Baseball (6/9)

Two Wins Over Top-Seeded Bombers Put Warriors in 1AA Finals

Caledonia baseball had a couple rough innings versus Pine Island and took a loss. But sandwiched around it were two tense wins versus Cannon Falls. Those wins put the Warriors in the 1AA finals. 

Caledonia (4-seed, 16-6) started its second week of the playoffs against the Bombers (1-seed, 17-4) in the third round. In what Coach Shawn Bauer called “easily the most intense game I’ve ever had as a head coach and so many incredible plays and situations we worked out of!” The contest went nine innings. The biggest hit was by Warrior junior Will Allen. In the top of the ninth, with the bases loaded, Allen ripped a two-run single to right field, scoring Tanner and Tyson Ginther. It made the score 5-3 Warriors. CF’s first two batters reached in their half of the inning.  But Landon O’Heron got the final three outs, as the Warriors prevailed 5-3 in extra frames! Caledonia trailed 1-0 thru two. They led 2-1 after three. The Bombers tied it 2-2 in the fourth. Caledonia briefly led 3-2 in the top of the sixth when Ben Stemper authored a two-out RBI-single. But CF started the next inning with three straight hits. An RBI-double by Ryan Hjellming tied the game and CF then loaded the bases with one out, but Warrior starter Garrett Konz got out of the jam. In the bottom of the seventh, CF got a runner to second with one out, and in the eighth they loaded the bases with two out, but got skunked each time. They stranded 12 for the game, 10 the last two innings. Caledonia stranded 14, including in scoring position in seven innings. The Bombers were credited with 12 hits, Caledonia six. But CF pitching walked nine and beaned five. Caledonia just walked six and hit one. Stemper (2-4, RBI, R), Allen (1-3, 3 RBI), Tan. Ginther (1-4, RBI, R), Ty. Ginther (1-4, R), and Mason King (1-4, R) led the Warriors. Konz (7 2/3 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 R, 6 BB, 6 K) worked extra to a no decision. O’Heron (1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K) got the win. Hjellming (4-4, 2 RBI, R) led the Bombers. He was also their starting pitcher (2 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K). Abram Tennessen (2 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) took the loss. 

The Warriors (4-seed, 17-6) then came back to Rochester on Saturday to battle Pine Island (3-seed, 18-5) in the no-loss Final Four game. A couple bad innings spelled their demise. The Bombers scored three in the first off two hits and three Warrior errors; a pair of throws reached the Panther dugout plating a run each time. Caledonia rallied the following half-inning. Tyson G. burned the centerfielder with a double to plate one run and Allen drove in a second on an RBI ground-out, making it 3-2 PI. The score stayed that way until the bottom of the fifth. A hit and walk put two Panthers on base and three total wild pitches moved them around, including plating one run. A two-run single by Luke Sems plated two more. PI put up five total in the inning to lead 8-2, which stood as the final. Ty. Ginther (1-3, 2B, RBI) and Tan. Ginther (1-3, R) each had a hit and contributed to a run scoring. Sems (2-3, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R) and Landon Lowie (2-3, 2B, RBI, R) did the biggest damage for PI. Sems (5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) also collected the win, Konz (4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) took the loss. 

The loss put the Warriors (4-seed, 17-7) in an elimination game with Cannon Falls (1-seed, 18-5), which had just topped St. Charles. For five innings, it looked bleak. Bomber pitcher Ryan Hjellming faced 15 and set down 15. The only blemish was a walk that was then scratched via batter interference on a stolen base. Cannon’s first batter singled and later scored. They added a run in the bottom of the fifth to lead 2-0. But Hjellming then was pulled at 70 pitches despite having his full allotment (to reserve him for the 1AA finals).  Reliever Abram Tennessen sandwiched a couple strikeouts around a Will Allen double (the Warriors first hit). With two out, Jack Schmitz then may have saved Caledonia’s season. He blasted a game-changing two-run home run to right-center, the Warriors first dinger of the year! An inning later in the seventh, with Ethan Albers pitching (a major drop-off from Hjellming), the wheels came off for Cannon. Stemper walked and then stole second base.  An error on a pick-off attempt, and a throwing error on a Tanner G. ground ball, plated Stemper, putting Cal up 3-2. Tyson G. then singled home his brother to make it 4-2. Ty. Ginther then stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a throwing error on the play. Aided by the three Bomber errors, the Warriors built a 5-2 lead. Cal pitcher Reid Klug, who went the distance, allowed CF’s first two batters to reach in their seventh, but he then set down three in a row. His solid complete game, 100-pitch performance (5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, Win) helped enable a 5-2 win, putting Caledonia in the 1AA finals. Schmitz (1-3, HR, 2 RBI, R), Allen (2-3, 2B, R), and Ty. Ginther (1-3, RBI, R) had the Warriors four hits. Hjellming (5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K) threw a no-hitter before being pulled. Albers (1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) took the loss. Preston Schoenfelder (2-4, R) had two Bomber hits. Caledonia (4-seed, 18-7) next plays Pine Island (3-seed, 19-5), needing to beat them twice to make state.