Baseball Recap: East Central Takes a Loss

East Central had lost five straight at home, but on Monday they dropped their record down to 4-8 to make it six. They took a 5-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Pine City Dragons. If the Eagles were looking for revenge after losing 2-0 to the Dragons when the teams met back in May of 2024, then they'll just have to keep looking.

Gradyn Swenson put in work no matter where he played. He struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That double was his first of the season.

As for Pine City, their victory bumped their record up to 4-10. That looming 5-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for them yet this season.

On Pine City's side, Ethan Aagaard spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up 16 Ks.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ezrah Barth, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Beau Hegge, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. East Central will take on Mille Lacs co-op [Isle/Onamia] at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Huskies will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last. As for Pine City, they will square off against Aitkin at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Gobblers' pitching crew has only allowed 3.3 runs per game this season, so the Dragons' hitters will have their work cut out for them.