Laker Baseball Eliminated by Little Falls

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – The Laker baseball team concluded their season on Thursday afternoon as they fell to the Little Falls Flyers at Washington Park in Detroit Lakes 4-1. The Flyers scored all four runs in the 6th inning to keep their season alive.

Detroit Lakes and Little Falls played great defensive baseball and relied on solid pitching to keep the game scoreless through the first three innings. The Lakers scored the first run of the ballgame in the bottom of the 4th inning as Jacob Thomas started the inning off at the plate and worked out a walk. The next batter, Kyler Johnston, drove in Thomas as he hit the ball into the outfield and reached base safely with a single. The Laker attack ended later in the 4th inning when they grounded into a double play and popped out to the third baseman. After allowing the run, the Flyers starting pitcher Matt Filippi shut down the Lakers and only allowed one hit from that point forward. Fillipi went the complete game allowing one run on five hits, walking five Lakers, and striking out seven Laker batters.

Laker starting pitcher Bradley Swiers showed great control on the mound and did not give up any walks during his outing. Swiers was in trouble in the early innings but worked his way out of danger in the first four innings stranding Flyers in scoring position. Swiers had retired seven straight batters through the middle innings when in the top of the 6th inning George Moore singled and began a rally for the Flyers. The Flyers strung together four straight hits (three singles and a double) that plated home three runs. The Flyers added one more run in the sixth inning when the number nine batter Beau Thoma hit an RBI double to make the score 4-1. Swiers saw his day end after the RBI double. Swiers suffered the loss and went 5 2/3 innings allowing four runs on 11 hits giving up 0 walks, and picking up five strikeouts. Noah Rieber came on in relief, went 1 1/3 innings, gave up no runs or hits, and struck out two Flyer batters.

The Lakers finished the 2021-2022 season with an overall record of 12-8 and finished the year with a section record of 1-6. The Flyers advance into the next round of the playoffs and take on Sauk Rapids-Rice in the next game on Saturday in St. Cloud.