SLAYTON — Dylan Kluis tossed four shutout innings and hit a pair of doubles with three RBIs for the Murray County Central baseball team on Monday afternoon. The Rebels rode the offensive and defensive production to a 14-4 win over Adrian/Ellsworth in Red Rock Conference play.

As a pitcher, Kluis also struck out six batters while limiting Adrian/Ellsworth to a pair of hits and three walks to earn his first pitching win of the season.

MCC first claimed the lead with an eight-run second inning. Krew Schneider singled and Dugan Kluis and Carson Lewis reached base on consecutive Adrian errors to push across the game’s first run.

Gabe Tentinger kept the momentum rolling with RBI single and, after a Cayden Veldhuisen single, Teague Meyer drove in another pair of runs with a one-out single to make the score 4-0.

Gavin Gillette and Dylan Kluis each drove in one run with a single and a double respectively, and Dugan Kluis reached on an error for the second time in the inning to make the score 8-0.

Meyer finished with three hits and four RBIs, both team-highs. He was also one of three Rebels to draw a walk in the game, along with Dugan Kluis and Veldhuisen.

MCC led 12-0 in the top of the fifth when the Dragons first got on the scoreboard. Veldhuisen started the inning on the mound and a single, a double and a hit batter loaded the bases. An Adrian ground out pushed across two runs and, after a walk, another RBI single cut MCC’s lead down to 12-3.

A passed ball allowed another run to score and Veldhuisen hit another batter before Meyer took over on the mound and got a ground-ball double play to end the frame with MCC maintaining an eight-run cushion.

Meyer retired the sixth in order to finish the day with a perfect 1 2/3 innings pitched, retiring five runners on four batters faced and 13 pitches.

A Veldhuisen walk and a Tristan Behrends single put the mercy-rule run on first with no outs. Another single from Meyer loaded the bases, Gillette grounded into a fielder’s choice to push across one run and an Adrian/Ellsworth error allowed the clinching run to score.

MCC also scored four runs in the bottom of the third, two coming on a Meyer single and another two on a Kluis double.

MCC improves to 2-0 with the win and next prepares for its first road game of the season against Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

RRC/WWG 4

LAMBERTON –A six-run seventh inning carried the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton baseball team to a come-from-behind win in Red Rock Conference play on Monday against Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove. The Knights trailed 4-3 heading into the final frame but rallied ahead for a 10-4 win.

RRC/WWG retired two of the first three Knights in the top of the seventh inning, the exception being Kolby Louwagie reaching base on a dropped third strike. Louwagie made the Falcons pay for the miscue, stealing second, getting to third on a passed ball and scoring the tying run on a Sean Griesse single into center field.

Still, the Knights were not content to sit on the tie and hope to play defense to force extra innings. Tyler Wichmann was intentionally walked and Drew Chandler singled to load up the bases. Seth Cowell singled to push across Griesse for the go-ahead run and Eli Determan singled to score another pair of insurance runs.

A two-run double from Chase Christianson and an RBI single from Levi Tommeraasen made the score 10-4 before Louwagie lined out to end the frame.

Jordan Therkilsen walked and Hudsen Jenniges singled to put two runners on with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Gavin Schreurs got a strikeout and a pop out to give RTR the win and earn his first save of the season.

Schreurs pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out a pair of batters.

Eli Determan earned the win on the hill, striking out nine batters over his 4 2/3-inning start. He surrendered four earned runs on five hits and four walks. His three hits and two RBIs were also both team-highs, and he was walked to reach base in each of his four plate appearances.

Abe Stavnes was tagged with the loss after giving up seven runs–all of which were unearned — on seven hits and a walk over 2 2/3 innings. He struck out five batters in the relief appearance.

Jenniges led RTR’s offense with three of the team’s seven hits, and he was one of two Falcons with a double along with Imker. Therkilsen also drew three walks in four plate appearances.

RTR trailed 4-0 heading into the top of the fifth. Cowell and Determan started the inning off with a single and a walk, and Tyson Burns came in as a courtesy runner for Cowell before eventually scoring RTR’s first run on an RRC/WWG error on a pickoff attempt at third base.

Tommeraasen singled and Louwagie walked to load up the bases. Isaac Janish, in as a courtesy runner for Determan, scored on a wild pitch and Brayden Chandler then singled in Tommeraasen to make it a one-run game.

Imker started the game for RRC/WWG on the mound. He struck out 11 batters over 4 1/3 frames but allowed three earned runs on five hits and a trio of walks.

RRC/WWG first claimed the lead when Imker doubled with two outs in the first, allowing Therkilsen to score after he led off the game with a walk.

The Falcons bolstered their lead with a three-run fourth inning. Jenniges’ double and Jake Erickson’s single put runners on the corners with one out, and Jake Jenniges hit an RBI single to make it a 2-0 game. A passed ball and a balk then pushed across another pair of runs to give the Falcons a 4-0 cushion.

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton improves to 2-0 on the season with the win and travels to Granite Falls for its next game against Yellow Medicine East today at 4:30 p.m.

Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove falls to 1-1 and will look to bounce back when it faces its first road competition of the season on Thursday, taking on Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

RTR 0 (5 inn.)

PIPESTONE –Defensive errors plagued the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton softball team in its season debut in non-conference play against Lac qui Parle Valley on Monday night. The Knights committed three errors that led to 11 unearned runs, handing the Eagles a 13-0 victory in five innings.

The game was originally scheduled to be played at RTR’s home field in Tyler, but was relocated to Pipestone due to field conditions.

Monday’s game marked a rematch of last year’s Section 3A winner’s bracket quarterfinals, in which RTR defeated LQPV 4-0 behinda three-hit day from Laken Baartman and a 16-strikeout shutout in the circle from Kya Alderson. Alderson has since graduated and now plays at Minnesota West, where she was named the Minnesota College Athletic Conference South Division Pitcher of the Week last week.

In RTR’s game on Monday, freshman pitcher Jaida Fricke made her first start for the Knights after transferring from Tracy-Milroy-Balaton. She struck out three batters with no walks over five innings but gave up 11 hits.

Fricke also accounted for one of two RTR hits on the day, the other coming from Daryssa Cruz. Brezlyn Buchert also drew a pair of walks at the plate.

LQPV first took the lead in the second inning when Kayla Jahn and Caleigh Conn hit consecutive singles. A passed ball allowed Jahn to score and a ground out allowed Conn to score.

LQPV added to its lead in the top of the third, when Aidyn Bonn singled and eventually scored on a Kendyl Shelstad fielder’s choice. An RBI double from Brandi Meyer and a passed ball allowed another two runs to score to make the score 5-0.

With two outs in the fourth, Bonn hit a fly ball to right field, but it was dropped and a pair of Eagles scored on the error to make it a 7-0 game.

The Eagles put the mercy rule into play in the top of the fifth with another six runs. Shelstad singled and Jahn drove her in by reaching base on an RTR error with one out. The Knights got a ground out to put two away, but a passed ball pushed across one run, a pair of singles from Zoey Docktor and Valerie Piotter put two runners on and Maya Sawatzky hit a two-run single to bring the lead up to 10 runs.

Bonn hit a fly ball to center field, but it was dropped for the second consecutive inning and another pair of LQPV runs scored before a n RBI single from Jaylyn Lee ended the frame with a 13-0 LQPV lead.

Walks to Taylin and Paisley Thooft, and a Fricke single, loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth for RTR. A run that could prevent the mercy rule came to the plate, but a strikeout ended the game.

RTR falls to 0-1 on the year with the loss and will now hit the road to take on Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove and Lakeview in Walnut Grove tonight. The first game against RRC/WWG is slated to start at 4 p.m. while the second against Lakeview is slated for 6 p.m.