Photo by Samantha Davis. Wabasso's Joe Liebl rounds third base while manager Dustin Tietz congratulates him after hitting a two-run homer in the fourth inning against Granite Falls in a 4-1 win Friday night at Richter Field in a Corn Belt League matchup. Below:  Former Granite Falls Kilowatts' baseball player Don Betzen (right) receives a plaque from current manager Mike Richter (left) after being inducted into the Granite Falls' Hall of Fame Friday night at Richter Field. Betzen pitched for the Kilowatts from 1957 to 1970, including seven state tournament appearances. 

GRANITE FALLS — There was a lot for fans to see Friday evening at Richter Field in a Corn Belt League matchup between Granite Falls and Wabasso, including a pair of home runs and the first Hall of Fame induction of Don Betzen for the Kilowatts’ organization. The Jaxx snapped a four-game skid with a 4-1 win.

Joe Liebl for Wabasso hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning past left field for the night’s first runs, while Granite Fall’s Bryce Sneller responded in the bottom of the frame with a home run to quickly bring the Kilowatts within one.

“I thought it was a pretty competitive game overall for our offense,” Liebl said. “We needed that. We needed to score runs, but I just felt like all my stuff was working tonight.”

The hit marked Sneller’s second straight game with a homer, who hit his first career grand slam in the Kilowatts’s 11-0 win over Sacred Heart last Wednesday.

CJ Theis hit a two-run RBI in the eighth inning to give the Jaxx a three-run edge, which was ultimately enough to seal the win.

Following the third inning, former player Betzen was honored in Granite Fall’s first Hall of Fame induction, permanently marking his jersey number of 44 on the field’s property.

“I came here in the fall of 1957, and quick math, that’s 68 years ago. It’s hard to believe it’s gone by pretty fast,” Betzen said. “That’s the first time I stepped out on that mound … It’s a beautiful park.”

Betzen first moved to Granite Falls in 1957 after finishing school at Moorhead State University, and pitched for the Kilowatts from 1957 to 1970, with the exception of two seasons when he played a stint in Nebraska.

Betzen built up an exceptional career with Granite Falls, finishing with 150 wins on the mound, 50 of which were shutouts, and just 24 losses.

Collectively, Betzen tossed a total of 1,451 innings with 2,181 strikeouts, allowing just 819 hits and 196 earned runs. Particularly, he finished the 1960 season with 27 wins and no losses with 329 strikeouts, allowing only 118 hits and 62 walks.

“These statistics … That’s all the team. It isn’t just me,” Betzen said. “Everytime I went out, these guys behind me were working hard.”

In addition to the lengthy list of accolades, Betzen also brought the Kilowatts to seven state tournament appearances.

“I don’t know how I did it, but I was happy,” Betzen said. “I’m so happy that I settled in Granite Falls.”

“It [the HOF induction] was really, really cool. I think it went very well,” Granite Falls manager Mike Richter said. “He [Betzen] was a big part of stories for our family, even myself. I never got to see him play, but he was just an amazing, amazing ball player and an amazing man. He’s very incredible.”

From the jump, the game was a pitcher’s battle between Wabasso’s Liebl and Granite Fall’s Bennett Knapper. The two continuously prevented extra runs with several shutout innings, all of which were scoreless besides the fourth and eighth.

The duo also threw the entire game for their respective teams.

“I was just singing a song [in my head] the whole time, to be loose,” Liebl said. “Trying to have fun.”

Liebl threw an impressive 21 strikeouts while allowing two hits and three walks. Knapper also had a strong performance with 13 strikeouts, allowing six hits and two walks.

Wabasso also finished with no errors to the Kilowatts’ two errors.

Liebl tossed a trio of strikeouts in both the first and second innings, to which Knapper also threw a pair in the second and third to open the game competitively between the two.

Leading up to Liebl’s home run in the fourth, Colton Taylor first got on base with a successful bunt to put the Jaxx up 2-0 following the homer.

“It was the Joe Liebl show, that’s all I got to say,” Wabasso manager Dustin Tietz said.

“That was the first home run I’ve ever hit with a wood bat, and it felt like I didn’t hit it that far,” Liebl added. “But, it was fun … First ever [home run] for town ball.”

Yet just minutes later, Sneller stepped up to the plate to return the favor with his home run in the bottom of the fourth, bringing Granite Falls to a 2-1 deficit.

“Sneller has been swinging the bat very well,” Richter said. “The problem is, we can’t have one guy swinging … We didn’t hit the ball tonight.”

The next three innings again went scoreless between the defensively-tight teams, before Theis hit a hard two-run RBI single fly ball to center field to put the Jaxx up 4-1 in the eight inning.

Theis ran in Adryen Tietz and Austin Gunderson, who initially got on base with a line drive single and a successful bunt.

In Granite Falls’ final at-bat in the bottom of the ninth, Liebl prevented a walk-off victory with another trio of strikeouts.

The win also helps the Jaxx redeem themselves after coming off back-to-back mercy rule losses to Windom and Dawson.

“First win here in the last week and a half or so, it feels good,” Dustin said. “A little bit of a rough stretch there for a little while, dealing with some tweaks and stuff … But we have about a week and a half before we play again.”

For Wabasso, Tietz led with a team-high two hits, while both Liebl and Theis had two RBIs.

For the Kilowatts, Sneller and Cody Dahlager had one hit apiece.

Granite Falls (3-4) will next travel to take on the Willmar Indians next Wednesday at Swannson Orange Field with a 7:30 p.m. first pitch.

Wabasso (5-10) will return home to City Field to host the Willmar Rails on July 6 at 5 p.m.

“We just got to keep it rolling,” Liebl said. “Need to keep having competitive pitchers and at-bats and not make errors. The little things.”