Amateur baseball: Johnson, defense down Hastings

Aaron Johnson pitched a complete-game shutout Sunday to help the Aces win 2-0 at Hastings. Johnson, who was making his first outing of the season, struck out seven and walked three. The Hawks managed just five hits off him.

“His control was very good today,” Red Wing assistant manager/player Andy Gibart said. “He went after hitters and hit his spots.”

Gibart added: “He was dominant at times and clutched up when he need to to make that big pitch.”

Red Wing’s defense also was instrumental in keeping Hastings off the scoreboard.

The key play came in the eighth inning when a relay from left fielder Dave Jensen to third baseman Brandon LaRue to catcher Jimmy Bohmbach cut down a Hastings runner who tried to score from second on a single. That was the third out of the inning and it preserved the Aces’ 1-0 lead.

“Defensively we played a great game,” Gibart said. “That was absolutely the key.”

Gibart added that Adam Thygesen, Johnnson’s teammate at Southwest Minnesota State, had an excellent game at shortstop.

In the first inning, Thygesen doubled and would later score on a wild pitch. Ryan Boldt pinch hit in the top of the ninth and added an insurance run when he hit a sacrifice fly that allowed LaRue to score.

Red Wing improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the Classic Cannon Valley League. Its next game is Tuesday when it plays host to Hager City.

Tags: red wing, sports, proam, baseball, aces