Kari Gibb/MDN Bishop Ryan junior Bennet Warren pitches in game two against Surrey.

Surrey’s baseball team made the short trip west on US Highway 2 to play Bishop Ryan in a doubleheader at Corbett Field. The last time the teams met it was the Lions traveling east to play the Mustangs was Thursday, April 11, in Surrey. Then, the teams split the series. Both games Monday were evenly matched and contested until the final innings of play.

Bishop Ryan 6, Surrey 3

In the tightly contested first game, with no scores in the first two innings, Bishop Ryan found the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning. In a rare moment, Lions sophomore ack Passa swung and missed on a strike three pitch, but the catcher lost track of the ball and Passa reached first safely. Bishop Ryan juniors Teagan Coonrod and Bennet Warren each reached on walks. Lions junior Drew Zwak hit a sacrifice fly to score the run.

In the top of the fourth inning, Surrey junior Andrew Eby hit a triple and junior Luke Wegner doubled to score a run making the score 1-1 going into the fifth inning of play. Mustangs junior Elijah Erickson hit a double to start the top of the fifth inning of play and junior Bryten Vetter hit a sacrifice fly to score the run

With Surrey holding the lead at 2-1, Passa and Coonrod each singled to start the bottom of the fifth inning. Warren then hit a double to score both and return the lead to Bishop Ryan. Zwak hit his second sacrifice fly to score the third run of the inning and gave the Lions the 4-2 lead going into the sixth.

Surrey started the sixth inning with a pair of walked batters to reach base. Mustangs scored a run when Jung struck out and there was subsequently a passed ball on the play narrowing the score to 4-3 for Bishop Ryan.

WIth one out at the bottom of the sixth, Lions junior Boden Erck singled and Passa doubled. Two batters later, Warren singled to score both Erck and Passa on the hit. The game ended with that same 6-3 score as Bishop Ryan held Surrey scoreless in the top of the seventh.

For Bishop Ryan, Passa was 3 of 4 from the plate while Coonrod and Warren each were 2 of 3 with four RBIs between them. Despite going 8 of 26 at the plate and a pair of errors in the game, the Lions were able to hold on for the win.

Passa pitched seven innings and allowed three runs on four hits for an earned run mark of two in the game where he struck out six and walked three.

Bishop Ryan 2, Surrey 0

The second game of the doubleheader was a defensive battle that came down to pitching duels. Coonrod hit a triple in the bottom of the first inning and Warren added a single to score him for the only run of the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Zwak and junior Ramsey Walz were walked. Lions sophomore Hayden Seay went in to courtesy run for Zwak who stole second. Eighth grader Calvin Olson was walked and Seay scored the second run of the game for the Lions on a passed ball.

The Lions were 3 for 11 batting in game two. Bishop Ryan used four pitchers with Coonrod, junior Jace Schwan, Warren and sophomore Seth Wolf each took a turn on the mound.

The Mustangs were 2 for 10 batting in the game with no runs scored. Sophomore Isaac Sherven pitched four innings in the game.

Bishop Ryan (10-1) hosts Velva-Drake/Anamoose on Thursday, May 2, while Surrey (4-8) will host Central McLean the same day at Surrey High School.