Vikings fall to TMB in wild finish

Seven-run rally in seventh inning foiled by Panthers' walkoff homer

In one of the wildest section baseball playoff games ever played by Minneota, it came down to a tale of two rallies, and a quick turn of emotions on Saturday in Ruthton.
Minneota, seeded No. 5 in the Section 3A-South tournament, fell behind No. 4 Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 4-1 as it batted in the seventh inning and was on the brink of elimination. The Vikings then staged a seven-run rally in the top half of the inning to take an 8-4 lead.
In that rally, Jayden Gamrak reached on an error and Ryan Meagher followed with a single. Tyler Gronke knocked in the first run with a single to make it 4-2. After Jack Lacek reached on an fielder's choice, Peyton Gillund drove in two runs with a single to tie the game. With two outs, the Vikings loaded the bases again on a single by Peyton Sheik, a walk to Isaac Pohlen and Jonah Gruenes getting hit by a pitch. Ryan Dalager then walked to force home the go-ahead run at 5-4. Gamrak also walked to make it 6-4, and Meagher reached on an error, allowing two additional runs to cross the plate.
The Vikings were now three outs away from advancing to the next round of the tournament against top-seeded Russell-Tyler-Ruthton.
But the Panthers also rose up from the cusp of elimination, scoring three times with two outs to close within 8-7 in the last of the seventh. Then, with runners on first and second, Nick Schmitt hit a walkoff three-run homer give the Panthers a dramatic 10-8 victory.
TMB then lost to top-seeded Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 4-3 in the quarterfinals.
Minneota's first run came in the first inning when Gillund led off with a double, was sacrificed to second by Sheik, and scored on a passed ball.
Gillund finished 3-for-4 with two RBI. Pohlen, Meagher and Gronke had two hits apiece as the Vikings outhit the Panthers 11-6. Sheik and Gamrak had the other two hit.
Dalager worked the first 5 2/3 innings on the mound for Minneota. The right-hander allowed only four hits and four runs (three earned), while walking four and striking out eight. Gillund relieved and, although he gave up six runs, only one was earned as a Viking error with two outs kept the Panthers' seventh-inning rally alive.
Trevor Smith recorded one out in relief and earned the win. Ashton Squires pitched the first 6 2/3 innings.
The first round of the tournament is single elimination. The Vikings ended their season at 10-7.

TMB 10, Minneota 8
Minneota..............................100 000 7 - 8 11 2
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton.............000 004 6 - 10 6 3

Minneota hitting: Peyton Gillund 3-for-4, run, 2b, 2 rbi; Peyton Sheik 1-for-3, run, sac; Isaac Pohlen 2-for-3, run; Jonah Gruenes 0-for-3, run, hbp; Ryan Dalager 0-for-3, run, rbi; Jayden Gamrak 1-for-3, 2b, rbi; Ryan Meagher 2-for-4, run; Tyler Gronke 2-for-4; Jack Lacek 0-for-2, run, sac, rbi; Parker Bradley 0-for-0, run

Minneota pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): Ryan Dalager 5 2/3-4-4-3-4-8, Peyton Gillund (L) 1-2-6-1-3-1

SECTION 3-SOUTH
RESULTS SATURDAY
(First round)
Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 12, Edgerton/SW Christian 2
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 10, Minneota 8
Murray County Central 6, Wabasso 5
Westbrook-Walnut Grove/Red Rock Central 6, Adrian 2
(Quarterfinals)
RTR 4, TMB 3
MCC 14, WWG/RRC 9

SECTION 3A-NORTH
RESULTS SATURDAY
(First round)
MACCRAY 12, Canby 2
Dawson-Boyd 3, Renville County West 2
Lac qui Parle Valley 9, Lakeview 1
Yellow Medicine East 14, Central Minneota Christian 4
(Quarterfinals)
MACCRAY 1, Dawson-Boyd 0
LQPV 7, YME 0

Springfield 2, Minneota 1
(Result Tuesday, May 24)
Springfield made two unearned runs in the second inning hold up as the Tigers edged the Vikings in the final regular season game.
The Vikings (10-6) scored its lone run in the fourth inning when Jonah Gruenes singled, advanced to second on Ryan Dalager's sacrifice, to third on a single by Ryan Meagher, and scored on Tyler Gronke's single.
Three Minneota pitchers limited the Tigers to only one hit. Dalager started on the hill and pitched three innings, giving up one hit and two unearned runs, while walking none and striking out four. Peyton Sheik tossed two hitless innings with three strikeouts, and Peyton Gillund finished with a hitless inning and one strikeout.
Gillund had three of the Vikings' seven hits off winning pitcher Kade Nachreiner.

Springfield 2, Minneota 1
Minneota..........................000 100 0 - 1 7 2
Springfield........................020 000 0 - 2 1 1

Minneota hitting: Peyton Gillund 3-for-4, 2b; Peyton Sheik 0-for-3; Isaac Pohlen 0-for-3; Jonah Gruenes 1-for-3, run; Ryan Dalager 1-for-2; Jayden Gamrak 0-for-3; Brody Larson 0-for-0; Ryan Meagher 1-for-2; Tyler Gronke 1-for-3, rbi; Jack Lacek 0-for-3

Minneota pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): Ryan Dalager (L) 3-1-2-0-0-4, Peyton Sheik 2-0-0-0-1-3, Peyton Gillund 1-0-0-0-0-1

Minneota 13, Canby 1
(Result Monday, May 23)
Tyler Gronke went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs as the Vikings (10-5) amassed 12 hits en route to invoking the 10-run rule after five innings.
Jayden Gamrak picked up the win with four innings on the mound, He allowed four hits and two unearned runs, while walking one and struck out eight. Jack Lacek pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
Gronke rapped a two-run single in the Vikings' six-run second inning, as well as notching a run-scoring single in the fourth and an RBI single in the fifth.
Jack Lacek had two hits and drove in three runs with two singles and a groundout. Gamrak had two hits and two RBI, Ryan Dalager had two hits and scored three runs.
Liam MacArthur and Rylee Sigler each had two hits for the Lancers. Sawyer Drietz absorbed the loss.

Minneota 13, Canby 1
Minneota.......................061 33 - 13 12 1
Canby.............................001 00 - 1 6 3

Minneota hitting: Peyton Gillund 1-for-3, run, rbi; Peyton Sheik 0-for-3, rbi; Isaac Pohlen 1-for-3, run, 2b, rbi; Jonah Gruenes 1-for-3, 2 runs, rbi, 2 sb's; Ryan Dalager 2-for-2, 3 runs; Jayden Gamrak 2-for-4, run, 2 rbi; Ryan Meagher 0-for-2, run; Tyler Gronke 3-for-4, run, 4 rbi; Jack Lacek 2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 rbi; Parker Bradley 0-for-0, run

Minneota pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): Jayden Gamrak (W) 4-4-2-0-1-8, Jack Lacek 1-2-0-0-0-1

Contact Us

The Minneota Mascot
Address: 201 N. Jefferson
Minneota, MN 56264

Phone:(507) 872-6492