If her father drove the horse and buggy to town for groceries, he would bring back candy for the children. However, if her mother went with him, there would be no candy. Mother thought they could not afford it during the Great Depression era of the 1930s. A long-time resident of Spring Grove, 98-year-old Beatrice (Hatling) Doely reflected on growing up on a farm between the … [Read more...]
Lion boys extend winning streak against Houston, 4-1
Brandon Jahnke pitched a complete game, allowing no earned runs, as Spring Grove won, 4-1, at Houston on May 10. For the second straight game, the Lions won despite having the fewest hits. Out-hit 4-2, Spring Grove took advantage of nine free passes (eight walks, one hit batter). All four Hurricane hits came in different innings, and they needed an Lion error to score their … [Read more...]
Ezra Griffin home run ignites Spring Grove rally past Wabasha-Kellogg
One swing of the bat by Ezra Griffin seemed to change anything in Spring Grove’s 7-3 non-conference baseball win over visiting Wabasha-Kellogg on May 8. In last season’s section game, Falcon freshman Cole Scheel had tossed a one-hit shutout to end Spring Grove’s season. In this 2023 rematch, Scheel had retired the first nine Lion batters in order, including six strikeouts. That … [Read more...]
Spring Grove sweeps softball double header against Lyle/Pacelli
The Spring Grove girls broke into the win column in a big way with a May 5 home double-header sweep of Lyle/Pacelli, 6-4 and 6-2. Both games were scheduled for five innings; L/P was the home team (batted last) in the nightcap. Eighth grader Jada Strinmoen earned the pitching win in the first game, and eighth grader Brinley Middendorf was the pitcher of record in the late … [Read more...]
Lion boys blanked by state-ranked Lyle/Pacelli
Isaac Nelsen tossed a one-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts and only one walk as state-ranked No. 2 Lyle/Pacelli won, 7-0, at Blayne Onsgard Memorial Field on May 5. Caleb Griffin spoiled a potential no-hitter with a lead-off single in the final seventh inning. Griffin had been good on the mound as well with eight strikeouts and only one walk before hitting two batters before … [Read more...]
Cleven, Lion bats subdue Mabel-Canton again
The Spring Grove boys received a stellar pitching performance by senior reliever Ty Cleven, who was also one of five Lions with multiple base hits in a 12-5 road win at Mabel-Canton on May 4. It was the second victory over the Cougars in three days with a more comfortable margin than the previous 7-6 walk-off decision. Cleven struck out 12, walked only three and gave up … [Read more...]
Lion girls exhibit better batting during loss to undefeated Houston
The Spring Grove girls had a season-high six hits during a 12-5 road loss to undefeated Houston on May 4. Lydia Solum batted 1 for 3 with two runs batted in while Addyson McHugh and Katelyn Kraus went 1 for 3 with an RBI. The five singles all came from five different Lions, including Maggie Lile and Sydney Holland. The only charity Spring Grove received was one Hurricane … [Read more...]
Cal/SG boys sweep top five places in 100-meter dash
The Caledonia/Spring Grove boys swept the first five places in the 100-meter dash at the Cinco de Mayo Meet, hosted by La Crescent-Hokah on May 5. Josh Beardmore won two individual events and ran on the wining 4x100-meter relay. Tysen Grinde won two events along with a third place while Fischer Wait claimed one win and another runner-up finish. That made six winning efforts for … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Catching airborne cash registers, winning awards in Choice
They were married in the king’s palace in Norway. Otto and Caroline Bach, at ages 26 and 24 respectively, and his mother Otilia sailed to New York in 1885 with second-class passage purchased at a country store and post office in Newburg, Fillmore County, Minn., by Otto’s brother and previous immigrant, Mathias Johnson. The newcomers first settled in Newburg and later lived in … [Read more...]
Solum swing provides walk-off, baseball win for Spring Grove
Elijah Solum was Spring Grove’s first batter and also the last. He led off for the Lions in the first inning with a home run and then with his final swing, singled in the winning run for a come-from-behind walk-off 7-6 home win over Mabel-Canton on May 2. In between, Solum (3 for 5) ignited a two-out rally with a single that tied the score at 5-5. He had three of the Lions’ … [Read more...]
Spring Grove sustains one-hit softball setback at Mabel-Canton
Eighth grader Izabel Kaufman had the lone Spring Grove base hit in the 15-0 softball loss at Mabel-Canton on May 2. That single came during the second inning with two outs and the Lions trailing 3-0. Tylar Wenthold tossed the one-hit shutout while striking out six and walking only two. The game ended in the fourth inning with the run rule. It was a non-conference contest, since … [Read more...]
Pitching not quite enough for Spring Grove boys at Lyle/Pacelli
Spring Grove did not trail until the bottom of the fifth inning when a walk and a Lion error set the stage for a two-out, two-RBI single by Dane Schara, which created the eventual final score in the 3-1 Lyle/Pacelli win on May 1 at Marcusen Park in Austin. “Caleb Griffin was fantastic on the mound, striking out 11 L/P batters,” said Spring Grove coach Chris Strinmoen. … [Read more...]
Lion girls score late, but fall to Hurricanes
An RBI single by Spring Grove senior Kenadee Gerard in the final fifth inning spoiled both a no-hitter and shutout for Houston pitcher Lilly Carr. Jada Strinmoen, who had reached base on an error, scored on the play, only the second Lion to reach base after Katelyn Kraus had been hit by a pitch in the previous inning. The Hurricanes won 13-1 with the 10-run rule after five … [Read more...]
Clutch hitting leads to Lion baseball sweep of Bulldogs
Spring Grove used timely hitting while scoring five of its six runs after two outs to earn a 6-2 win and season sweep of visiting Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Kingsland (GMLOK) on April 28. Sophomore Brandon Jahnke was again the winning pitcher as he was in the previous victory versus the Bulldogs. Jahnke allowed only two hits during four innings before three other … [Read more...]
Cal/SG boys host, win track quadrangular
The Caledonia/Spring Grove boys took first place in nine events while winning a home quadrangular track and field meet with Cotter, Wabasha-Kellogg and La Crescent-Hokah on April 28. The Warrior girls finished fourth. Senior Tysen Grinde, junior Josh Beardmore and sophomore Fischer Wait were each three-time winners. Grinde won both the high jump (6 feet even) and the triple … [Read more...]