Lipp, Sheppard toss shutouts in Northstars sweep
Chinese cosmology speaks of yin and yang the circle of life balancing all that is right and wrong, happy and sad, fulfilling and disappointing.
The Havre Northstars got a heavy dose of yin in a disheartening doubleheader sweep at the hands of Medicine Hat on Saturday at Legion Field.
But Havre pitchers Eric Lipp and Kyle Sheppard brought the yang in a big way with a pair of shutouts on Sunday to lead the Northstars to an 11-0, 8-0 sweep of Fort MacLeod.
Lipp stifled Fort MacLeod batters, holding the Royals to just a pair of fourth-inning singles in the Northstars' win in the opener.
Havre gave Lipp a 3-0 lead to work with after the top of the first. The Northstars scored on an RBI single by Sheppard, followed by a two-run double by David Knight.
But the big blow came in the third when Havre unleashed its offense en route to eight runs on five hits, one walk, a hit batter and a Fort MacLeod error.
After Sheppard walked and Knight and Garrett Hanson hit back-to-back singles to load the bases, C.J. Reichelt ripped a bases-clearing triple to give Havre a 6-0 lead.
Doug Ireland had an RBI single, and Danny Wirtzberger added an RBI triple two batters later to help Havre pull away.
Lipp finished the five-inning game with six strikeouts and one walk.
Jared Boyce was 3-for-4, and Wirtzberger added two hits to pace Havre's 12-hit attack.
In the second game, Havre led 2-0 entering the fifth inning before scoring four runs to put the game and sweep away.
Mike Kellam provided the biggest hit in the inning with a two-run double with the bases loaded, Sheppard had an RBI double, and Wirtzberger drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Sheppard finished the game 4-for-5 with two RBI at the plate. From the mound, he struck out 11, gave up just three hits and no walks in a complete-game effort.
Kellam and Wirtzberger each went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the nightcap for Havre.
