Prep baseball: Haugen's complete-game gem pushes Esko closer to state berth

Jun. 6—ESKO — Seconds after the final out was tallied in a Section 7AA semifinal Tuesday, June 6, against Rock Ridge, Esko starting pitcher Cale Haugen rushed from the mound to right field to celebrate with teammate Finn Furcht after the team's pivotal 7-1 victory.

The moment of elation was more than fitting, as the Eskomos moved to within one game of clinching their first state tournament berth since 2000.

"We've set goals for our team this year and we've followed through with our goals. It's just an awesome feeling knowing that we're in the driver's seat now," Haugen said.

Haugen, who earned the complete-game victory on the hill with 10 strikeouts, was recognized for his achievements on and off the diamond this past week after being named the 2023 Gatorade Minnesota Baseball Player of the Year.

The Minnesota State University, Mankato signee is the first and only Northlander to earn the distinction since Greenway, Coleraine catcher Justin Tomberlin received the award in 1989. Tomberlin went on to play Division I hockey and baseball for the University of Maine post-high school.

Haugen said he was taken by surprise upon learning that he had won the award.

"I didn't have any idea that I was going to be picked for it. I woke up Friday morning and my dad called me and that's how I found out," he said. "But it's unreal to see the list of people who've won it, like Joe Mauer, Derek Jeter, and just to know that I'm in that company is really an awesome feeling."

Haugen's final season with the Eskomos has been one for the books, with gaudy numbers posted both at the plate, and on the mound.

Through 24 games, Haugen has logged 42 hits in 76 at-bats for a team-high .553 batting average with only two strikeouts. His 13 doubles, 10 home runs and 42 RBIs also tops a loaded Esko lineup.

As the team's undisputed ace, Haugen has posted an unblemished 7-0 record complete with 86 strikeouts and a.316 ERA in 44.1 innings pitched.

Proud father and head coach Ben Haugen, said the award is a point of pride for not only Cale, but baseball in the Northland as a whole.

"I think it's cool to have somebody from up here win something like that and I think it just kind of speaks to the time that people have put into Northland baseball," Haugen said. "I think it's gotten a lot better over the last several years and I think it's going to be even better...I think it's pretty cool and something that all the younger guys can look up to him for."

Haugen left his fingerprints early on in Tuesday's contest, as he sparked a crucial two-out rally with a stinging line drive that dropped inches from the centerfielder's outstretched glove and rolled all the way to the fence, providing him with ample time to round third and score with an inside-the-park home run.

"It was a bad, bad swing. I was out in front of it, off the end of the bat," Haugen said of his 10th home run of the season. "I knew it was going to get down and I saw him dive for it and I was like, 'Oh no, he's going to get there.' And then I saw it scoot past him and I just put my head down and turned the burners on."

After the first run scored, Isaak Sertich scalded his first of two line-drive doubles to left field before walks to Bryce Hipp and Finn Furcht loaded the bases. Dylan Marciulionis' towering pop fly to shallow right field dropped for a hit to drive in two more runs, and gave Esko a quick 3-0 lead.

According to Sertich, the team entered Tuesday's contest determined to improve upon their showing from last season.

"I think it really helped to kind of motivate us," he said. "We got a reality check last year when we were doing good, and then we just kind of dropped off in a huge game, so we came through today."

In an otherwise smooth outing, Haugen ran into trouble in the latter half of the first inning when the Wolverines drew three walks to load the bases. After a mound visit by coach Haugen, Cale Haugen staved off the scoring threat with a strikeout.

"I'll admit I was nervous. My heart was pounding, especially after I ran the bases," he said. "The first two innings, I didn't have anything working. I was rushing, but after I settled in, I got my fastball over the plate for strikes, which is the most important thing. My slider was really good today too, and actually I threw a couple of good changeups."

The Wolverines stranded 10 runners over the course of the game on two hits, but proved opportunistic in the second inning with their lone run scoring via a pair of fielding errors by Esko.

Jaden Lang led off the inning with a hard-hit grounder to right field that was misplayed, allowing him to reach third base and later score on a second Esko error to make it 3-1.

While pleased overall with the team's performance, Rock Ridge head coach Jamie Lindseth said the team's lack of timely hits was the biggest difference maker.

"We did not get a hit with somebody on, and those are huge. I know we left several runners on base. We had bases loaded in one inning. I know we had two in (another) inning. And those are huge," he said. "You have to make those count, otherwise (Haugen's) just too tough. He is, he's that good."

Wolverines' starting pitcher Dylan Hedley settled in with back-to-back shutout innings after the three-run opening frame. He finished the three-inning outing with six hits surrendered and three earned runs. Carter Mavec and Tate Uhan each pitched two innings for Rock Ridge in relief.

With Mavec on the mound, the Eskomos added three sorely-needed insurance runs in the top of the fifth via a Sertich double and a Marciulionis single. Connor Pearce pushed the sixth run across with an RBI ground out with the bases loaded. A balk with a runner on third base added the team's final run in the seventh inning.