Metros rally in seventh inning to top Velva

By CRAIG HAUPERT, Staff Writer chaupert@minotdailynews.com
The Minot Metros are becoming synonymous with comebacks.

For the third time in four games, the Metros rallied in the final half inning to beat an opponent — this time Velva 7-6 in a Section 5 American Legion Class B Baseball game Tuesday at Corbett Field.

The Metros (7-3, 2-0 Section 5) trailed 6-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning where they scored four runs, including the final one on Kris Winkels’ walk-off single to win their fifth-straight game.

“It’s a testament to our guys’ character,” Metros head coach Travis Smith said. “These guys are a unique group of players that never consider themselves down. They truly believe that the game is not over until it’s over.”

The Metros rallied from six back to defeat Burlington Sunday and rallied from three back to beat Burlington Monday.

Tuesday’s seventh-inning rally began with a pair of singles by Alex Howell and Damon Otto and a walk of Casey Roed to load the bases with no outs. Dan Himmerick drew a walk, scoring Howell, and Jarid Hoffman followed with a single, scoring Otto. Alex Fornshell then drove in Roed with a single to tie it before Winkels provided the walk off.

Fornshell finished 3-for-4 with a home run and four runs batted in. He’d been waiting a long time to have a break-out game and it all began with a little luck. In his first at bat, Fornshell popped it straight up behind home plate, but Velva’s catcher was unable to make the play. Fornshell sent the next pitch out of the park.

“That’s just how baseball is,” Fornshell said. “That’s usually what it takes to get going though — one lucky play every now and then.”

Metros reliever Tyrel Erickson entered in the sixth for Howell and picked up the win, allowing three hits and one earned run, while striking out two in two innings. Hoffman batted 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Velva’s Tyler Mack relieved starting pitcher Austyn Kittelson in the seventh and took the loss. Velva’s Ty Bruner, Trenton Bruner, Sam Schultz and Mack all had multiple hits.

Velva’s Geret Wible made certain there would be no more Metros magic in the nightcap. In his first outing, Wible threw a complete-game, four-hit shutout to lead Velva to a 7-0 win.

“He threw strikes, worked the zone well, hit corners,” said Velva coach Travis Bruner, who was filling in for absent head coach Mike Thingstad. “He kept them off balance with the change up. That’s all you have to do.”

After taking a 1-0 lead in the first on a Bruner steal of home, Velva (0-1 Section 5) put up six runs in the third to end scoring. All but three Velva players scored and Schultz batted 2-for-3, while Tyler Mack provided two RBIs.

Metros starter Jordan Newbury pitched 2 1/3 innings and took the loss.