BASEBALL: Polk offense roars in rout of Rosman

Published 1:33 pm Thursday, May 1, 2025

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Polk County’s offense erupted for 21 runs Wednesday as the Wolverines overwhelmed Rosman 21-3 in a non-conference baseball matchup shortened to five innings by the mercy rule.

The Wolverines (11-12) scored nine runs in the second inning alone, part of a 13-run outburst over the first two frames that put the contest out of reach against the Tigers (4-16). Polk County’s balanced attack featured seven players with multiple RBI or runs scored in the commanding victory.

The win also served as a historic night for junior Gunnar Alm, who shattered multiple school records while going 3-for-4 with four RBI and five runs scored.

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Karson Scruggs led the balanced offensive attack by going 2-for-2 with three RBI and four runs scored while stealing two bases. Alex Perry added a 2-for-3 performance with three RBI, three runs and two stolen bases, while Avrey Hensley finished 2-for-5 with two runs and a double.

Noah Harden contributed both offensively and defensively, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and throwing two hitless innings with four strikeouts on the mound to earn the win. Aaden Denton pitched one inning, allowing an unearned run on two hits with two strikeouts, while Jayce Edwards closed with two innings, surrendering two unearned runs and striking out four.

Alm’s historic performance included tying a school record with five runs scored (matching Nick Capozzi’s mark set in 2018) while breaking two career school records – blasting his 19th career home run to surpass Eric Luckadoo’s previous mark of 18 (1996-1998) and hitting his 26th career double to move past Josh Hudson (1999-2001) and Holden Owens (2014-18), who each had 25.

Alm also added to his growing list of accomplishments by recording his 27th career multi-hit game, tying Brandon Jolley’s school record (2007-2010), and drawing his 24th walk this season to break the previous single-season mark of 23 held by Nic Johnson, Daniel McEntyre and Danny Fraga.

The Wolverines’ offensive onslaught began immediately in the first inning. Alm reached on an error, stole second and third, then scored on a passed ball. After Scruggs walked and advanced to third, he scored on a double steal with Perry. Two more runs crossed the plate on an error off Aaron Jackson’s grounder.

Polk County’s most productive frame came in the second inning, when they plated nine runs on five hits, taking advantage of three hit batters, a walk and two errors. The highlight came when Alm delivered a two-run double, part of a frame that saw the Wolverines send 13 batters to the plate.

The Wolverines close their regular season on Thursday at home against East Rutherford.