Lakers earn state tournament spot

Jeremy Schmidt’s power pitching and Brian Redemske’s timely base hit combined to top the D-C Saints 2-0 on August 2 and put the Lakers in the State Tournament. On August 5 the Lakers squared off against the Howard Lake Orphans to begin play for first place seeding at State, and when it was all over the Orphans came out on top 10-5. With this loss, the Lakers have to beat Howard Lake on August 11 to continue the fight for first place in Region 12C. Game time is 7 p.m. in Dassel. An Orphan win would end the tournament. A Laker win would require a third and final game on August 12. Loretto eliminated D-C 7-2, and Maple Plain ended Hutchinson’s season with a 10-6 win in 10 innings. Both winners advance to State but still have to play to decide third and fourth places. The State Tournament begins August 17. All games will be played in St. Cloud at Putz and Faber Fields. Lakers 2, D-C Saints 0 A large crowd at Dassel Stadium hung on every pitch as Schmidt and Saints starter and loser Eric Hanson engaged in a scoreless battle for five innings, knowing not just the stakes for the winner but also that the losing team might have to face number 3 seed Loretto in an elimination game. In the sixth the Lakers finally scored and those two runs ended up to be enough to win the game. Chad Raiche led off with a hard line drive caught by third baseman Brent Opsahl. Designated hitter Bert Marsnik looped a single to left field and advanced to second when Dusty Decker was hit by a pitch. Nate Johnson walked on four straight balls to load the sacks. Then it was Brian Redemske’s turn. With Opsahl pulled in for a possible play at the plate, Redemske lined a base hit high over Opsahl’s glove to send Marsnik and Decker home. A Saints double play ended the inning. The home team, by virtue of earning the number 1 seed for the 12C Tournament, the Lakers had runners on base in seven of the innings but stranded nine runners against Hanson and Jordan Danielson, who pitched the final inning. Laker runners reached third base in the first and second innings but could not score. Of the Laker five hits, only third baseman Mitch Wurm had two. Saints pitchers gave up two walks to Johnson and hit three batters. Totally dominating Saints batters, Schmidt limited the Saints to two hits and two walks while striking out 10. Only one D-C runner reached third base. Schmidt retired the last eight batters in a row to finish the game strong.
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