(Tracy) – In the only evening home game of the season for the Tracy Express, the Hadley Buttermakers put together a big eighth and ninth innings to put the game out of reach, and beat the Express 10-3 in a Gopher League game Wednesday evening in Tracy.

Calvin Kosminskas started on the mound for Tracy and took the loss, in eight innings of work.  Kosminskas gave up 10-hits, seven runs, six were earned in the game, while striking out and walking four.  Andy Lanoue pitched the ninth for Tracy.

The game was a lot closer than the final score indicated, but the Buttermakers prevailed as Hadley opened up the scoring in the bottom of the second inning.  With runners on 2nd and 3rd, Alex Peterson doubled down the first base just beyond the glove of Express first baseman Aaron Ziemer.  It drove in both.  Petersen then came around to score on a single from Taylor Rignell.

After a scoreless third, the Express battled back off of Hadley starter Pat O’Brien.  Brady Webb beat out an infield grounder for the first Express hit.  Dane Jensen then followed with a two out single to left, in which courtesy runner Eric Lanoue was able to take third base.  He came around to score on a passed ball, to get the Express on the scoreboard.

Hadley answered back with a run in both the fourth and fifth, to push their lead to 5-1.  Tracy though would get to O’Brien again in the sixth, as Andrew Suby led off the inning with a single, Robbie Slinkman then followed with a walk and Kosminskas singled to center, loading the bases.  Andy Lanoue and Ziemer then each drove in a run with a ground ball, and the Express cut the Hadley lead to 5-3 before the end of the inning.
 

It stayed 5-3 until the eighth.  Hadley had runners on first and second and nobody out when Petersen grounded into a double play, and it looked like the Express might get out of the jam.  But shortstop Alex Vanthooft (in for Zach Bruns who started the game) came through with a timely hit to score one run.  After stealing second Vanthooft would push the Buttermaker lead to 7-3 on a single from Taylor Rignell.

Three more runs in the 9th would put the game out of reach for the Express. 

Webb led the Express he was 2-3 with a run scored.  Slinkman and Lanoue each finished 1-3, and pinch hitter Travis Apperson was 1-1 for Tracy on the night.

The Express drop to 6-17 on the season, they will play at Aurora, South Dakota on Friday, and return home Saturday to face Luverne, before they finish the regular season in Marshall at SMSU’s Alumni Field against the Milroy Irish.

Express                              AB          R             H             RBI        

Dane Jensen lf-ss                4           0              1                0

Andrew Suby 2b                   4           1              1                0

Robbie Slinkman 3b-1b        3           1              1                0

Calvin Kosminskas p-3b       4           0              1                0

Andy Lanoue ss-p                 3           0              1                1

 Tylan Gylling ph                  0           0               0                0

Aaron Ziemer 1b                  2           0               0                1

 Eric Lanoue lf                      1           0               0                0

Aaron Walling rf                   3           0              0                0

 Tim Olson ph                       1           0              0                0
Brady Webb c                       3           1              2                0

 Travis Apperson ph             1            0             1                0

Troy Kepler cf                       3            0             0                0

 Eric Wiering ph                    1            0             0                0

2b: (H) Peterson; 3b: none HR: none   SB: (H) Vanthooft; Magnus; Larson; VanPersom; Rignell CS: none