LUVERNE — Max Weedman’s three RBIs and Magnus Schlenner’s three hits helped power the Marshall VFW Orange 15U baseball team to a 17-6 win over Luverne Red Junior Legion in five innings. Luverne played Marshall competitively for the first three innings, but an 11-run fourth inning allowed Marshall to pull away for the mercy-rule victory.

Marshall led 6-5 heading into the top of the fourth when all momentum shifted in favor of Orange. Bennett Kimman walked and Schlenner doubled, setting up a two-run double by Weedman.

Nolan Deutz singled and Graem Bly walked to load the bases, and Weedman scored as Mauer Leysen grounded out for the inning’s first out. Still, Kaden Boeck kept the rally going with a two-run double.

After a walk to Matthew Ryks put two on, Kellen Drake and Kimman reached base on consecutive errors to score Boeck and Ryks. Another pair of walks to Schlenner and Weedman pushed across one run, another scored when Deutz reached on an error, and Bly was hit by a pitch to bring the score to 16-5. Leysen capped off the inning’s scoring when he reached on an error to score Weedman before a strikeout and a fly out ended the frame with Marshall up by 12 runs.

Leysen earned the win on the mound in relief, striking out each of the three batters he faced in the third inning. Bly also threw a scoreless inning of relief, striking out two batters while giving up a hit, and Kyper Brownlee closed out the game giving up one run on a hit and two walks while striking out three batters.

Cale Erickson got the start for Marshall, surrendering five earned runs on five hits and a pair of walks over two innings.

Luverne took its lone lead of the day in the bottom of the third, tacking on three runs to go up 3-2. Yet, Marshall responded in the bottom of the frame when Erickson and Boeck drew consecutive walks and Drake hit an RBI single to tie the game. Kimman and Schlenner each followed up with another RBI single and Weedman drove in another run on a ground out to bring the score to 6-3.

Schlenner finished the day with two doubles, a single and a walk with two RBIs to lead the Marshall offense. Weedman also finished with a double, a single and three RBIs and Kimman contributed a double, a single, a walk and two RBIs.

Kimman doubled in the top of the first before scoring the game’s first run on a Schlenner double, and Schlenner scored when Weedman reached base on an error.

Marshall finished the day with 10 hits to Luverne’s seven, but the real difference was fielding. Marshall committed one error in the game to Luverne’s five.

Luverne added one run in the fifth, but a strikeout ended the game with two runners stranded to keep the mercy rule intact.

Marshall improves to 6-1 with the win and next competes in the Marshall Junior Legion tournament on Friday and Saturday. Orange will be playing its first three games of the tournament at Yankee Field in Milroy, with a fourth game to either be played at Legion Field or Yankee Field pending the results of their first three games. Friday’s games were still in progress at the time of print.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

K. Drake: 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB; B. Kimman: 2-3 (2B), BB, 2 RBI; M. Moua: 0-1, 4 R; M. Schlenner: 3-3 (2 2B), BB, 2 RBI, 3 R; M. Weedman: 1-3 (2B), BB, 3 RBI, 2 R; N. Deutz: 1-3, HBP, RBI, R, SO; G. Bly: 0-2, BB, HBP, RBI, R, SO; C. Erickson: 1-1, BB, R, SB; M. Leysen: 0-2, 2 RBI; K. Boeck: 1-3 (2B), BB, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB, SO; M. Ryks: 0-1, BB, HBP, R, SB.

PITCHING

C. Erickson: 2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO; M. Leysen: W, IP, 3 SO; G. Bly: IP, H, 2 SO; K. Brownlee: IP, H, R, ER, 2 BB, 3 SO.