Volga advances past Salem in Class B state amateur baseball tournament

Volga has secured its place in the second round of the Class B state amateur baseball tournament, defeating the Salem Cubs 9-7 in a first-round contest at Cadwell Park on Friday. The victory advances the Cormorants, who enter the bracket with a 15-7 record and District 1B tournament champion status, to face the Lennox Bandits at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

Volga established early dominance, building a 7-0 lead after just two innings. The surge was driven by a five-run second inning, providing a substantial buffer for the team’s pitching staff. The performance was anchored by Dom Boerger, a pickup player from Milbank who was added to the Volga roster for the tournament. Boerger pitched seven innings, striking out 12 batters while allowing two hits, one walk, and two unearned runs. He threw 81 strikes on 114 total pitches to secure the win.

Offensively, Bayley Colemer led the charge for Volga with three hits and three runs batted in. Noah Puetz contributed two hits and two runs. Despite holding an 8-6 edge in total hits, the Cormorants had to overcome a challenging defensive day, committing six errors in the field to maintain their lead.

Salem, which concludes its season with an 8-17 record, mounted a significant late-inning effort. The Cubs were trailing 9-3 entering the top of the ninth inning before scoring four runs to narrow the deficit. Starter Aiden Scheetz pitched 3 2/3 innings for Salem, allowing eight hits and nine runs while striking out two.

Relief efforts for Salem included Dexter Payne, a former Dakota Wesleyan University standout, who pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief. Payne blanked Volga during his tenure, striking out eight batters without allowing a hit or walk. However, Volga’s bullpen closed out the game, with Kyler Bezdichek recording four outs in relief before Jordan Sagedahl earned the save by securing the final two outs.