Steam defeats Akron in double header, fall in tight one to Elk Point

The Tea Steam capped off a strong day on Sunday, July 13, by taking both games of a doubleheader against the Akron Rebels. After a commanding 4‑0 shutout in Game 1, Tea fought through early deficits and late pressure to pull off a 4‑3 comeback win in Game 2.

In the first game against Akron, Tea’s pitcher Braxton Mulder was dominant in the first game, striking out 13 Rebels and working out of early jams to keep Akron off the board.

Tea’s offense got started in the third inning when Dawson Portner doubled and scored on an RBI double by Austin Portner to make it 1–0. Moments later, A. Portner stole third and came home on an error by the catcher, extending the lead to 2–0.

The Steam added insurance in the fifth. Cameron Jensen and D. Portner reached with back‑to‑back singles, then A. Portner executed a sacrifice bunt to move them over. Troy Ljunggren followed with a two‑run single to center field, pushing the lead to 4–0.

From there, Mulder stayed in control, scattering just a few hits while striking out the side in multiple innings. Akron’s lineup couldn’t find an answer, and Tea closed out the shutout to take the opener.

The second game started with Akron grabbing control early. The Rebels opened the first inning with back‑to‑back doubles, quickly going up 1‑0. Another passed ball allowed a runner from third to score, and Akron added one more run on a miscue to lead 3‑0 through the top of the fifth.

Tea’s bats were quiet early, but they broke through in the third. A. Portner, Ljunggren, and Michael Buchmann hit consecutive singles to load the bases. With one out, Marcus Bolin grounded into a fielder’s choice, allowing A. Portner to cross the plate and cut Akron’s lead to 2‑1.

In the fourth, Tea’s offense struck again. After Jensen walked and D. Portner was hit by a pitch, Ljunggren ripped a two‑run single to left field, scoring both runners and giving Tea a 3‑2 lead.

Akron battled back in the fifth, plating a run on an infield error to tie the game at 3‑3. But the Steam refused to back down. In the bottom of the seventh, with the game still knotted, B. Mulder worked a walk and advanced to third when J. Munoz reached on an error. Akron then intentionally walked C. Jensen to load the bases, but a wild pitch got away, and Mulder dashed home to give Tea a dramatic 4‑3 walk‑off win.

On Monday, June 14, the Steam came up just short falling to the Elk Point Colt 45s, 15–14.

It was a game packed with offense, defensive miscues, and late-inning drama. Elk Point jumped out to a commanding lead in the first inning, capitalizing on several Tea errors and big hits—including a three-run home run by Jaxon Hennis—to go up 7–0 after one.

Tea battled back in the third inning. After a hit-by-pitch and a double from Jerod Cyrus, Logan Boom drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. D. Portner followed with an RBI double, and Nathan Babb added a run-scoring single to cut the deficit to 7–3.

The Steam kept chipping away. In the fifth, Portner delivered another RBI single and Boom scored on a defensive error, narrowing Elk Point’s lead to 7–5.

The sixth inning belonged to Tea. The Steam loaded the bases with no outs, then scored on a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly to tie the game 7–7. With momentum building, Ben Loos stepped up and crushed a grand slam to center field, giving Tea a 12–7 lead.

But Elk Point wasn’t done. In the bottom half of the sixth, they rallied with timely hits, a string of walks, and a sacrifice fly to reclaim the lead, 15–12, by the end of the frame.

Tea refused to go quietly. In the eighth inning, Loos doubled and Jensen followed with another double, driving in two runs to make it 15–14. The Steam threatened again with a runner on third, but Elk Point held on.

Tea went down in order in the ninth, ending a wild contest that saw both teams combine for 29 runs.

Despite the loss, Tea’s offense shined. Loos led the way with a grand slam and a double, while Portner tallied multiple RBI singles. Cyrus chipped in with two doubles, and Babb added key hits to keep the Steam in the game.