New Bell Field Fence Costs Cardinals Game-Tying Homer

Faribault Academies Cardinals Senior Christian VonRuden turned on an inside fastball and crushed it to left field in the sixth inning of a 9-8 loss to the Randolph Rockets on Thursday night at Bell Field. The ball hit off the top area of the extended fence, holding VonRuden to a double.

Had the ball cleared the fence, it would have been a tie game. Everyone at the ballpark agreed the smash would have easily cleared the old 324-foot fence. This spring the city moved the fence in to 309 feet and extended it to 15 feet high to make up for the difference.

Randolph jumped out to a 7-2 lead after two innings off starting pitcher Brandt Tousignant and added two runs in the fifth inning off reliever Kollin Hanson. Cardinal senior Pete Clark pitched two scoreless innings, allowing the Cardinals to make the comeback. Faribault Academies tallied five runs in the sixth, and then Randolph starter Nate Overby finished his complete game win by slamming the door in with a up and down in order seventh inning.

The Faribault State Farm Insurance agents Faribault players of the game were Cardinal leadoff hitter Brendan Trump with two doubles and three runs scored, VonRuden with two hits and four runs batted in, and Clark was chosen for his two innings of scoreless pitching.

Faribault Academies is now 1-5 and hosts New Life Academy of Woodbury at 10AM Saturday. Byron also will play the Cardinals at 2PM in the round robin at Bell Field. Randolph upped their record to 5-2 and travel to Blooming Prairie on Tuesday.