American
Legion
Minnesota Division I
State Tournament
GAZETTE
| Volume 6, No. 4 | Marshall, Minnesota | Sunday, August 11, 2002 |
| Only Three Still Alive | ||
| Excelsior qualified for a regional
tournament spot and also a berth in the Minnesota
American Legion Baseball championship game with a 12-2
victory over North St. Paul in the final game Saturday at
Legion Field. Two teams will qualify on Sunday for national regional play and a chance to participate in the American Legion World Series. On Sunday, North St. Paul will take on Apple Valley at 1 p.m. at Legion Field. Apple Valley fought its way back through the losers' bracket to make it to the final day, in the semi-final game. The winner will play Excelsior at 3:30 p.m.for the championship. |
On Saturday, in the first game, Apple
Valley defeated Richfield 1-0, and Alexandria defeated
Northfield 5-3. Apple Valley came back and defeated
Alexandria 6-5 with a dramatic run in the bottom of the
seventh. The final game was close through three innings before Excelsior's bats heated up and put the game away in six innings. The two qualifiers will play regional games at Williston, N.D., and Paducah, Kentucky. The World Series this year is in Danville, Virginia. Meanwhile, the Division II State American Legion Tournament began on Saturday at Willmar. |
In games on Saturday, the results
included: Nashwauk-Keewatin 2, Eden Valley Watkins 0;
Blue Earth 9, Parker's Prairie 4; LeSeuer Henderson 8,
Sebeka 3; St. Charles 7, Clara City 3; Eden Valley
Watkins 10; Parker's Prairie 6; Blue Earth 12,
Nashwauk-Keewatin 1; LeSeuer Henderson 7, St. Charles 2;
Clara City 8, Sebeka 1. Blue Earth and LeSeuer Henderson will play for the championship on Sunday in Willmar. Eden Valley Watkins will play Clara City for the consoluation titlew, and Nashwauk-Keewatin will take on St. Charles in the third playce game. |
| Apple Valley Finds Relief | |
| Joe Nielson excels in
fireman's role by John Sherman |
Photo by Gail
Kalata |
| Great relief pitchers are hard to find in
American Legion Baseball, but Bruce Young, coach of the
Apple Valley 76ers, knows where to find relief. He looked down the bench Saturday afternoon and saw Joe Nielsen in his warm-up jacket. Nielsen shed the jacket and suddenly it was like Superman entered the game. Nielsen allowed only three hits in five innings, as Apple Valley advanced with a 6-5 victory over Alexandria. It was Nielsen’s calm approach that made the difference. He came into the game in the top of the third inning with two men on base and no one out. He worked out of the jam and, despite giving up two runs in the fifth, he was virtually unhittable. Nielsen, an 18-year-old, will pitch at Waldorf Community College in Forest City, Iowa next season. But that’s only the next stop. “I want to pitch in the major leagues someday,” said the 6-foot-3, 185-pound right-hander. Nielsen looked like a major-leaguer in the first round of the State Tournament, as he pitched a one-hitter to beat Hermantown 2-1. With the two wins at state, Nielsen is 8-1 this summer. “I felt terrible in that first game,” said Nielsen. “I only walked three, but I threw too many balls.” Coach Young said he wanted to get starter Mike Lundin through at least two innings before bringing Nielsen into the Alexandria game. Lundin worked into the third inning before Young decided to call for Nielsen. American Legion pitching rules allowed Nielsen to work only five innings Saturday because no pitcher can work more than 12 innings in a three-day period. Nielsen’s fastball was clocked at 89 miles per hour earlier this year, Young said. That may be fast enough to get the |
attention of the pro scouts, but Nielsen
said he’ll throw even faster in college. Besides raw speed, he has a good curveball and a deceptive change-up. Nielsen also works on a knuckleball, but the 76ers coaching staff prefers that he sticks to the basics. If there’s one thing that characterizes Nielsen’s pitching, it’s that he doesn’t get rattled on the mound. “There can be bases loaded and no one out and Joe will have a smirk on his face,” said Apple Valley pitching coach Jeremy Engen. “There’s no one we trust more than Joe. He can get us out of any jam.” Nielsen’s relief pitching was not the whole story in the win over Alexandria. Hitting and bunting played a part in the team’s success. Mike Haberman doubled to lead off the seventh inning, then a base-hit bunt by Jeremy Chlan scored pinch runner Matt Ingle with the winning run. “I was looking for a fastball anywhere,” said Haberman. “And I got one. I just wanted to put it in play. Right off the bat, it felt good.” When Chlan got the bunt sign, he was ready. He laid the ball down for a hit and when no one covered first, the throw sailed into right field, allowing Ingle to score. “We just wanted to get the runner to third,” said Young. “But with Jeremy, there’s always a chance he’ll beat out the bunt.” “I just did my job,” said Chlan. “I do what the coaches tell me to do. It feels good to win a game like this. It would feel good to win one more and go to the region tournament.” The 76ers are 34-8 this season, so the fact they’ve made the final three at state is not surprising. The Third District champs are deep, consistent and hungry for more success. |
American Legion Baseball Director Goerge Karnas, center, talks over some tournament details with the site director Tom Mattson as Past Department Commander Bill Goede looks on. |
Richfield
Proved They Belonged With Elite Teams At the start of the 2002 American Legion Baseball season, the Richfield Reds were not ranked in the state’s top 10, but they were listed as one of the teams to watch. Fans at the State American Legion Tournament in Marshall last week got a chance to watch the Reds, who finished 2-2 and proved they belonged on the field with the state’s elite teams. Richfield won its first two games to reach the winners’-bracket semifinals. In the first round, Richfield blanked Chaska 4-0 on a fine pitching performance from Tony Garcia. In the second round, Richfield won again, as Rhett Gunderson pitched a 6-2 victory over Northfield. North St. Paul put a dent in Richfield’s championship aspirations with a 12-0 win on Friday, but the Reds bounced back to play a gutsy game in a 1-0, eight-inning loss to Apple Valley on Saturday morning. “When we played Apple Valley, both teams played the same kind of ball,” said Richfield head coach Mike Karnas. “It was just a great ballgame. Spencer Barron pitched very well and AppleValley’s pitcher [Mark Prestrud] was tough. He threw strikes and kept us off base.” Richfield had only three hits against Prestrud. There were some other hard hit balls that were hit right at fielders. “Our guys battled the whole way,” said Richfield assistant coach Jimmy Karnas. “It’s not fun to lose a game like that in the last inning, but I feel we did a good job.” Jimmy Karnas said his favorite game of the tourney was the Reds’ victory over Northfield. “In that game, we had a lot of guys step up. Our hitting was contagious.” Mike Mee hit a pair of doubles for the Reds, while Kris Pulford drove in two runs. Rhett Gunderson struck out 10 batters and allowed just four hits.” Richfield finished the season 28-9 overall. Several key players will return next season, including Barron, shortstop Pat Doran, right fielder Wade Vrieze, second baseman-outfielder Kris Pulford and pitcher Andy Graf. |
| Karnas: Tournament Very Successful by Gail Kalata |
|
| You can chalk the 2002 2002 Minnesota
State American Legion Division I Baseball Tournament up
as a success. The man who should know, George Karnas,
long-standing Director of American Legion Baseball in
Minnesota, has declared it so. Pleased with the high-caliber of play and determination displayed on the field, said Karnas, "These young men make me terribly proud. They exemplify what this program is all about, and they are setting a fantastic example for the future participants of American Legion Baseball." With so many tightly-contested games played during the tournament, Karnas added, "We have definitely seen some very, very good baseball during this tournament. It doesn't get any better than this." Karnas also gave high marks to the players and coaches for their superb level of sportsmanship during the tournament. In addition, Karnas rated the facilities and the overall performance of the host cities' tournament staff, led by Steve Glaeser, a definite factor in the success of the tournament. "Steve and his crew have worked very, very hard to make this tournament a total success, and they have definitely succeeded. This is one of the best and most memorable tournaments in recent years." In addition to Glaeser, members of the host executive committee are John Feda, Jim Muchlinski, Ken Mukomula and Doug Hamilton. |
|
Photo by Gail Kalata |
| North St. Paul's Coaches Been There by John Sherman | ||
| The three coaches for the North St. Paul
American Legion Baseball team know what their players are
going through this week in Marshall. Way back in 1971, those coaches, Ron Adams, Bob Horner and Jeff Motz played for North St. Paul’s Legion state championship team. The threesome reunited in 1991, when Adams invited Horner and Motz to join the North St. Paul coaching staff. The three coaches are on the same page, just as they were in their playing days – and that’s a big reason for North St. Paul’s success. This year’s team reminds Adams of the 1971 team, which finished second in the Central Plains Regional. “This is the deepest team we’ve had overall,” said Adams. In their playing days, Adams, Horner and Motz were standout players. |
Adams started at third base
in 1971 and Horner was the catcher. Motz was a reserve
infielder on that team and was a Legion starter at
shortstop the next two years. Dan Forsythe was the star
pitcher for the 1971 team with a 20-1 record. “We’ve got a good program in North St. Paul,” said Adams. “We get good backing from the town and from our Legion post. The biggest thing we want to accomplish is to make this a great experience for the kids. One of the highlights for me is seeing kids I coached five or ten years ago and hearing them say they had a good experience.” Now that North St. Paul has reached the winners’ bracket finals of the State Tournament, the team is close to making a trip to regionals. “We’re close, but we still have a couple of tough ones left,” said Adams, whose team stands 38-8 overall. One thing that prepared North St. Paul for the State Tournament is its season-long rivalry with Tri-City Red. Each team won three games out of six. Fourth District Director George Bodlovick said he likes the way Adams and his staff coach the team. “Our coaches had success in their days as ballplayers,” said Bodlovick. “I think that helps. They encourage their players; they don’t criticize.” This is North St. Paul’s first state trip to state since Adams became the coach 15 years ago. “This is sweet for me,” said Adams. “So many times we’ve finished second in the district to Tri-City Red.” It was the Fourth District’s turn to have two teams in the State Tournament this year. North St. Paul won the championship and Tri-City Red finished second. At any rate, this is a banner year for North St. Paul. Adams enjoys the relationships with his players, even more than he enjoys winning. Maybe that’s why the team has been so successful. |
|
| Hall of Famers Amazing and Incredible Fact Back in the old days, Legion Field had a cinder track around the outfield. After some flooding one year, though, the cinders washed into the infield -- making sliding a real and sometimes painful adventure. Over the years, the ciders were removed and the field now is in its current state of perfection. |
 Photo
by Gail Kalata |
|
Game Summaries, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2002
Game 25
Apple Valley 76ers 1, Richfield Reds
Apple Valley scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the
seventh inning to stay alive in a game Saturday morning at
Marshall’s Legion Field. Dan Brosnan opened the bottom of
the seventh inning with a triple, then scored on a single to left
field by Pete Mazurek. Mark Prestrud pitched a complete game for
Apple Valley, allowing three hits and striking out seven, while
walking none. Richfield pitcher Spencer Barron also allowed no
walks, but the 76ers got to him for nine hits, including two each
by Brosnan, Kyle Baran and Jeremy Chlan.
| Richfield Reds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||
| Apple Valley 76ers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
Barron and Christian. Prestrud and Dunivent. WP Prestrud. LP Barron. Home runs: None.
Game 26
Alexandria 5, Northfield 3
Alexandria took a 4-0 lead in the elimination game at
Marshall’s Legion Field, but Northfield made it interesting
in the late innings. Kory Foss hit a three-run homer to cut
Alexandria’s lead to 4-3, but Alex added an insurance run in
the top of the seventh to seal the victory. Alexandria had at
least one hit in every inning. Kevin Engebretson was the winning
pitcher with relief help from Brandon Smith, who was credited
with a save. Jon Kostreba, Amos Hartsell, Mike Hoelscher and Ryan
Emter each had two hits for Alexandria, while Tom Steidl had
three hits and two RBI. Jeff Hudson helped Northfield with a pair
of hits.
| Alexandria | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 1 | ||||||||
| Northfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
Engebretson, Smith (6) and Emter. Taggart, Foss (6) and Deden. WP Engebretson. LP Taggart. Home runs: Foss (Northfield).
Game 27
Apple Valley76ers 6, Alexandria 5
The 76ers scored the winning run on an error in the bottom of the seventh inning. It was Apple Valley’s third one-run win of the State Tournament. Joe Nielsen pitched five innings of three-hit relief for the win, while his teammates pounded out 15 hits. Five Apple Valley hitters had two hits apiece and Dan Brosnan had three hits to raise his State Tournament hit total to 10. Apple Valley has a 34-8 record going into Sunday’s action.
| Alexandria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 4 | ||||||||
| Apple Valley 76ers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 3 |
Eckhoff, Engebretson (6) and Schmidt. Lundin, Nielsen (3) and Klefsaas. WP Nielsen. LP Eckhoff. Home runs: None.
Game 28
Excelsior 12, North St. Paul 2 (6 innings)
The Excelsior Fire Club broke a 2-2 tie with three runs in the
bottom of the fourth inning, then coasted to victory via the
10-run rule. Catcher Fran Glover hit a home run down the
left-field line to lead off the fourth-inning surge, but
Excelsior’s top gun was Jeff Engel, who had a double, a
triple and a home run. Excelsior pitcher Geoff Bray scattered six
hits to earn a complete-game win. Nick Peters drove in both of
North St. Paul’s runs.
| North St. Paul | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | |||||||
| Excelsior | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 14 | 0 |
Waller and Horner. Bray and Glover. WP Bray. LP Waller. Home runs: Glover (Excelsior), Engel (Excelsior).
In Division II championship games at Willmar, the scores in the first round were: Nashwauk-Keewatin 2, Eden Valley Watkins 0; Blue Earth 9, Parker’s Prairie 4; LeSeuer Henderson 8, Sebeka 3, St. Charles 7, Clara City 3, Eden Valley Watkins 10, Parker’s Prairie 6; Blue Earth 12, Nashwuak-Keewatin 1.
Additional Issues:
| The Gazette, Thursday, August 8, 2002 |
| The Gazette, Friday, August 9, 2002 |
| The Gazette, Saturday, August 10, 2002 |
| 2002 State Tournament Homepage |
Last updated: 8/11/02
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