Baseball

Trojans Down JWP, Make 1A Final Four

After posting two wins in their first three playoff games to make a Memorial Day elimination game, Rushford-Peterson (10-seed, 9-14) took on Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (9-seed, 11-11). The Bulldogs playoff highlight was knocking off top-seeded Southland 7-4 in the quarters. They entered their game with the Trojans having just lost to Hayfield 1-0. R-P sent senior Rylan Schneider to the mound. He gave up some hits and some runs, but walked just one batter. A trio of Bulldogs pitchers walked 12. R-P used a couple walks and a Carson Johnson RBI single to get on the board in the second. An inning later, they added two more runs including a Johnson RBI sac fly. Blake Lea’s group built a 3-0 lead. The lead grew to 5-0 in the top of the fourth, as Evan Skalet capped the scoring with a two-out RBI-single. JWP got a couple runs a half inning later, taking advantage of Schneider’s only two free passes, his only walk and only hit batter (both of which scored). Cole Blomstrom’s two-run single made it 5-2. JWP plated another in the sixth on an Austin Quast RBI-double. But Schneider scattered the six hits and gave up just the two free passes. The Trojans defense also played error-free ball. Getting out-hit 6-3 but capitalizing on a 12-1 walks advantage, R-P prevailed 5-3 to make the 1A Final Four. Schneider (7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) collected his second playoff win. Car. Johnson (1-4, 2 RBI) and Skalet (1-2, RBI, R), and Zach Baker (0-3, RBI) had the Trojans’ RBIs. Jonah Bunke (1-5), Evan Kammerer (0-2), and Caden Johnson (0-1) also scored runs.

The Trojans (10-seed, 10-14) then headed back to Austin the following Saturday to play Southland (1-seed, 19-2) in another elimination game. Each team threw their top pitcher, R-P Schneider, Southland Riley Jax. R-P had two good threats in the first three innings. They started the game with three straight singles, but Jax got three straight outs to end the jam. The last came on a line-out. In the third, Schneider led off with a blasted double. R-P later loaded the bases again, with two out, but Jax buckled down and got of the third out. In the fourth, Southland plated the first run. Austin Swenson dumped a single into left-center. Jonah Wiste followed with an off-the-very-top-of-the-wall double. A groundout scored Swenson with the throw home caroming away, but R-P tagged Wiste out trying to plate a second run. The Rebels just scored once. In the sixth, a single by Travis Kirtz and a double by Swenson plated another run. Swenson then scored on a Wiste sac fly, making it 3-0. After the two early threats, R-P got just one runner to second in the final four innings. Wiste struck out the side in the seventh. The Rebels prevailed 3-0, ending the Trojans’ season at 10-15. Schneider (2-4, 2B) had two hits but took the loss (7 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). Creighton Hoiness and Zach Baker were each 1-for 2. Jax (7 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K) and former Houston Hurricane Swenson (2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R) led Southland. Wiste (1-2, 2B, RBI) and Gavin Nelsen (3-4) helped. R-P graduates five seniors including  starters Schneider, Evan Kammerer, and Evan Skalet.

1A and 1AA Playoff Games (5/27)

(1AA Elimination Game) 12-seed Randolph (9-12) 4, 1-seed Caledonia (19-2) 2 (C: Landon O’Heron 7 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, Loss; Tanner Ginther 1-2, R; Garrett Konz 1-3, R; Hunter Goetzinger 1-4, 2B, RBI; Reid Klug 1-3, 2B. R: Tristan Zingler 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, Win; Carter Olson 2-4, R; Richard Olson 1-3, RBI. Randolph had a four-run third inning to erase a 2-0 Warrior lead. One run scored via bases loaded walk, another by bases loaded hit-batsman. Randolph did not have an RBI hit. Caledonia had two on with no out in the sixth but got nothing. Zingler was also hard on Caledonia in the regular season meeting (7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, No Decision), a 2-1 Warrior walk-off win in eight innings)

(1A Semifinal) 6-seed Spring Grove (15-7) 1, 2-seed Lyle/Pacelli (19-2) 5 (SG: Elijah Solum 2-3, R; Ben Udstuen 1-2; Zach Brumm 1-3, R; Jaxon Strinmoen 6 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, Loss. L/P outhit SG 10-4. L/P ace Hunter VaDeer struck out 14 batters in six innings (18 outs). SG’s first three batters of the game reached, but VaDeer then struck out the side. L/P had a three-run second inning. L/P improved to 20-2)

(1A Elimination) 6-seed Spring Grove (15-8) 3, 1-seed Southland (18-2) 11 (SG: Ezra Griffin 1-2, HR, RBI, R; J. Strinmoen 2-4; Brandon Jahnke 1-2; Kolton Nerstad 6 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 0 K, No Decision. S: Riley Jax 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, Win; Austin Swenson 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R; Tysen Stevens 2-3, RBI, 2 R. The first eight Southland batters scored, and Rebels went on to win by eight runs. Southland had 11 hits, SG 7. SG closes at 15-9)