Lyle/Pacelli Athletics baseball team edges Rushford/Peterson 4-3 in 9 innings Tuesday

With their game at Marcusen Park versus St. Clair Monday postponed due to wet grounds, cold temperatures and wind, the Lyle/Pacelli Athletics baseball team played their first game in 12 days Tuesday versus Section 1A rival Rushford/Peterson, and in their home opener, two Athletics pitchers held the Trojans to only one hit, and a run for LP in the bottom of the 9th gave them a 4-3 win in extra innings.

Lyle/Pacelli led 1-0 after one inning when Rushford/Peterson tied the game at 1-1 with a run in the top of the 3rd.  The Athletics re-took the lead with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning, but the Trojans then took a 3-2 lead with two in the top of the 5th.  Lyle/Pacelli again answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning to knot the game at 3, and it stayed that way until the Athletics tallied a single run in the bottom of the 9th to win the extra-inning affair.

Hunter VaDeer, who struck out 18 batters in the first game of the season versus Houston April 6th fanned 11 Rushford/Peterson batters in five innings of work Tuesday while giving up three runs, none earned, on no hits and four walks.  Isaac Nelsen came in for the 6th inning and wound up earning the win as he gave up no runs on one hit, striking out three and walking none.

Nelsen helped his own cause on the mound by going 2 for 4 at the plate with a double, Landon Meyer went 2 for 4 with a sacrifice fly for an RBI, Mac Nelson was 1 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored, Hunter VaDeer belted a double in four official trips to the plate and knocked in a pair of runs, Dane Schara was 1 for 4 and Logyn Brooks scored a pair of runs from the No. 9 position in the batter order, while Trey Anderson also scored a run in the win.

With the win, Lyle/Pacelli is out to a 2-0 start, and the Athletics will return to action Thursday in Goodhue versus the Wildcats in another non-conference matchup, with first pitch at 4 p.m.