2 weeks Ago By Jamey Malcomb
HERMANTOWN — It wasn’t the start pitcher Tyler Berglund was looking for against Hermantown Tuesday at Centricity Park at Fichtner Fields. In the first inning, he allowed two singles and an error cost the Rails a run. In the second, Mick Martalock hit a double and Charlie Marchand drove the runner home on a single.
ADVERTISEMENT Proctor was down 2-0 after two innings, and it could have been worse. Even more problematic was Hermantown starter Cam Lukovsky. After walking two of the first three batters he faced, Lukovsky struck out the two final batters of the inning and then needed just six pitches to retire the side in the second.
Still, Proctor coach Adam Shykes had faith in his senior hurler. “Tyler’s a bulldog on the mound, he always has been,” he said. “He’s really good at mixing up his looks and pitches and he pitches a lot of guys backwards.
In high school, it’s a lot of fastball, fastball, curveball, but he’ll go change-up, slider, fastball. He works backwards on guys and it usually takes a while for teams to adjust.” After the first two innings, Berglund allowed just four more hits over the next four innings.
He only struck out two batters, but he only walked one and the Rails cobbled together a 5-2 win. Berglund said he’s not a power pitcher like teammate Nick Terhaar, but his offspeed pitches and ability to locate allow him to keep batters guessing. “A lot of guys throw harder than I do,” Berglund said.
“But when I can locate those early curveballs or sliders and get them into counts where I know I can work around some people, it definitely helps.” He also has to put a lot of “trust” in his fielders behind him. ADVERTISEMENT “I’m not going to beat everyone with strikeouts,” he said.
“I know that my teammates are going to make plays for me in the field. In that first inning, they were hitting it hard off me, but after that my teammates started making great plays.” Catcher Breckin Ross said once Berglund started to hit his spots, things really started to come together.
Instead of speeding things up, Ross said it’s better to slow the pace a bit instead of trying to force the pitches. “Get in a groove and the strikes will come,” he said. Hermantown coach Troy Warren said Berglund was “placing the ball really well” and the Hawks missed their opportunity to get to the Rails starter in the early innings.
“If we could have got him a little bit more early, we might have been able to get him out of there,” he said. “He did a nice job settling in." Despite having a jam with runners on second and third and no out in the first inning, Berglund struck out Jimmy Bartsch, followed by two ground outs to end the threat.
“We needed to put another run or two in that inning,” Warren said. “If it had been maybe a 3-0 lead, it could have been a different game. We could have played it a little differently, but we just didn’t get our hits when we needed them, but that’s how baseball works sometimes.
” ADVERTISEMENT While Lukovsky kept hitters off balance the first time through the lineup, the Rails seemed to hit the ball harder on their second chance. “We picked up on what his tendencies are a little bit the first time through and let the guys know,” Shykes said. “We were able to take advantage of that a little bit and put a lof of good swings on him the second time through the lineup.
” In the third inning, the Rails scored four runs on five hits, with Ross picking up an RBI single. Berglund helped his own cause going 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Ross had a pair of hits and the RBI. “I was looking for a first-pitch fastball,” Ross said.
“If I didn’t see that, I was thinking curve next and if I had a strike early it was just see ball, rip ball.” Once Ross finished the sixth inning with a lead, Shykes turned to Terhaar — one of the top pitching prospects in Minnesota — for the save. The senior Iowa recruit came on and struck out all three batters he faced to finish the game.
Berglund said he could have gone another inning, but it was still nice knowing there was no need to worry. ADVERTISEMENT “He was going to get these guys out, I know that,” he said. “It’s just awesome having someone like that to come on.
” Proctor (4-0) will host Esko Friday at 4:30 p.m., with Terhaar expected to make the start.
Hermantown (1-1) will play Hibbing at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Centricity Park.
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