Cannon Falls Baseball Tops Kenyon-Wanamingo 1-0 for Fourth Straight Shutout

Cannon Falls combined good defense, timely hitting and solid pitching to score a 1-0 win over Kenyon-Wanamingo on Thursday evening. It was their fourth straight shutout.

Kenyon-Wanamingo put together a two-out threat to open the HVL Blue Division game. After the first two batters were retired, Carter Leininger walked. On the next pitch, Calvin Steberg doubled into the left field corner for the first of his three hits. Leininger attempted to score from first, however left fielder Gage Hildebrandt fired to shortstop Chase Reber, whose relay to catcher Carlton Lindow arrived in plenty of time to apply the tag to end the inning.

Cannon Falls found themselves in the opposite position in the bottom of the second. Elliot Boman singled with two out. Max Bowen smashed a 1-2 pitch into the left-center gap, allowing Boman to score standing up for the only run of the game.

Boman had a busy day in the field. The third baseman had at least one put out in every inning. Several plays were hot shots off the Knights' bats. Kenyon-Wanamingo out-hit Cannon Falls 7-3, but the only other time a player touched third base came with two outs in the sixth. Steberg and Matt Houglum singled and advanced to second and third on a throwing error. Pitcher Andrew Egge put out the fire by striking out the next batter on a full-count pitch. Egge threw the complete game, striking out four and flirting with the new pitching total maximum mandated by the high school league.

Bombers' defensive highlights also included Lindow picking a runner off first and a 6-4-3 double play. Knights' stellar plays included a strike-them-out, throw-them-out double play. Houglum pitched a great game, giving up one run on three hits with eight strikeouts. The full game last barely over one hour.

Cannon Falls players auctioned off their special game-worn hats after the game in support of Helping Kids Round First. Their website indicates their mission is to, "give underprivileged youth opportunities through baseball." Final auction totals weren't immediately available but several caps went for more than $100. Cannon Falls has done several other fundraisers for this charity in the past.

The Bombers improved to 13-5, according to minnesota-scores.net. They play at Randolph on Saturday at 5PM on KDHL AM 920 and face Kasson-Mantorville on the road Monday in the HVL championship game. The Bombers clinched the Blue Division title earlier this week. Kenyon-Wanamingo (12-7) wraps up their regular season Friday at Randolph.