HELENA — Medals, not of bronze or gold but of dirt, clung to the chests of nearly all Laurel Dodger players Friday afternoon.
Rewards for soaking under a number of passing showers during Day 2 of Keith Sell Tournament pool play at Kindrick Legion Field and braving sticky clay on the basepaths in 11-0 and 6-4 victories over Canadian clubs.
“I kinda used it to fuel me that it’s not gonna be an excuse,” Laurel pitcher Landen Bauer, who tossed a complete game shutout against Lethbridge, said.
“I think we powered through it and wore the dirt on our jerseys like a trophy, like a medal. We really wanted to get dirty and get into the game.”
Within a victory of a double digit win streak, the Dodgers would secure a tournament championship berth with an early-morning triumph on Saturday. Already the longest win streak for a number of Laurel regulars, it erased an 0-6 start and has last season’s Class A runners-up a season-high three games above .500 (16-13).
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“The kids [are] buying into the system,” Dodger coach Doug Studiner said. “We have some new ballplayers who have never gone through our system and been coached the way we coach in the things we expect…
“They see that what we’re teaching at practice comes true in games.”
Seeking a spark in a 2-0 second-inning against Calgary, Laurel received a 10-pitch at-bat from lead-off hitter Eric Haus. The righty fouled off four consecutive pitches in a two-strike count to reach, later scoring on a game-tying single from Louis Nagy.
Pictured: Laurel Dodgers outfielder Eric Haus tracks down a flyball in a 4-3 victory over Butte during Keith Sell Tournament pool play on Thursday, June 27, 2024, at Kindrick Legion Field in Helena. On Friday, Haus worked a 10-pitch lead-off walk to spark a comeback against Calgary.
Pierce Caton put Laurel ahead for good a batter later and pitcher Ethan West stranded the bases loaded in a one-run game in the third.
Catcher Nick Schneider collected three hits. Caton, Nagy, Reece Dolechek and Kyle Berube tallied RBI in the victory.
“We’ve been looking forward to this tournament,” Bauer said. “We set a pitching machine up to 80, 85 [MPH] because that’s what we’re gonna be getting…
“When we got the slower pitchers, we just sat on it and hit it. Just knowing that streak is going is fueling us to keep it going.”
“This is the longest streak I’ve had since I’ve played for the Dodgers,” Haus said. “It’s a lot of fun. We’ve all worked hard to get this done.”
Six times in nine, Laurel has cracked double digit runs. Four times, including against Lethbridge Friday morning, Dodgers pitching has limited opponents to zero or one runs.
Seeking to challenge themselves in a Class AA tournament, Laurel is now closing in on hoisting physical trophies in Helena.
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