Kenyon-Wanamingo Baseball Captures Walk-Off Win

The No. 5-rated Class 2A Cannon Falls Bombers and No. 7-rated Class 2A Kenyon-Wanamingo Knights provided a very exciting game to a good crowd in Wanamingo on Monday evening.

Cannon Falls jumped out to a 5-1 lead early and Kenyon-Wanamingo rallied late to win in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh 6-5.

The game had a little bit of everything -- stolen bases, guys thrown out at the plate and some stellar defensive plays by both teams.

Cannon Falls came right out the gate being very aggressive and scored four runs in the first inning.

Senior Tanner Carlson started with a single and stole second base. Junior Jake Christensen laid down a perfect bunt single and the throw was errant to first, allowing Carlson to score from second on the play. Christensen stole second, senior Jason Traynor walked and junior Carlton Lindow singled to load the bases.

With one out, the Bombers got back-to-back RBI singles by junior Liam Franken and senior Michael Monson and Cannon Falls was up 4-0 before Kenyon-Wanamingo even came to the plate.

Nine batters stepped to the dish and Kenyon-Wanamingo senior starter Ethan Benda threw 32 pitches.

The Knights scored in the bottom of the first without the benefit of a hit.

Lead-off batter senior Jake Whipple opened the game with a walk, was wild pitched to second and wild pitched to third. Junior Gavin Roosen was also walked. Senior Luke Rechtzigel got a sacrifice fly RBI for the first out. Roosen was essentially picked off.

Cannon Falls senior lefty Hunter Reinardy threw to first and Roosen took off for second but was out by a good margin and the inning ended with a ground out.

Cannon Falls scored their only other run of the game in the second inning.

An error started the inning on a ball off the bat of Tanner Carlson. He stole second and was wild pitched to third.

Jake Christensen had an RBI single and was later thrown out trying to steal second.

Benda got a couple of ground outs to end the inning and it was Cannon Falls 5 and Kenyon-Wanamingo 1.

Benda settled into the game after that and Reinardy was effectively wild for Cannon Falls, walking four and striking out two over the first four innings while allowing just two hits and hitting a batter.

Benda's day on the hill ended with a line drive that appeared to smack him right on the knee, the ball caromed to first base where Luke Rechtzigel picked it up and stepped on the bag to end the fourth inning.

Benda went down in a heap but after a little while got up and didn't even appear to be limping as he went to the dugout.

In his four innings of work, Benda struck out two and walked one while allowing seven hits and threw 68 pitches, 43 for strikes. He was 10 of 20 first-pitch strikes.

Junior Matthew Houglum began his impressive work on the hill in the fifth.

A ground out opened the inning followed by a Lindow single. Bomber junior Max Bowen then singled and with one out and runners and first and second Franken hit a sinking liner to center. The Knights Ted Androli made an outstanding diving catch and doubled off the runner at second to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, Kenyon-Wanamingo tallied four runs to tie the game with four hits and a couple of Cannon Falls errors factoring in the scoring as nine batters went to the plate.

Matt Houglum hit a ball that resulted in an error in my scorebook anyway. Jake Whipple followed with a single. Roosen flew out to center for the first out.

The Knights' Rechtzigel had a single, Androli was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give him an RBI. Senior Blake Jacobson had an RBI single.

Junior Carter Leninger had an RBI single and Rechtzigel was thrown out at the plate.

Reinardy exited the game after the fifth, throwing 96 pitches and 53 for strikes. He had three strikeouts and four walks and hit a batter while allowing six hits.

Houglum retired the side in the sixth and seventh for the Knights. Monson entered the sixth pitching for Cannon Falls.

In the bottom of the seventh, Blake Jacobson opened the inning with a single. Junior Dylan Craig executed a sacrifice bunt to get the winning run in scoring position.

Back-to-back walks were issued to Leninger and Houglum and Jake Whipple ended the game with a single to left field scoring Jacobson in the walk-off win.

Six walks were issued by Cannon Falls pitchers and two hit batters. One of the walks and one of the hit batsmen scored for Kenyon-Wanamingo.

With the win, the Knights remained unbeaten in the Hiawatha Valley League and Cannon Falls dropped their first conference game of the season.

Our Knights of the game courtesy of the Sviggum Insurance Agency in Wanamingo were Houglum with his three innings of shut-out ball, allowing just two hits and throwing 36 pitches, 21 for strikes, with one strikeout and no walks. Benda, for retiring the final seven batters he faced before getting smacked by the line drive. Jacobson scored the winning run and had two singles and an RBI and Whipple had the game-winning hit, one of two for the day and scored two runs.

The Nelson Insurance Agency Bombers of the game were junior catcher Carlton Lindow, who saved his pitchers a number of runs by blocking balls in the dirt and also had two hits, and Tanner Carlson, who did what a top of the order guy should do: get on base and score. He scored two runs and had two stolen bases.

The Bombers play Pine Island in Cannon Falls on Thursday under the lights and we will have the game on KDHL Radio 920 AM and on the free RadioPup app on your favorite mobile device.

Coverage begins at 6:45PM.

Kenyon-Wanamingo hosts state-ranked Rochester Lourdes on Thursday at 5PM in Wanamingo.

Cannon Falls Pitcher Hunter Reinardy

Cannon Falls Catcher Carlton Lindow

Other high school baseball scores Monday: