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Bulldogs pounce

Burlington scores early and often to stifle Stanley

Alex Eisen/MDN Burlington's Jarrett Vendsel swings and makes contact on Thursday for a two-run double in the first inning against Stanley in the American Legion Class B West Region baseball tournament in Lansford.

LANSFORD — The No. 2-seeded Burlington Bulldogs unloaded on Thursday for 16 runs on 17 hits to emphatically get one step closer to an American Legion Baseball Class B West Region title.

While the bats went off, Burlington’s starting pitcher Noah Zietz was just as dominant on the mound. He allowed one hit in four innings of work and threw just 37 pitches, as the Bulldogs blitzed the No. 3-seeded Stanley Blue Jays 16-0 (five innings) in the second round of the regional tournament in Lansford.

“We played two close games during the regular season, we split both ways and I really didn’t think we would put 16 on the board,” Burlington coach Sean Arbaut said. “It was great to see. Our guys were swinging the bat well and Noah pitched the (heck) out of it.”

Burlington got off to a fast start with four runs in the bottom of the first inning, which included a two-run double from Jarrett Vendsel. The Bulldogs added three more runs in the next inning with an RBI single by Arron Grandy to left field and a two-run double by Jacob Ruden to right center.

All those runs came after a defining moment for Zietz on the hill in the top of the first inning. After putting the first two Stanley batters on base with a walk and a hit by pitch, Zietz worked out of the jam and settled in the rest of the way.

“I do that a lot,” Zietz said about the slow start. “It’s more of a mental thing. It’s not like I’m trying to let them get on. And, when they do, I try my best to make sure that they don’t score.”

Stanley made a pitching change after getting four outs, as Coen Evans replaced starter Corey Lewis.

That didn’t stop Burlington from scoring. In the third inning, Grandy and Vendsel came through once more with run scoring doubles. John Koronka and Ruden each added RBI singles to increase Burlington’s lead to 12-0 after three innings. Ruden finished with a team-high five RBIs on three hits.

“It’s a lot easier,” Arbaut said about coaching with a big lead. “Especially when your pitcher is up there pounding the zone and getting guys out.”

Stanley’s lone hit was a double by Albert Sween in the fourth inning. The Blue Jays left a total of three runners on base.

Before coming in to pitch and close out the victory in the fifth, Grandy picked up his fourth single and fourth RBI of the game to start Burlington’s final scoring run in the fourth inning.

“I was seeing strikes and just trying to do something with them,” Grandy said. “I wasn’t trying to do too much, just go with the pitch. Try to get in my guys that are on base for me. I was just giving it my best.”

Two batter’s after Grandy’s fourth base hit, Koronka followed suit with his fourth knock of the game that also scored another run. A two-run double by Ruden ended the onslaught at 16-0.

Six Burlington players finished with multiple hits with the top four hitters in the batting order — Zietz, Grandy, Vendsel and Koronka — accounting for 15 of the team’s 17 hits.

The Bulldogs move on to the winner’s bracket final game to be played at 6 p.m. this evening against top-seeded Hazen.

“Hazen got a bye their first round, so they have only thrown one guy,” Arbaut said. “They have a whole staff ready to throw at us. We got to be ready for whoever they got and they got a couple good arms. But, both games (we played against them) were one-run games. If we swing like we just did, then I think Hazen might have a little trouble with us.”

Meanwhile, Stanley heads over to the loser-out side of the bracket to face Garrison in the first game to be played today at 10:30 a.m. in Lansford.

The Class B West Region tournament continues into this weekend with the first championship game scheduled to be played at 2 p.m. on Saturday with an if necessary rematch game to follow.

Alex Eisen covers Minot High School, Minot State athletics and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.

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