Maple Lake Legion baseball team starts 2-1

 

Cokato Legion 4
Maple Lake Legion 13
The Legion baseball season kicked off for Maple Lake Legion Post 131 on June 5 at Irish Stadium against Cokato Legion Post 209.  The season began with much anticipation after a disappointing school baseball season ended in subsection quarterfinal play to Paynesville.  The Dassel-Cokato High School team beat Paynesville in the subsection semifinal game. 
“They really needed a good, solid win to get back in the saddle and have a confident season,” Post 131 manager Ryan Haney said.
Nick Preisinger climbed the hill for 131 in the home season opener. He struck out the first batter he faced. Cokato’s next batter singled off Preisinger’s 2-2 pitch and climbed aboard with one out. Preisinger lost his next at-bat and walked him in four pitches, to put runners on first and third. A bases-clearing double put Maple Lake down 2-0. Preisinger fell into another 0-3 hole and walked the batter. Deja Vu  seemed to set in for Maple Lake in the next-at bat as Preisinger walked another batter, loading the bases for Cokato in the top of the first. Things were beginning to look bleak for Maple Lake. The next two pitches were commanding fastballs from Preisinger, putting him up 2-0. The next pitch was put into play for a 4-6-3 double play, allowing Maple Lake to escape the inning only giving up 2 runs.
The bats needed to start strong for 131 in the bottom of the first to stop Cokato’s momentum. They wouldn’t come close to surmounting the deficit, three up and down for Maple Lake.  Cokato wouldn’t let up in the second, scoring two more runs to give Cokato a 4-0 advantage. 
Post 131 needed to get on the board and stop Cokato’s offense. That happened in the bottom of the second after Nick Gapinski and Tony Goelz walked, with two outs, putting runners on second and first. A single from Lucas Fobbe drove in Gapinski, to close the deficit to 4-1.
Preisinger buckled down and controlled Cokato for the next two innings. He also received support in the bottom of the fourth when Maple Lake batted around, off three hits, five walks, and scored six runs, making the score 7-4.
Maple Lake had another huge inning, scoring six runs off six hits and one walk to make the score 13-4. Preisinger was beginning to lose stamina, in the top of the sixth, and walked his first batter. Ryan Haney called upon Gapinski to come in relief, after Preisinger gave up another hit. With runners on second and first, Gapinski surrendered a hit, scoring a run for Cokato. Gapinski and company escaped the inning after a double play. With the game going into the top of the seventh and nine insurance runs to their name, Maple Lake Legion Post 131 sent the next three batters to the dugout and ended the game with the final score 13-4.  
 “It was a great win and we really came together as a team and rallied to come from behind to get our first win of the season,” shortstop McRae Haney said.
More information and stats appear in this week's Messenger.
 

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