Mudhens top Dumont, win 1st region title
Minneota was pushed to the limit by Dumont in its bid for a first-ever Region 9C title, but the Mudhens were able to fend off the Saints in the championship Saturday at K.P. Kompelien Field.
Minneota qualified for the Class C two weeks ago by winning its first three games in the double-elimination region tournament to become the lone team in the field without a loss.
After waiting a week while seven other teams battled in the elimination bracket, only three teams were left standing this weekend, including the Mudhens.
Dumont and Clinton played first on Saturday in Minneota with Dumont prevailing 4-3 and earning the right to meet Minneota in the championship. Minneota needed just one win to become the 9C champs, while the Saints needed two straight wins over the Mudhens.
Dumont outlasted Minneota in the first game, 4-3 in 11 innings to set up the finale.
This time, the Mudhens plated five runs in the third inning and two more in the fifth en route to a 7-3 victory. The top two teams advance to the state tournament.
Top seeds receive a first-round bye at state. Dumont will play next weekend, while the Mudhens will face either the Hadley Buttermakers or the Elrosa Saints on Aug. 26 or 27 in one of three undetermined locations, Litchfield, Dassel or Delano.
In the second game for the region title, Ryan Dalager started on the hill for the Mudhens after taking the loss in relief in the opener. Dalager hurled five innings to get credit for the win. The right-hander who will be a senior at Minneota High School this fall allowed just one hit while being touched for three runs, all in the fifth inning. He walked three and struck out two.
Jacob Hennen, whose complete-game shutout against Dumont two weeks ago in Morris that put the Mudhens into the state tournament, pitched the final four innings for the save. Hennen allowed four hits and one run, while walking none and striking out four.
"Ryan had pitched in relief in the first game, so we decided to start him in the second game because he was warmed up," said Mudhens player/manager Tyson Sonnenburg. "Both Ryan and Jake pitched well."
The Mudhens plated five runs in the last of the third inning, all with two outs, to take a 5-0 lead. Consecutive walks to Brock Buysse, Austin DeVlaeminck an Peyton Gillund loaded the bases before Alex Pohlen singled in two runs and Austin Buysse's double scored another run. Sonnenburg then walked to load the bases again before Danny Hennen singled in two runs.
After Dumont scored three times in the fifth to close within 5-3, the Mudhens added a pair of tallies in the fifth to cap the scoring. Again, the runs came with two outs. Austin Buysse walked ahead of Sonnenburg's double, and both runners scored on Danny Hennen's double.
The Mudhens scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning in the opener to grab a 3-1 lead behind ace Danny Hennen. Tate Walerius rapped a two-run double and Josh Schuelke added an RBI single to account for the runs.
Dumont then whittled away at its deficit, scoring lone runs in the seventh and eighth innings to knot the game.
Dalager then came on and shut down the Saints over the 9th and 10th innings. In the 11th, Dumont parlayed two walks and a single into the eventual winning run.
GAME TWO
Minneota 7, Dumont 4
Dumont..................................................................000 030 001 - 4 5 0
Minneota................................................................005 020 00x - 7 8 0
Minneota hitting: Austin DeVlaeminck 0-for-4, bb, run; Peyton Gillund 2-for-3, run, bb, 2b; Alex Pohlen 1-for-4, 2 rbi; Austin Buysse 1-for-2, 2 runs, 2 bb's, 2b, 2 rbi; Tyson Sonnenburg 1-for-3, 2b, bb, run; Danny Hennen 2-for-4, 2b, 4 rbi; Tate Walerius 0-for-3, bb; Ben Skorczewski 0-for-3, bb; Brock Buysse 1-for-3, run, bb
Minneota pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): Ryan Dalager (W) 5-1-3-3-3-3, Jacob Hennen (S) 4-4-1-1-0-4
GAME ONE
Dumont 4, Minneota 3
Dumont...........................................................001 000 110 01 - 4 15 0
Minneota.........................................................000 003 000 00 - 3 8 0
Minneota hitting: Austin DeVlaeminck 0-for-5, bb; Peyton Gillund 0-for-4, bb; Alex Pohlen 1-for-4, bb; Austin Buysse 2-for-5; Tyson Sonnenburg 0-for-5, run; Danny Hennen 2-for-5, run; Tate Walerius 1-for-5, run, 2b, 2 rbi; Josh Schuelke 1-for-4, bb, rbi; Brock Buysse 1-for-5
Minneota pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): Danny Hennen 8-12-3-3-0-2, Ryan Dalager (L) 3-3-1-1-2-5