MILROY — Some clutch late-game hitting helped the Milroy Irish stave off the Hadley Buttermakers in a Friday night Gopher League matchup. The Buttermakers tied up the game in the top of the eighth, but the Irish rallied ahead in the bottom of the frame for a 5-3 win.

A walk to Tyler Maeyaert and back-to-back singles by Trae Bailey and Moses Dolan loaded the bases for the Irish in the bottom of the eighth. Bryce Ahrendt and Jake Olson turned a 5-2-5 double play to keep the Irish off the board, but Levi Maeyaert and Derek Smith hit RBI singles in each of the next two at-bats to give the Irish a 5-3 lead.

Hadley trailed 3-1 heading into the top of the eighth, but they rallied with two outs. An Alex Petersen single and a Tucker Sorenson single put the tying run on base. Austin Irlbeck hit a hard ground ball that forced a Milroy error, allowing Petersen to score, and a wild pitch allowed Sorenson to run home for the tying run.

Trevor Smith threw the first 7 2/3 innings for the Irish, giving up one earned run on nine hits and six walks with four strikeouts. He left the game with a no-decision, and Tyler Maeyaert earned the win in relief, striking out each of the final four Buttermaker batters of the game.

Sorenson put together another strong effort on the hill for Hadley, limiting the Irish to three unearned runs on three hits and eight walks with six strikeouts. Brody Wixon was charged with the loss after surrendering a pair of earned runs on four hits and a walk over 1 2/3 frames, and Owen Gillette got the final out for the Buttermakers.

Sorenson scored the game’s first run when he drew a leadoff walk and scored on a Max Zwart single with two outs. That lead held until the fourth inning, when Milroy rallied for a pair of go-ahead runs.

Trevor Smith started the rally with a walk and Tyler Maeyaert singled to put the go-ahead run on base. The Buttermakers committed an error on a bunt by Bailey, allowing Smith to score the tying run, and Bailey scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.

Bailey was the lone Irish batter with multiple hits, singling twice and drawing a walk. Tyler Maeyaert, Moses Dolan and Levi Maeyaert each logged a single and two walks.

Petersen, Olson and Zwart each recorded a pair of hits for the Buttermakers, including a double and a walk for Olson.

Tyler Maeyaert led off the sixth with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on an errant throw to second on the play and scored on a Bailey single to give the Irish a 3-1 lead.

Milroy improves to 6-4 with the win and next hosts the Worthington Cubs on Sunday at 2 p.m. Hadley falls to 7-3 and plays twice over the weekend, travelling to Granite Falls for a matchup against the Kilowatts on Saturday at 5 p.m. and to Heron Lake for a game against the Lakers on Sunday at 2 p.m.

BOX SCORE

MILROY

BATTING

D. Dolan: 0-5, R, SO; L. Maeyaert: 1-3, 2 BB, RBI, SO; D. Smith: 1-4, BB, RBI, 2 SO; T. Peterson: 1-5; T. Smith: 0-3, BB, R, 2 SO; T. Maeyaert: 1-2, 2 BB, R, SB; T. Bailey: 2-3, BB, RBI, R, SB; M. Dolan: 1-1, 2 BB, R.

PITCHING

T. Smith: 7.2 IP, 9 H, 3 R, ER, 6 BB, 4 SO; C. Lasley: 0 IP; T. Maeyaert: W, 1.1 IP, 4 SO.

HADLEY

BATTING

T. Sorenson: 0-2, 3 BB, 2 R, SB, SO; A. Irlbeck: 1-4, BB; De. Kluis: 1-5, SO; M. Zwart: 2-5, RBI, SO; J. Olson: 2-4 (2B), BB, SO; Dy. Kluis: 0-4, BB, SO; B. Ahrendt: 1-4 (2B), SO; A. Petersen: 2-4, R.

PITCHING

T. Sorenson: 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 8 BB, 6 SO; B. Wixon: L, 1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, SO; O. Gillette: 0.1 IP.