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Recapping a wild week

By Eric Ebert, MN Baseball Hub, 04/13/12, 4:00PM CDT

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Albert Lea junior Makael Lunning homered his way into the record books

A grand loss

Trailing Rochester Mayo in the top of the third inning April 10, 2012, Albert Lea junior Makael Lunning crushed a grand slam to get the Tigers back into the game.
 
In the fourth inning, he did it again.
 
In consecutive at-bats, Lunning launched grand slams and permanently etched himself in the state history books. Only four other times in state history has a batter hit two grand slams in a single game. 
 
He ended his monster night 3-6 with nine RBIs, three runs and a stolen base.
 
Lunning's heroics weren't enough for the Tigers, who lost 20-19 in a nine-inning slugfest. Both teams combined for 25 hits and 39 runs.

Grand Slam Home Runs: Game

Grand Slams - Game Player School Opponent Year
2 Joel Paradis Montevideo New London-Spicer 1989
2 Chad Ashpole Pine Island Zumbrota-Mazeppa 1996
2 Isaac Kindt Anoka - 2004
2 Quinton Campbell Minneapolis SOuthwest Edison 2009
2 Mikael Lunning Albert Lea Rochester Mayo 2012
2 Angelo Altavilla Lakeville North Eastview 2014
2 Caden Fernholz West Central Area Ashby 2017
Almost perfect
 
Lac qui Parle Valley pitchers are keeping things quiet in the West Central Conference.
 
Junior Ben Morken and senior Sam Haas threw consecutive no-hitters this week, blanking Lakeview and Atwater-Cosmos-Grove-City.
 
Morken, making his varsity debut, walked three batters in five innings of work, striking out seven to earn the no-hitter over Lakeview, Wednesday, April 11. 
 
Haas picked up where Morken left off, tossing seven no-hit innings Thursday, April 12, against ACGC. Haas walked four and struck out nine 
Three deep
 
Bemidji senior Cody Rutledge has been a menace for opposing teams.
 
His performance reached a new level during the doubleheader nightcap Thursday, April 12, against Moorhead. 
 
In a 15-1 rout by Bemidji, Rutledge went on a 4-4 tear, slugging three home runs and collecting nine RBIs. The three-homer game lands Rutledge tied for second on the state's all-time list for home runs in a game.
 
The Lumberjacks' center fielder is batting .800 through four games. He leads the league in runs (12), hits (12), home runs (3), total bases (26) and runs batted in (11).
Hot hand
 
With a number of top pitching recruits in the state, there is an unlikely name atop the leader board early in the season.
 
La Crescent senior Eric Veglahn, in two starts, has fanned 26 batters to lead all pitchers in strikeouts.
 
Veglahn threw six innings April 3, allowing no runs and striking out 15 Zumbrota-Mazeppa batters. He capped that performance with seven solid innings and 11 strikeouts Tuesday, April 10, in a 3-2 loss to Rochester Lourdes.  

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