Spring Grove won two games and lost three – in that order – during a challenging week that included four games away from home. The Lions returned from a long Monday, May 3 bus ride to Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons with an 11-0, run-rule win. The next afternoon at home, the boys rallied to subdue a winless, but hard-fighting Houston team, 6-4.
On Friday in Spring Valley, the Lions lost the lead and the game in the final half-inning as Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Kingsland won 11-10, avenging an earlier one-run loss at Spring Grove. In a quick turnaround, there were two Saturday contests at the Rushford-Peterson Classic. Spring Grove dropped a 12-5 decision to Hayfield, the state’s top-ranked Class A team in the morning before a deflating 19-5 afternoon setback against Waterville-Elysian-Morristown. The Lions closed the week with a 6-6 record (6-3 SEC).
The B-team boys (5-4) shut out the Hurricanes, 6-0, and defeated GMLOK, 7-1. The junior high Lions (2-10) went winless in three double headers – versus Houston (0-9 and 0-10), Mabel- Canton (0-2 and 1-8) and GMLOK (1-5 and 8-9).
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Spring Grove 11, AC/GE 0
Senior hurler Isaac Griffin tossed a one-hit, run-rule (5-inning) shutout while walking only one and striking out 10 of the 18 batters he faced. At the plate, he went 2 for 3 with a triple. Ty Cleven batted 2 for 4 with a double.
“Tonight was a good team win,” said coach Chris Strinmoen. “We put pressure on them the whole game and scored in every inning. Every starter found a way on base, which also led to a run scored. Isaac threw a lot of strikes again and just dominated their lineup. There were signs that our bats are starting to heat up, which will be important in the second half of the season.”
It was a quick two-run start without a hit; the first two batters of the game (walk to Isaac Griffin, Nathan Solberg hit by a pitch) would come around to score, aided by a couple of AC/GE errors.
Only three AC/GE batters reached base – all in different innings with a double, a walk and the lone Lion fielding error. The fielding highlight was a diving catch in centerfield by Spring Grove eighth grader Zach Brumm. Freshman outfielder Elijah Solum, after missing six games, returned from the injured list only to aggravate the injury. He is expected to miss the rest of the season.
This battle for fourth place was the Lions’ fifth straight win in the series they now lead 6 to 1.
SG 11, AC/GE 0
SG ……231 32 =11 7 1
AC/GE 000 00 = 0 1 5
Left on base: SG 8, AC/GE 3
Stolen bases: SG 7, AC/GE 0
SG 7 hits (1 triple, 1 double, 5 singles): Isaac Griffin 2-3, triple, 2 runs, steal; Ty Cleven 2-4, double, RBI, run; Brandon Jahnke 1-2, RBI, run; Caleb Griffin 1-3, RBI, 2 runs, 2 steals; Jaxon Strinmoen 1-4, run, 2 steals; Nathan Solberg RBI
AC/GE 1 hit (1 double): Brady Lair 1-2, double
PITCHING – SG:
Isaac Griffin (WP) 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K
PITCHING – AC/GE:
Brady Lair (LP) 3.2 IP, 5H, 9 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 1 HB, 5 K
Tannen Hornberger 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Records: SG 5-3 (5-2 SEC); AC/GE 5-5 (5-4 SEC)
SG LINEUP: p Isaac Griffin, c Caleb Griffin, 1b Ty Cleven, 2b Jonah Udstuen, ss Nathan Solberg, 3b Brandon Jahnke, lf Jaxon Strinmoen, cf Elijah Solum, rf Zach Brumm (dh Logan Brumm, pinch runner Matthew Doering)
——-
Spring Grove 6, Houston 4
Although the Lions out-hit the Hurricanes 13 to 3, they needed a late-inning rally to regain the lead. Having defeated Houston 13-2 in the season opener, the 3-0 Lion lead in this rematch appeared comfortable while sophomore pitcher Caleb Griffin had held the ‘Canes hitless and scoreless through the first five innings. But then in the sixth inning, Houston jumped ahead 4-3. Two hits – including a lead-changing 2-RBI double – combined with the only Lion walk and two hit batters plus the only Spring Grove error resulted in four unearned Hurricane runs.
“We had the one bad inning in the field that cost us the lead late,” said Strinmoen. But I was proud of how our guys responded with their own rally when we needed it.”
The Lions answered immediately with a walk to Jaxon Strinmoen and an RBI-single from Jonah Udstuen. Isaac Griffin’s second triple of the day sent Udstuen home with the go-ahead run with only one out. Nathan Solberg singled home Griffin with an insurance run.
“We got the job done today,” added Strinmoen, “but the Hurricanes put up a good fight. I have to tip my cap to Caiden Olson, who pitched a very nice game for Houston. He threw strikes and made us earn it tonight.
“Our bats were going (13 hits) but we just couldn’t bunch them together to get the damage done that we wanted. We left eight men on base, many in scoring position. Caleb Griffin was outstanding tonight, getting his first career victory; 13 strikeouts and one walk will win you a lot of high school games.”
SG 6, Houston 4
Hou 000 004 0 = 4 3 1
SG 002 013 x = 6 13 1
Left on base: SG 8, Hou 2
Stolen bases: SG 6, Hou 3
SG 13 hits (2 triples, 11 singles): Isaac Griffin 2-4, 2 triples, RBI, 2 runs; Nathan Solberg 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 2 steals; Caleb Griffin 3-3, RBI, 2 steals; Logan Brumm 2-4, steal; Jonah Udstuen 1-3, RBI, run, steal; Brandon Jahnke 1-3; Ty Cleven 1-4
Houston 3 hits (1 double, 2 singles): Connor Porter 2-3, run, steal; Kameron Morgan, 1-3, double, 2 RBI
PITCHING – SG:
Caleb Griffin (WP) 6.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 13 K
Nathan Solberg 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
PITCHING -Hou
Caiden Olson (LP) 5.1 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
Connor Porter 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0R, 1 BB, 1 K
Records: SG 6-3 (6-2 SEC); Hou 0-12 (0-11 SEC)
SG LINEUP: p Caleb Griffin, c Logan Brumm, 1b Ty Cleven, 2b Jonah Udstuen, ss Nathan Solberg, 3b Brandon Jahnke, lf Jaxon Strinmoen, cf Isaac Griffin, rf Zach Brumm & Ezra Griffin
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Spring Grove 10, GMLOK 11
The Lions broke a tie score in the top of the final seventh inning, but the Bulldogs scored the tying and winning runs with a walk-off single after loading the bases with a walk, a hit batter and an error – with no outs.
Spring Grove had taken a 3-0 lead in the first inning but fell behind, 8-3, after the Bulldogs’ big six-run fifth frame. In the next half-inning, the Lions tied it at 8-8 with had a five-run reply, capped by a bases-loaded, two-out, three-RBI double from sophomore catcher Logan Brumm.
An inning later, Grove went up 9-8 and left the bases loaded before GMLOK evened it at 9-9 heading into the final inning. Ty Cleven’s second double of the day and Jonah Udstuen’s third base hit gave Grove its third lead, 10-9. But the home team furnished the third and final lead change.
The most distinguishing statistic was the number of stranded runners. Spring Grove left 14 runners on base, while the Bulldogs stranded eight. The Lions held a 13-11 advantage in base hits; each team had three extra-base hits, 11 strikeouts and three stolen bases
“… even though we didn’t get the win, we showed signs of maturing as a baseball team,.” concluded Strinmoen. “We had a plan in place to pull (pitcher) Isaac (Griffin) out early so he would be available for us early next week. We gave the ball to Jaxon (Strinmoen), who had struggled his last time out in a varsity game. But I thought he did a better job of battling and throwing strikes. He got a hit a little bit early and we fell behind.
“But our team rallied back, not only to tie it but to take back the lead after being down five. To me, that shows signs of a young team beginning to mature. We executed a nice pick-play to get out of a bases loaded jam, and things were looking good. We just didn’t make enough plays in the end to get the win.”
The pitch-count limit affected both starting pitchers. Griffin struck out eight and walked only two in three and a third innings on the mound. GMLOK ace Dustin Copley fanned eight and walked four in four and a third innings. Reliever Connor Munson was credited with the win.
Copley did not get the pitching decision, but he supplied the game-winning, walk-off single, going 4 for 5 overall with a triple and double while driving in two runs and scoring three.
For the Lions, Solberg batted 3 for 3 (RBI) while Cleven (2 for 4, RBI) delivered two doubles. Udstuen went 3 for 5 and Zach Brumm 2 for 5.
It was some retribution for the Bulldogs (6-6, 4-5 SEC), who had lost by the same one-run margin after taking a one-run lead into the final inning in Spring Grove back in mid-April. The three-school shared baseball program of GMLOK has now won three of the four games played all-time versus Spring Grove.
With his second strikeout, Isaac Griffin – on the Lion single-season strikeout chart – passed Dakota Rostad, who is the current head coach at GMLOK. Griffin moved up to tie for 11th place with 70 thus far this season. Rostad is now 13th with 63 strikeouts in 2009, but he ranks fourth in career K’s with 204 – one of only five Lion hurlers to achieve 200 strikeouts.
SG 10, GMLOK 11
SG 300 051 1 =10–13–4
GM 011 601 2 = 11–11–5
Left on base: SG 14, GMLOK 8
Stolen bases: SG 3, GMLOK 3
SG 13 hits (3 doubles, 10 singles): Nathan Solberg 3-5, RBI, 2 runs; Jonah Udstuen 3-5, run, steal; Ty Cleven 2-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, walk; Zach Brumm 2-5, run; Isaac Griffin 1-3, RBI, 2 runs, 2 walks, steal; Logan Brumm 1-5, double, 3 RBI; Jaxon Strinmoen 1-4, walk, 2 runs; Caleb Griffin RBI, 4 walks, 2 runs, steal; Brandon Jahnke walk, hit by pitch; Matthew Doering run
GMLOK 11 hits (2 triples, 1 double, 8 singles): Dustin Copley 4-5, triple, double 2 RBI; Devin Carr 2-3, triple
PITCHING – SG
Isaac Griffin 3.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
Jaxon Strinmoen (LP) 2.2 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 5 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
PITCHING – GMLOK
Dustin Copley 4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 8 K
Connor Munson (WP) 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
Records: SG 6-4 (6-3 SEC), GMLOK 6-6, 4-5 SEC)_
SG LINEUP: p Isaac Griffin, c Logan Brumm, 1b Ty Cleven, 2b Jonah Udstuen, ss Nathan Solberg, 3b Brandon Jahnke, lf Jaxon Strinmoen, cf Caleb Griffin, rf Zach Brumm,
——————
Spring Grove 5, Hayfield 12
The top-ranked Class A club in Minnesota scored in every inning, but two big innings assured the Vikings’ 10th win of the season, a couple of hours before they routed Rushford-Peterson, 11-1, with the five-inning, 10-run rule. The Lions (6-5) made Hayfield play all seven innings and trailed only 2-1 before Hayfield separated with a five-run third inning (7-1).
But Spring Grove came right back with a four-run reply to make it 7-5 in the fourth. Three of the Lions’ five hits came during that rally, and they needed two hit batters plus an Udstuen single to threaten again in the final inning when they loaded the bases with only one out. But the game ended with a strikeout and a ground out.
There were two outstanding plays in the outfield – a retreating back-handed catch by Zach Brumm and a sprinting grab by Isaac Griffin.
“We knew going in against No. 1-ranked Hayfield, it was going to be a tall order to not only win, but to keep it close,” said Strinmoen. “Once again, we threw a young pitcher, Ty Cleven, out there who really battled for us. That was one of his best outings I’ve seen from him. He ran out of gas a little towards the end, and we relied on Jonah Udstuen to get us through to the end. That was Jonah’s first varsity innings on the mound, and he’s earned it by throwing strikes in the JV game. He also did a nice job giving us a chance to compete.
“I saw good things at the plate from our hitters, and we seemed to keep putting pressure on Hayfield throughout the game. Our young guys didn’t back down, and that was a good sign.”
Eighth grader Brandon Jahnke batted 2 for 3 while Udstuen, Logan Brumm (RBI) and Jaxon Strinmoen each added a base hit.
The Lions had last met the Vikings in the 2019 section championship game.
SG 5, Hayfield 12
SG–001 400 0 = 5–5–1
Hay-115 311 x =12-11–6
Left on base: SG 10, Hay 9
Stolen bases: SG 1, Hay 14
SG 5 hits (5 singles): Brandon Jahnke 2-3, run; Logan Brumm 1-3, RBI, steal; Jaxon Strinmoen 1-3, run; Jonah Udstuen 1-4
Hayfield 11 hits (11 singles): Lucas Hansen 3-4, 2 RBI; Cale Becker 2-3, 3 RBI
PITCHING – SG
TY Cleven (LP) 3.0 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 5 BB, 1 K
Jonah Udstuen 3.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
PITCHING – Hayfield
Isaiah Tempel (WP) 3.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
Ethan Pack 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Lucas Hansen 3.0 IP, 1 H. 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Records: SG 6-5; Hayfield 10-0
SG LINEUP: p Ty Cleven & Jonah Udstuen, c Logan Brumm & Ezra Griffin, 1b Jaxon Strinmoen, 2b Jonah Udstuen, ss Nathan Solberg, 3b Brandon Jahnke, lf Caleb Griffin & Jacob Olerud, cf Isaac Griffin, rf Zach Brumm, dh Braedon Solie, pinch hitter Caleb Ranzenberger, courtesy runner Lawrence Skauge, pinch runner Matthew Doering
———————–
Spring Grove 5, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 19
Spring Grove led 3-1 after the first inning, a lead that held until the Buccaneers erupted for four runs in the fourth. It was 9-3 before the Lions added their final two runs. WEM (3-6) made it a rout with a 10-run revolt in the final inning.
The Bucs banged out 14 hits against a young and tiring pitching staff, which was further taxed with a seven-error defense. Third baseman Brandon Jahnke was unavailable after sustaining an injury in the Hayfield game. There was one defensive gem with a run-saving, incoming diving catch by Jaxon Strinmoen in left field. The Lion attack featured two hits each from Strinmoen (2 for 2) and Udstuen (2 for 3).
“The final game of the weekend was very disappointing,” said Coach Strinmoen. “This was a game that we viewed as being important for (section) seedings. We went with Caleb Griffin on the mound, who has been dealing with some sore arm issues. But he went out there and battled for us. I felt we didn’t give him much support in the field, and that caused him to throw more pitches than necessary. When it came time to go to the bullpen, our staff was really tapped out for the weekend. We went back to Jonah (Udstuen), since he had a few more pitches to use up; but once again, our defense just didn’t help him out.
“It was a really frustrating end to what was a promising weekend. We are now a little banged up with some injuries, and our pitching staff is running on fumes. But we will regroup and come up with a plan on Monday when we take on AC/GE. We get to hand the ball back to our ace, Isaac (Griffin), and see if we can end this tough streak we are on.”
SG 5, W-E-M 19
WEM 100 413 (10) =19–14–2
SG—300 002 0 = 5–7–7
Left on base: SG 9, WEM 11
Stolen bases: SG 7, WEM 14
SG 7 hits (7 singles): Jaxon Strinmoen 2-2, run, steal; Jonah Udstuen 2-3; Nathan Solberg 1-3, RBI, run, steal; Isaac Griffin 1-4, RBI, 2 runs, 3 steals; Caleb Griffin 1-4, 2 RBI, run, steal
WEM 14 hits (2 doubles, 12 singles): Ethan Bartlet 4-6; Kurtis Crosby 3-5; Aidan Snesrud 3-5
PITCHING – SG
Caleb Griffin (LP) 5.0 IP, 6 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 9 K
Nathan Solberg 0.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Jonah Udstuen 1.1 IP, 4 H, 8 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Zach Brumm 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
PITCHING – WEM
Kolin Rientz (WP) 6 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
Titan Larson 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1BB 2 K
Records: SG 6-6, WEM 3-6
SG LINEUP: p Caleb Griffin, c Logan Brumm, 1b Ty Cleven, 2b Jonah Udstuen, ss Nathan Solberg, 3b Zach Brumm, lf Jaxon Strinmoen, cf Isaac Griffin, rf Jacob Olerud
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SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE
2021 conf. season
BASEBALL W L W L
Randolph 9 – 0 12- 0
Southland 6 – 0 7 – 2
Lyle/Pacelli 9 – 1 9 – 1
Spring Grove 6 – 3 6 – 6
A-C/G-E 5 – 5 5 – 7
GMLOK* 4 – 5 6 – 6
Mabel-Canton 3 – 7 3 – 7
Schaeffer Academy 1 – 9 1 -12
Houston 0 -13 0 -15
* defending champion
—————————————
Spring Grove Baseball 2021
6 wins, 6 losses (6-3 SEC)
W at Houston………………………………………… 13-2
L at Wabasha-Kellogg…………………….. 3-12
W vs. Grand Meadow/-Ostrander/Kingsland 2-1
L at Lyle/Pacelli ……………………………. 1-11
W vs. Schaeffer Academy……………………….. 11-1
L at Randolph……………………………………. 0-17
W vs. Mabel-Canton……………………………….. 4-2
Fri. 04/30 Southland, ppd to May 27
——————–
W at Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons………. 11-0
W vs. Houston………………………………………….. 6-4
L at GMLOK (Spring Valley)……………….. 10-11
L vs. Hayfield……………………………………… 5-12
L vs. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown ……. 5-19
Mon. 05/10 vs. Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons
Tues. 05/11 Lyle/Pacelli
Fri. 05/14 at Schaeffer Academy (Rochester)
Mon. 05/17 at Mabel-Canton
Thur. 05/20 Randolph
Tues. 05/25 Fillmore Central/Lanesboro
Thur. 05/27 at Southland (Adams) double header
————————————————————————-
B-team Lions
5 wins, 4 losses
W at Houston ………………………………………. 10-1
L at Wabasha-Kellogg ………………………….. 4-10
L vs. Grand Meadow/-Ostrander/Kingsland 2-4
W at Lyle/Pacelli ……………………………………… 14-9
L at Randolph……………………………………….. 3-9
W vs. Mabel-Canton…………………………………… 4-2
L at AC/GE…………………………………………… 6-9
W vs. Houston…………………………………………… 6-0
W at GMLOK……………………………………………. 7-1
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Junior high Lions
2 wins, 10 losses
W vs. Mabel-Canton 11-3 (WP Ben Udstuen)
L vs. Mabel-Canton 3-7
L vs. Houston 1-12
L vs. Houston 5-12
L at GMLOK 4-5
W at GMLOK 9-7 (WP Lyric Wilson-Stadtler)
L at Houston 0-9
L at Houston 0-10
L at Mabel-Canton 0-2
L at Mabel-Canton 1-8
L vs. GMLOK 1-5
L vs. GMLOK 8-9
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