Tea Steam tops LCW Dirt Devils 3-1 with dominance on the mound

The Tea Steam amateur baseball team delivered a strong performance on Sunday, June 29, defeating the LCW Dirt Devils 3-1 behind clutch home runs and strong pitching.

Tea wasted no time getting on the board in the top of the first inning. After two quick outs, Ben Loos launched a solo home run to center field to give the Steam an early 1-0 lead.

While both pitchers settled in over the next few innings, Tea starter Braxton Mulder dominated from the mound, striking out multiple LCW hitters to keep them scoreless through the first five frames. The Dirt Devils struggled to make contact, often going down on strikes as Mulder racked up double-digit strikeouts. 

Tea extended its lead in the sixth inning. Cameron Jensen smashed a solo home run to straightaway center, followed by another big blast from Loos, who connected on his second homer of the day to stretch the lead to 3-0.

LCW managed to respond in the bottom of the sixth when a single by drove in a run to cut the deficit to 3-1. However, the Dirt Devils’ rally was short-lived as Mulder and reliever Jerod Cyrus combined to stifle LCW’s offense, recording critical outs in the final innings.

The Tea defense backed up their pitchers with timely plays in the field, including forcing a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the seventh that halted a potential LCW scoring threat. The Dirt Devils’ last hope came in the ninth inning, but despite a walk and a single, Tea’s defense closed the door with a groundout and a flyout to seal the victory.

Loos led the Tea offense with a pair of home runs and a single, while Jensen added his own solo shot. Mulder’s dominant start and Cyrus’s steady relief helped keep LCW’s bats in check for most of the afternoon. Mulder recorded 11 strike-outs and Cyrus had three.

The Steam was scheduled to travel to Larchwood on Tuesday, July 1 and will be at home on Sunday, July 6 when they take on the Beresford Blues. They will be at Parker on Monday, July 7 and home again on Friday, July 11 against the Akron Rebels.