Playing without three starters, Litchfield saw its postseason end with a pair of lopsided losses in the sub-district playoffs Monday.
Cold Spring, seeded fifth for the tournament, thumped 11th-seeded Litchfield 16-0 in five innings and 11-1 in six innings, advancing to the District 6 Tournament next week in Sartell.
Litchfield, 8-12, “was playing a little short-handed … but it might not have mattered as Cold Spring dominated every phase of both games,” Coach Jeff Wollin said, as he saw his team fail to advance to the eight-team district tournament for the first time since 2016.
Litchfield managed just four hits in the opening game against Cold Spring, two by starting pitcher Tucker Liestman. Meanwhile, Cold Spring lashed 15 hits, exploding for nine runs in the first inning and continuing the onslaught through the next three innings.
Cold Spring got 14 more hits, including four doubles, in the second game. Litchfield fared better at the plate, collecting eight hits, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
In a scheduling oddity, Litchfield still has one more game on its schedule, a regular-season title against Willmar at 7 p.m. Thursday at Optimist Park in Litchfield.
