Photo by Iowa Central Athletics: Iowa Central baseball players greet Jack Ratcliffe (3) in the dugout at Rogers Park on Wednesday during an ICCAC game against Iowa Lakes.

There were plenty of emotions at Rogers Park on Wednesday for a mid-week ICCAC baseball contest between No. 12 Iowa Central and Iowa Lakes.

Playing close to home for the first time since going through a tragic experience that resulted in the death of Laker player Carter Johnson, former Humboldt standout Chris Witzke brought his team to the diamond.

While the end result was a 24-7 victory in seven innings by the Tritons (25-1 overall, 4-0 in the league), just seeing Iowa Lakes (4-6, 1-3) back competing again was a welcome sight for ICCC skipper Eric Stein and the crowd in attendance.

“Chris and I talked before the game just about how this really puts a perspective on things,” Stein said. “It’s a really difficult situation, but it’s exciting to see (Iowa Lakes) back out and playing, getting to be with the guys on the field again.

“You like to see that because those kids had to overcome a lot and still want to have a future together. It’s tough.”

Tate Perrin blasted two home runs, with Sawyer Stein, Jack Ratcliffe, Will Specht and Parker Studtmann each hitting one. Perrin and Studtmann each drove in five, as Specht plated three.

Iowa Central sent 20 batters to the plate, scoring three in the first, seven in the second, two in the third, five in the fourth and seven in the fifth in support of Maddox Gast, who pitched four innings of one-hit ball with four strikeouts to earn the win on the mound.

Stein and Studtmann each had three hits, with George McIntyre, Perrin, Sam Sejnoha, Ben Jones and Specht all recording two hits each.

Witzke and the Laker program went through a gut-wrenching tragedy on Feb. 11, when the team bus rolled over in rural Calhoun County near Twin Lakes. Over 30 people were injured, with Johnson — a freshman outfield from Rapid City, S.D. — passing away at the scene of the accident.

“Having things return to normal to some degree has been nice,” Witzke said. “Everyone’s healing well. Obviously, we aren’t back to full strength, but a majority of the roster has been cleared and is back to business as usual.

“We still have a handful on the road to recovery, with some having a longer road ahead than others. But I like where we’re at from an overall health standpoint, given the circumstances.”

Iowa Lakes returned to action on March 13 with a pair of games at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis vs. Minnesota North-Mesabi Range. The Lakers also played three contests at Marshalltown, and will be making their home debut this weekend vs. Kirkwood in Estherville from Hess Limberg Field.

“That first game back almost didn’t feel real,” Witzke said. “A lot of our players went through a lot to be cleared and ready to go that first game back, you could feel almost a sense of relief once we took the field that day.”

The tragedy has brought Witzke, his coaching staff and players even closer over the past several weeks. A 2016 graduate of Humboldt, Witzke is in his second season as head coach after serving as an assistant at Iowa Lakes.

“Without a doubt I would say it has (helped form a stronger bond),” Witzke said. “We had a pretty close team before the accident, but there’s a level of vulnerability and togetherness between our players now that you rarely see within a roster.

“We have found a level of appreciation for each other that I think only a tragedy like this can bring out.”

Boyd Jones had a home run for the Lakers vs. the Tritons, finishing 2-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored. Ayden Wells also had an RBI and scored a run.

Iowa Central will host ICCAC rival and 11th-ranked Southeastern for a three-game series beginning Saturday at 1 p.m. with a doubleheader. The teams will play a single nine-inning game on Sunday.

“You just have to play the game that’s in front of you,” Stein said. “Compete and play as hard as you can. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, just take each pitch for what it is and play as well as you can.

“Obviously we have a big one this weekend. It will be exciting to see how we perform.”