Dylan Recker’s arm helps lift Dyersville Beckman to baseball doubleheader sweep over Anamosa

ANAMOSA — Dylan Recker anticipated taking the mound.

The Dyersville Beckman junior received the call earlier than expected but he still answered.

After an early offensive outburst, Recker took the mound and threw six scoreless innings to help the Class 2A No. 4 Blazers to an 8-3 victory in the opener of a baseball doubleheader sweep of No. 9 Anamosa Thursday at Anamosa Middle School. Beckman won the nightcap, 3-2, increasing its lead in the River Valley Conference North division to 2 1/2 games.

“I wasn’t expecting to come in right away,” Recker said. “I’m more of a closer and was supposed to close both games.

“Coach told me to get ready. I went in. The slider wasn’t really working but kept trying to throw strikes and it worked.”

Recker pitched 11 innings in five appearances with three saves before Thursday. He said he normally throws three innings at the most but gave the Blazers much more, throwing 90 total pitches and improving to 3-0. He scattered seven hits and stymied an offense that came in averaging almost seven runs a game.

“He had that huge bulldog mentality,” Beckman Coach Ryan Mabe said. “I told him it was his game. He’s going to go as long as he shows me he can go. He went the whole way.”

Not only did Recker double his normal workload, he did it in muggy conditions on the first official day of summer. Recker managed the heat and was cool on the mound,

“It was hot,” Recker said. “I had a frogg togg (towel) in the dugout and everything. I drank a lot of water. I just tried to throw the ball hard and hoped it works.”

Beckman (15-6, 8-2) took a 4-0 lead in the first, receiving an RBI single from Matthew Florence and a three-run double by Joe Engler.

“The way we jumped on them was huge,” Mabe said. “It was strong.”

The Blue Raiders answered with three runs off Beckman starter Chase White, including a leadoff home run from Miken Wheeler and a run-scoring single from Jaret Jess.

When the Blazers added three in the second off a Jake Schmidt RBI single and a couple errors, Mabe decided to act sooner than he planned.

“I threw a little bullpen but I was just caught off guard with it,” Recker said. “I just tried to do my best.”

Recker retired the first six batters he faced in order and didn’t allow an Anamosa runner to reach third base, getting some help form his defense, which turned an inning-ending double play with two on in the fourth.

“Dylan showed he could go,” Mabe said. “It’s big to know I can go to him because I think he can be a shutdown guy in the postseason.”

Recker’s performance may have shifted his role. He has proved he can absorb innings, which could be crucial in postseason play. Recker said he would do whatever the team needed.

“I love throwing,” Recker said. “If he (Mabe) says I can go seven, I’ll try my best to go seven. I feel like I can.”

In the nightcap, Beckman led throughout. The Blazers built a 5-0 lead. Luke Sigwarth led the game off with a single and scored on a Schmidt double. Drew Thier singled to drive in Recker and scored on Matt Florence’s triple in the two-run third. White and Recker had RBI singles in the fourth.

Thier provided another quality start, holding the Blue Raiders to two runs through 6 1/3 innings. Mabe praised the way Carter White handled the Beckman pitchers. He has filled in behind the plate as Florence recovers from an injury suffered during the Cascade doubleheader.

“I thought we did a great job of mixing pitches on them,” Mabe said. “Make sure to get their hands floating a little bit on breaking balls.

“Carter White stepped in and did a great job behind the plate this week. He’s just been huge for us.”

Anamosa (14-7, 5-4) battled back, pulling within one and stranding the tying run on third base in a wild seventh. Easton Wheeler and Carter Kuehl reached on a walk and hit by pitch, causing Thier to give way to Schmidt on the mound. Jackson Watters belted a 3-2 pitch into the gap for a two-run double.

Watters stole third. Jack Sellnau followed with a groundball to a drawn-in shortstop, who threw home to get Watters in a rundown for the second out. Sellnau advanced to second during the pickle, drawing a throw that sailed into center field. He moved to third, giving Anamosa another chance to tie it.

Schmidt got Jess to pop out to finish the save and the sweep.

Sellnau and Miken Wheeler had two hits apiece to lead Anamosa in Game 2.

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Photos: Dyersville Beckman at Anamosa baseball

Beckman has two conference games remaining with Monticello but has a tough non-conference schedule designed to prepare for the playoffs. The Blazers have upcoming games against 3A No. 4 Dubuque Wahlert, 3A No. 1 Marion and 4A No. 1 Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

“It will be a week to play loose,” Mabe said. “Nothing to lose. You’re playing against ranked 3A and 4A teams. Do I think we can play with them? Yes. That’s why we scheduled them.

“It makes us better for the postseason playing that competition.”

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