BGM, Belle Plaine defeated in second-round

WINTHROP — The last two remaining area teams in Class 1A district baseball play were eliminated in the second-round Tuesday night.

In game one of a doubleheader at East Buchanan, BGM dropped a close one, 4-2, to the hosting Buccaneers.

The game was a pitching duel between the starters — Finn Callahan for BGM and Brady Van Scoyoc for East Buchanan.

Each pitcher gave up only four hits, and only one earned run scored between the two.

“Van Scoyoc was really good at mixing pitches,” BGM coach Jake Tibbetts said. “He was tough to barrel. We were able to get three doubles, but we couldn’t put the hits together.

“They (East Buchanan) made the plays defensively.”

Callahan pitched 5 1/3 innings out of six, with four strike outs and one earned run.

“We knew going in it was going to be a pitching dual,” said Tibbetts. “Finn threw great. Our pitching has been really good all year.”

Beau Burns and Cael Coburn drove in runs for the Bears.

BGM closed the season 15-10, coming off a 18-win season after which it lost a lot of its offensive production.

“It’s a result of the work the guys put in,” Tibbetts said of another good season. “We had to change the way we played.”

Several key seniors depart again this season, but the team does return a bulk of its pitching for next year.

“We’ll definitely miss the seniors, but we do have a lot coming back,” Tibbetts said.

In game two of the doubleheader at East Buchanan, Don Bosco defeated Belle Plaine 15-0.

The Dons led 3-0 after three but scored 12 runs in the fourth, ending this one after four.

Ty Alcott and Mason Walter had hits for the Plainsmen, who finish the season at 9-11.