MITCHELL – In the Hartford/Humboldt Wood Ducks’ Class B amateur baseball tournament debut on Thursday, Logan Larsen was up to the challenge.
Larsen pitched a complete game with four hits to help the Wood Ducks to a 4-2 victory over the Menno Mad Frogs in a first-round game at Cadwell Park. The win was the Wood Ducks’ third straight victory after starting the season 1-12, with all victories being decided by two runs or less.
En route to the complete game, Larsen struck out 12 Mad Frogs batters and allowed two runs (one earned) on one walk and four hits. Larsen’s goal when he stepped onto the mound was simple, as he threw 86 of his 145 pitches as strikes.
“When I go out there on the mound to start the game, the goal is to get through the first inning,” Larsen said. “I wait for my arm to wake up, and then when it wakes up, I just push forward.”
Blake Durham/Mitchell Republic
Larsen called the first inning his “inning to shake off the rust” and allowed only two hits the rest of the game after Menno loaded the bases with two hits and a walk and scored an early run on an AJ Herrboldt groundout. Larsen walked Mad Frog baserunners in both the third and sixth innings.
The Wood Ducks managed a four-run inning to chase away Menno starter Doug Hall in the fifth inning. Brayden Odegaard delivered the big hit of the inning, scoring two runs with a double to put the team ahead. The lead in the game only motivated Larsen to keep going.
“I go out there and they motivate me,” Larsen said. “They motivate me every time they come into the (batter’s) box, and every time someone comes to the plate, it’s just a boost (for the team) and lets me know they’re in it. They’re fighting, too.”
Blake Durham/Mitchell Republic
Menno had one last chance to beat Larsen in the ninth inning, scoring a run after errors in the Hartford/Humboldt defense. After a visit to the mound, Larsen was able to get Macon Oplinger out on a ground ball to end the game.
The Wood Ducks had eight hits as a team and four walks in the game. Braden Herr finished with three hits and an RBI, and Odegaard was 1 for 3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Brodie Herr also scored a run, part of a 1 for 3 game at the plate with a walk and a stolen base.
Herrboldt hit 1 for 4 for the Mad Frogs, finishing with an RBI. Dylan Lehr, Spencer Schultz and Conner Merriam had the other hits. Doug Hall started and took the pitching loss, allowing four runs on six hits and striking out two batters in five innings. Menno’s season ends at 7-13.
Hartford/Humboldt (4-12) advances to the round of 16, where the Wood Ducks will face the winner of Elk Point and Redfield Dairy Queen at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, August 12. Regardless of Monday’s outcome, it’s an experience the players won’t forget.
“We’ve had some problems all year,” Larsen said. “This is the biggest Wood Duck game yet and it was really fun … to come here and win our first state tournament game we’ve ever played in is an honor.”
Blake Durham has been a sports reporter for the Mitchell Republic since October 2023. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a bachelor’s degree in communications in December 2022. Durham covers a variety of prep and college sports in the area.
