Wynot gets off to a slow start as baseball season finally opens

LESTERVILLE — Wynot dropped its first two games of the 2020 season and Crofton split its pair during opening contests in South Dakota Amateur Baseball Association South Central League play last week.

Wynot fell 7-3 at Tabor on Tuesday despite Jalen Wieseler going 3-for-4 with a triple and Devon Lammers cranking a solo homer.

The Expos followed that loss last Tuesday with a 6-1 defeat at Lesterville on Thursday.

Lee Heimes went 2-for-4 and Dain Whitmire threw four shutout innings in the loss.

“The guys were excited to start the season,” player/coach Heimes said. “We have 21 on our roster and we tried to get everyone to play those first two games. We haven’t had a lot of practice, so we are working our bodies into playing shape and trying to be smart about it.

“We are a little behind because the other teams in South Dakota were able to play some non-league games already. I think as a team we have a lot of drive. We just need to continue to get our baseball skills back and work on our game.”

Next up for the Expos was Tuesday’s game at Scotland and then they follow that up with a 7 p.m. Thursday meeting at Menno.

The Bluejays had a mix of contentious and easy this week as they rolled past the host Scotland Crue, 8-0 last Tuesday and then held on for an 11-8 win at Irene two days later.

James Kaiser and Corey Roach showed off their power at the plate this week according to Crofton head coach Ben Hegge. Kaiser hit a two-run home run in the opening win and Corey Roach hit a grand slam against Irene.

Capp Bengston and Nick Hegge both picked up wins on the mound with the former throwing six innings of shutout baseball in game one, while Nick Hegge came in relief and got out of a jam and went four innings of relief

“Andrew Schieffer also really hit the ball well,” Coach Hegge said. Schieffer opened the season with the first two hits of the year – a triple and a double.

The Bluejays played at Lesterville and Menno on Sunday and Tuesday and travel to Tabor Thursday for a 7 p.m. date.

“It was a unique situation starting the year with no practices, no pick-up games,” Ben Hegge said. “In previous years, we get going with practice and those non-league games a month before the season starts. However, with COVID-19 regulations we were not allowed to meet until our opener in Scotland. All things considered it was a great first two games.

“Everyone was eager to get back out on the field and everyone did their job. More importantly the team gelled very well. With a few newcomers you can tell that this team instantly has great chemistry which will make for a fun summer of baseball.”