Adam Papin/MDN Bishop Ryan’s Jett Lundeen pitches during the Lions’ season opener against the Beulah Bombers on Thursday. Lundeen threw a one-hitter, as Bishop Ryan won the first game of a doubleheader, 16-0.

Bishop Ryan’s baseball team doesn’t have a single senior on the roster, as it looks to return to the state tournament for a second consecutive season. However, a talented and deep Lions’ roster looked the part of a state qualifier on Thursday, sweeping Berthold 16-0 and 15-3 in its season opening series.

Jett Lundeen threw a complete game one-hitter for Bishop Ryan in the first game, striking out nine and not giving up a walk in the contest. He also hit a two-run double in the first inning to score Seth Wolf and Jack Passa.

“We’re just having fun,” said Lundeen. “It’s good to start the season off right, and I think we did that.”

Lundeen wasn’t the only Lion to get the bats going in the bottom of the first. Ramsey Walz and Macksen Shean added back-to-back triples that accounted for four runs. On the next batter Shean scored on a passed ball. Passa scored two runs in the inning, as Bishop Ryan jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first inning.

The Lions added two more runs in the second, three in the third and three in the fourth, in a game that was never in question before being called in the fifth with Bishop Ryan up 16 runs.

Offensively, Passa led the Lions with three runs and two RBIs on one hit and three walks.

Bennett Warren, Drew Zwak, Teegan Coonrod and Ramsey Walz all scored two runs for Bishop Ryan. Shean, Parker Baier and Lundeen all added one run in the win.

“It just doesn’t feel real to be playing with how the weather’s been,” said Bishop Ryan baseball head coach Douglas Richter. “We’re super grateful that we were able to get outside and play, and see what baseball is like not in a gymnasium. I think we started to see already some good things out of these kids.”

Samuel Babinchak got the start for Berthold, and only gave up two earned runs on five hits, while striking out three and walking four. Unfortunately, he also gave up eight unearned runs. Drew Erickson took the loss for the Bombers, giving up six runs on seven hits, while striking out seven and walking four in three innings of work.

Babinchak picked up the lone hit for the Bombers, a ground ball single in the first inning.

The Lions’ bats picked up right where they left off in the nightcap, scoring 15 runs in the first inning, on their way to a 15-3 win in three innings.

Three Lions players hit triples: Boden Erck, Zwak and Walz, and Bishop Ryan players scored multiple times. Joining Erck, Zwak and Walz in that category were Lundeen and Jace Schwan. Zwak also finished with four RBIs.

Walz both started and picked up the win for Bishop Ryan, allowing one run on one hit, striking out three and walking two in two innings of work. Shean came on in relief and gave up two runs on three walks and one strikeout in one-third of an inning, before Warren closed out the win with two strikeouts.

Babinchak, Erickson and Benit Sorenson all scored runs for Berthold. Parker Neshem got the start and gave up 15 runs, all earned, on ten hits, two strikeouts and four walks in two-thirds of an inning. Gunnar Deaver held Bishop Ryan scoreless in 1 â…” innings of relief.

Bishop Ryan improves to 2-0 on the year, and it will travel across town to take on South Prairie-Max at Jack Hoeven Park in another double-header this afternoon. Berthold will return home to take on South Prairie-Max on Monday.