROCTOR — Ben Nelson threw a one-hit shutout as Proctor defeated Eveleth-Gilbert in a non-conference baseball game at Terry Egerdahl Memorial Field to open the 2012 season. The game was called with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning due to the 10-run rule after back-to-back RBI singles by Jake Lewis and Jimmy Merling.

Nelson (1-0, 0.00 ERA) had eight strikeouts and allowed two walks to pick up his eighth career win. He threw just 71 pitches in six innings, 51 for strikes.

Merling got Proctor’s first hit of the season when he led off the bottom of the first inning with a sharp single to left field. Proctor took a 1-0 lead later in the inning when Merling scored on Cody Dolsen’s sacrifice fly.

Proctor scored twice in the second inning on singles by Jake Malec and Merling, a pair of Eveleth-Gilbert errors, and an RBI groundout by Jack Nikko. Merling reached on an error in the fourth inning, stole both second and third base, and scored on a balk to put the Rails ahead by a 4-0 margin.

Proctor put the game out of reach with a four-run fifth inning. Both Evan Scherber and Ryan McCarthy contributed RBI singles, and Proctor took advantage of a hit batsman, two walks, a passed ball, and two errors in the inning.

Malec reached on an error with two outs in the sixth inning to set up the single by Lewis, on which Paul Hegstrom scored his third run of the game, and the walk-off single by Merling, on which Malec scored his third run.

Merling was 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBIs, and three stolen bases. McCarthy was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two stolen bases.

Malec, just an eighth grader
made his PHS Varsity debut a memorable one by getting a hit in his first at bat, stealing a base, and scoring three runs.

William Olson led off the top of the fourth inning with a single for Eveleth-Gilbert’s lone hit.

Proctor had 10 runs on nine hits, no errors, and eight left on base. Eveleth-Gilbert had no runs on one hit, five errors, and one left on base.

Proctor (1-0) hosts Hermantown on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Eveleth-Gilbert (0-1) hosts Hibbing on Thursday.

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