Mudhens earn first-ever state berth

Minneota earned its first-ever berth in the Class C state tournament after posting consecutive shutouts over Morris and Dumont this past weekend in Morris.
The Class C state tournament gets underway Friday, Aug. 18 at Municipal Stadium in Delano, Saints Field in Dassel, and Optimist Park in Litchfield.
Pitching has been dominant in the Region 9C amateur baseball playoffs for the Mudhens, who have allowed just one run in 27 innings, including back-to-back shutouts on Saturday by Danny Hennen and on Sunday by Jacob Hennen (See Page 3).
Danny blanked Morris 3-0 on a three-hitter while also homering on Saturday, and younger brother Jacob tossed a six-hit shutout in a 7-0 victory over Dumont on Sunday.
The Mudhens have fielded a team each year since 2009, but never advanced to the state tournament before this year. Tyson Sonnenburg and Danny Hennen are the only remaining players from the inaugural team.
"It feels unreal. We've waited a long time for this," said Tyson Sonnenburg, the Mudhens' player/manager. "It's been a goal for us every year and we finally made it."
"It feels great," said Danny Hennen. "We had some great defensive plays behind us in each game. Everyone contributed."
Minneota, which will get nearly two weeks off before its next game, is the lone unbeaten team in the Region 9C playoffs and can finish no worse than second place. The Mudhens will host the championship at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12 at K.P. Kompelien Field. The top two teams qualify for the Class C state tournament.
Seven other teams remain in contention for the other spot and a chance to finish above Minneota for state seeding purposes, but would have to beat the Mudhens twice to be the top seed.