Baseball roundup: Cards open playoffs against the Flyers
May 31—WILLMAR — Hoping to make it back to the state baseball tournament, Willmar is in the pole position in Section 8AAA.
The Cardinals (13-5) are the No. 1 seed in the section. They open the postseason against sixth-seeded Little Falls (9-10) on Tuesday.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Bill Taunton Stadium.
The Section 8AAA championship concludes on June 8 at the Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud.
The seeds in 8AAA are: No. 1. Willmar, No. 2. Alexandria (15-5), No. 3. Rocori (12-7), No. 4. Sauk Rapids (11-7), No. 5. Detroit Lakes (12-6), and No. 6. Little Falls (9-10).
Paynesville head coach Brad Skoglund earned his 500th career victory by beating Minnewaska in the second round of the Section 3AA-North tournament Saturday at Paynesville.
Paynesville, the top seed, plays Redwood Valley at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Legion Field in Marshall in the winners' bracket. Redwood Valley is the third seed in 3AA South. The Cardinals won two games Saturday, beating Pipestone 8-0 and Windom 12-3.
Minnewaska, the North's No. 5 seed, plays Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Montevideo in an elimination game.
The other winners' bracket game features Fairmont against Morris/Chokio-Alberta at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Legion Field in Marshall. On Saturday, Morris/CA beat West Central Area 6-2, then defeated ACGC 4-3 in Morris. Fairmont, the South's top seed, beat Luverne 1-0 after having a first-round bye.
Against Minnewaska, Austin Pauls went 3-for-3 with two RBIs for Paynesville. Eli Nelson was 2-for-2 with two runs and a walk for the Bulldogs. Nelson got the pitching win, going six innings and allowing seven hits and three runs. He struck out seven and walked four.
Jacob Blair was 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run and Dylan Alexander went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run for Minnewaska.
Minnewaska 101 001 0-3 7 0
Paynesville 000 131 x-5 9 1
Hitting — Minnewaska: Jacob Blair 2-3 2b-2 r, Dylan Alexander 2-3 2b rbi bb, Jack Larson 1-3 rbi bb, PJ Johnson 1-3 rbi, Noah Jensen 1-2 2b bb-2, Levi Johnson 0-2 r bb ... Paynesville: Eli Nelson 2-2 r-2 bb sb, Spencer Eisenbraun 1-3, Austin Pauls 3-3 rbi-2 sb, Trent Wendlandt 1-3, Chase Bayer 2-3 2b 3b r, Grayson Fuchs 0-3 rbi-2, Max Athmann 0-3 r sb, Abe Brunner 0-0 r
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — Minnewaska: Torii Johnson (L) 6-9-5-5-1-1 ... Paynesville: Nelson (W) 6-7-3-3-4-7, Wendlandt 1-0-0-0-1-0
Brandon Jergenson tossed a complete-game victory for No. 2 Morris/Chokio-Alberta in a one-run win over No. 3 Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City at Morris.
With the win, the Tigers remain in the winners' bracket. They will take on Fairmont at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Legion Field in Marshall. After getting a first-round bye in the South sub-section, the top-seeded Cardinals beat Luverne 1-0.
ACGC goes to the elimination bracket and will face Minnewaska at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Montevideo.
Jergenson struck out six over seven innings, holding the Falcons to four hits and one walk.
Logan Straumann and Jack Peterson each hit solo home runs for ACGC. Peterson was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.
ACGC 101 001 0-3 4 0
Morris/CA 021 100 x-4 8 0
Hitting — ACGC: Logan Straumann 1-3 r rbi hr, Jack Peterson 2-3 2b hr r-2 rbi, Zach Bagley 1-3, Jaxon Behm 0-2 rbi ... Morris/CA: Brett Hansen 1-1 rbi, Kyle Fehr 2-2 r-2 rbi, Sam Kleinwolterink 2-2 r bb, Kaleb Breuer 1-4 rbi, Riley Asmus 1-3, Brandon Jergenson 1-3 r bb sb
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — ACGC: Behm (L) 3-6-3-3-1-2, Barker 3-2-1-0-3-7 ... Morris/CA: Jergenson (W) 7-4-3-3-1-6
Fifth-seeded Minnewaska survived a rally from No. 4 New London-Spicer to advance past the first round in Paynesville.
Jack Majerus had two RBIs and a run for the Lakers, finishing 1-for-4. Jack Larson also had an RBI, going 1-for-4. Jacob Blair picked up the win after striking out six over five innings.
Aedan Andresen and Luke Ruter were both 2-for-4 for the Wildcats. Grant Paffrath was hit with the loss despite striking out eight over seven innings. NLS concludes the season at 10-11.
Minnewaska 301 000 0-4 7 1
NLS 000 011 1-3 7 3
Hitting — Minnewaska: Jacob Blair 1-3 r, Torii Johnson 1-4 r sb, Dylan Alexander 1-3 r, Jack Larson 1-4 rbi, Jack Majerus 1-4 r rbi-2 sb, Noah Jensen 1-3, Hunter Johnson 1-3 ... NLS: Luke Knudsen 1-3 r bb, Aedan Andresen 2-4 r, Luke Ruter 2-4, Bennett Schultz 1-2 rbi bb, Brody Lien 1-2 rbi, Gavin Degner 0-3 rbi, Chi Schneider 0-1 r sb bb-3
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — Minnewaska: Blair (W) 5-3-1-1-5-6, PJ Johnson 2-4-2-2-2-2 ... NLS: Grant Paffrath (L) 7-7-4-2-0-8
Brandon Jergenson was 2-for-3 with five stolen bases in No. 2 Morris/Chokio-Alberta's first-round win over No. 7 West Central Area in Morris.
Ross Marty, Sam Kleinwolterink and Kyle Fehr each finished with two hits for the Tigers. Riley Asmus tossed all seven innings, striking out seven in the victory.
WCA 110 000 0-2 6 3
Morris/CA 031 110 x-6 10 1
Hitting — WCA: Cole Anderson 2-4 2b, Bryce Kjesbo 1-3 r rbi, Dane Anderson 1-4, Colton Lindquist 2-3 rbi bb, Camden Anderson 0-2 r bb sb ... Morris/CA: Ross Marty 2-4 2b r, Brandon Jergenson 2-3 bb sb-5, Sam Kleinwolterink 2-4 r, Kyle Fehr 2-3 r rbi-2, Brett Hansen 1-3 2b r rbi, Dylan Rose 1-3 2b r, Riley Asmus 0-1 r bb-2 sb
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — WCA: Ca. Anderson (L) 4-8-6-3-3-7, Lindquist 2-2-0-0-0-2 ... Morris/CA: Asmus (W) 7-6-2-2-3-7
Tied 1-1 with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City's Terrell Renne was hit by a pitch, which brought in the game-winning run for the No. 3 Falcons over No. 6 Montevideo at Morris.
Down by one entering the frame, Logan Straumann and Jack Peterson each led off the inning with doubles. The bases were loaded after Connor Barker was intentionally walked. With the bases full, Jaxon Behm hit an RBI single to tie the game, setting the scene for Renne's game-winning beanball.
Peterson was the winning pitcher for ACGC, striking out 10 in a complete-game effort.
Brady Snell finished 2-for-3 with a run for the Thunder Hawks. Montevideo wraps up the season at 8-10.
Montevideo 000 000 1-1 3 0
ACGC 000 000 2-2 3 0
Hitting — Montevideo: Grayson Eisenlohr 1-3 2b rbi, Brady Snell 2-3 r ... ACGC: Logan Straumann 1-3 2b r, Jack Peterson 1-3 2b r, Jaxon Behm 1-3 rbi, Terrell Renne 0-2 rbiPitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — Montevideo: Snell (L) 7-3-2-2-1-7 ... ACGC: Peterson (W) 7-3-1-1-0-10
An RBI single by Joe Heidecker in the bottom of the second inning was all top-seeded MACCRAY needed to beat No. 4 Dawson-Boyd at Lilleberg Field in Raymond.
The Wolverines advance to the winners' bracket and will play Murray County Central at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Yankee Field in Milroy. The Rebels are the No. 2 seed in the South sub-section. They beat Wabasso 6-5 and Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove 14-9 on Saturday.
The Blackjacks are in the elimination bracket and will face Yellow Medicine East at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Montevideo.
Dreyer Homan went 2-for-2 with a double for MACCRAY. He also had the complete-game victory, striking out eight.
Blake Thompson was 1-for-3 at the plate while also tossing six innings for D-B in the loss.
Dawson-Boyd 000 000 0-0 4 3
MACCRAY 010 000 x-1 5 3
Hitting — Dawson-Boyd: Blake Thompson 1-3 bb, Braxton Hahn 1-4, Brayden Hahn 1-4 sb, Aiden Swenson 1-2 bb ... MACCRAY: Dreyer Homan 2-2 2b bb, Brooks Asche 1-3, Xavier Noble 1-3 r, Joe Heidecker 1-2 rbi bb Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — Dawson-Boyd: Thompson (L) 6-5-1-1-3-3 ... MACCRAY: Homan (W) 7-4-0-0-2-8
Lac qui Parle Valley pitchersAvery Wittnebel and Kaiden Allpress combined to throw a one-hitter, helping the No. 2 Eagles to a win over No. 3 Yellow Medicine East at Rosen.
With the win, LQPV stays in the winners' bracket and will face Russell-Tyler-Ruthton at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Yankee Field in Milroy. The Knights are the top seed in the South and beat Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian 12-2 and Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 4-3 on Saturday.
YME plays Dawson-Boyd in an elimination game at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Montevideo.
Wittnebel struck out eight over six innings. He was also 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI. Allpress put up all zeroes in the seventh. Blake Wollschlager and Kadyn Fernholz were both 2-for-4, with Wollschlager hitting a home run.
Connor Fagen had the Sting's lone hit.
YME 000 000 0-0 1 3
LQPV 301 012 x-7 10 0
Hitting — YME: Connor Fagen 1-2 ... LQPV: Kadyn Fernholz 2-4 2b r-2, Blake Wollschlager 2-4 2b hr r rbi-2, Avery Wittnebel 1-2 r rbi, Dain Mortenson 1-3 r rbi, Kaden Molden 2-3 r rbi, TJ Mitchell 1-1 r, Kaiden Allpress 1-3 rbi, Ethan Schommer 0-0 rbiPitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — YME: Drew Almich (L) 5.1-10-7-4-0-3, Jake Odegard 0.2-0-0-0-1-0 ... LQPV: Wittnebel (W) 6-1-0-0-2-8, Allpress 1-0-0-0-0-0
Top-seeded MACCRAY cruised in its playoff opener with a five-inning victory against No. 8 Canby at Lilleberg Field in Raymond.
The Wolverines finished with 16 hits. Dreyer Homan was 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, four RBIs and two runs. Isaac Strommer finished 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and two stolen bases. Gavin Husman, Xavier Noble and Ethan Strommer all had two hits for MACCRAY.
Canby 000 20-2 5 2
MACCRAY 629 0x-17 16 1
Hitting — Canby: Easton Antony 1-3 rbi-2, Evan Engesmoe 1-2 bb sb-2, Liam MacArthur 1-3, Brady Hulzebos 1-2 r, Tyler Hiedeman 1-2, Eli Greenman 0-2 r ... MACCRAY: Gavin Husman 2-4 2b r rbi sb, Isaac Strommer 3-4 r-2 rbi-2 sb-2, Dreyer Homan 3-3 2b hr r-2 rbi-4, Wyatt Swenson 1-1 r, Brooks Asche 1-2 2b r rbi bb sb, Xavier Noble 2-3 r-2 sb, Joe Heidecker 1-2 2b r-2 rbi bb, Keegan Rand 1-1, Ethan Strommer 2-2 2b r-2 rbi-4 bb, Emery Aker 0-1 r-2 bb-2 sb, Garrett Struxness 0-1 r-2 rbi bb
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — Canby: Colton Ruether (L) 0.2-5-6-6-2-1, Sawyer Drietz 1.2-6-8-7-2-1, Antony 1.2-5-3-3-3-2 ... MACCRAY: Asche 2-2-0-0-1-4, Jase Dirksen (W) 3-3-2-0-0-3
Fourth-seeded Dawson-Boyd advanced past the opening round with a victory against No. 5 Renville County West at Lilleberg Field in Raymond.
Braxton Hahn was 2-for-3 with a triple and three runs scored for the Blackjacks. Brayden Hahn drove in a pair of runs, finishing 2-for-3 with two doubles. Tygan Long threw all seven innings for a complete-game victory.
Isaac Haen and Camden Wohlman both had two hits for the Jaguars. Haen scored twice while Wohlman had two RBIs.
RCW ends the season at 4-11. It was also the final game for Jaguars head coach Randy Schaub, who is stepping down after coaching for 37 seasons.
RCW 101 000 0-2 5 2
Dawson-Boyd 101 010 x-3 6 3
Hitting — RCW: Isaac Haen 2-4 r-2 sb, Tyler Amsden 1-3, Camden Wohlman 2-3 rbi-2 sb ... Dawson-Boyd: Braxton Hahn 2-3 3b r-3, Brayden Hahn 2-3 2b-2 rbi-2, Aiden Swenson 1-1 2b rbi bb-2, Aric Gruwell 1-3 3b sb
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — RCW: Tyler Froland (L) 6-6-3-2-2-8 ... Dawson-Boyd: Tygan Long (W) 7-5-2-2-2-4
Blake Wollschlager struck out 15 over five innings to get the win for second-seeded Lac qui Parle Valley against No. 7 Lakeview at Rosen.
Along with the strong pitching performance, Wollschlager was 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and two RBIs. Landon Schirm and Kadyn Fernholz each had two hits for the Eagles. Fernholz had a double and a home run with four RBIs and two runs scored.
Lakeview 000 000 1-1 2 0LQPV 342 000 x-9 11 1Hitting — Lakeview: Luke Sander 1-3 hr r rbi, Brayln Breyfogle 1-2 ... LQPV: Landon Schirm 2-3 r-3 bb sb, Kadyn Fernholz 2-3 2b hr r-2 rbi-4, Blake Wollschlager 2-4 2b rbi-2, Avery Wittnebel 1-4 r sb, Dain Mortenson 1-3 2b rbi-2, Darrick Molden 1-2 rbi, TJ Mitchell 1-2 sb-2, Tyler Schickedanz 1-2, Kaiden Allpress 0-2 r bbPitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — Lakeview: Taiven Isaackson (L) 1.2-7-7-7-4-1, Cayden Caron 4.1-4-2-2-1-2 ... LQPV: Wollschlager (W) 5-0-0-0-1-13, Allpress 2-2-1-1-3-3
Third-seeded Yellow Medicine East opened the postseason with a six-inning victory against No. 6 Central Minnesota Christian at Rosen.
Nikson Knapper was 4-for-4 with two doubles, five runs and two RBIs for the Sting. He was also the winning pitcher, striking out six over five innings. Cody Dahlager hit a home run, finishing 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a pair of runs.
Josh Nelson finished 3-for-4 with a double for the Bluejays. Wesley Fussy was 2-for-3 with an RBI. CMCS finishes the season at 6-8.
CMCS 003 010-4 10 2
YME 322 043-14 12 0
Hitting — CMCS: Braelin Rime 1-4, Josh Nelson 3-4 2b, Trenton Bulthuis 1-2 r-2 bb, Kadin Dehmlow 1-3, Ben Ryks 1-3 r rbi-2, Wesley Fussy 2-3 rbi, Drew Duininck 1-2 rbi bb, Skyler Zwart 0-3 r ... YME: Nikson Knapper 4-4 2b-2 r-5 rbi-2 bb, Drew Almich 2-4 2b r rbi-3, Bryce Sneller 1-2 r-2 rbi-2 bb-2, Cody Dahlager 2-4 hr r-2 rbi-3, Jake Odegard 1-2 2b rbi-2 bb-2, Israel Eakes 1-3 2b r-2, Isaac Jimenez 1-2 2b r-2 bb sb-2
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — CMCS: Nelson (L) 2-3-5-5-6-1, Ethan Bulthuis 3-9-9-8-2-2 ... YME: Knapper (W) 5-8-4-4-2-6, Sneller 1-2-0-0-0-0
