Preston Nuy slid into second safely against Searles as he stole second with the Grizzlies Casey Lux covering the play.

Big comeback gives Mudhens the title

Paul Larson Memorial
Minneota Mudhen Classic
Opening Round
Mudhens 8, Ruthton Royals 7
Searles Grizzlies 13, Castlewood Monarchs 1 (5)
Third Place
Castlewood Monarchs 12, Ruthon Royals 2 (6)
CHAMPIONSHIP
Mudhens 8, Searles Grizzlies 7

When Nick Dewanz muscled a Peyton Nuy fastball over 360 feet for a grand slam in the first inning, after they’d already scored a run, the air seemed to come out of “The Komp,” the Minneota ballpark.
“It was deflating,” said Mudhen Manager Tyson Sonnenburg, adding, “It was tough to see them get four of five runs on one swing.”
But the Mudhens were not conceding the Mudhen Classic title to Searles. Instead, they fought back for an 8-5 lead, then held on in the seventh and final inning behind reliever Zach Nuy and won the championship, 8-7.
“I have so much confidence in our lineup. I knew we could do it if we just chipped away,” said the manager.
Assistant Manager Beau Buysse began yelling in the bottom of the first — “Just chip away, chip away!”
He led the charge, leading off with a walk, going to second on a wild pitch and stealing third, then scoring on a groundout by Preston Nuy.
Chipping away … 5-1.
Suddenly, Peyton Nuy found his control and would pitch four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits.
In the third Searles came a unraveled, made three errors and Sonnenburg, who had been safe on one of those errors, scored.
Chipping away … 5-2.
“When you’re down 5-0 it’s easy to feel sorry for yourself,” said Beau Buysse. “But we knew we just had to chip away. Peyton Nuy tightened up his pitching and was holding them,” Buysse added.
The theory really began to take form in the fourth when Danny Hennen walked, Buysse again keyed the rally, this time with a single and both scored when Jake Leighton smashed a long fly ball to centerfield — and the Mudhens were back in the game.
Chipping away … 5-4.
“We hadn’t had a lot of hits,” said Leighton. Just four to that point. His answer was, “Just to put the ball in play."
Then in the fifth the game changed completely.
The Mudhens used a leadoff single and two stolen bases by Alex Pohlen, then a walk to Noah Scott, a double that curved into left-center field by Hennen, a single by Austin DeVlaeminck and Leighton’s second straight booming double to the fence in right-center field.
It was a four-run rally that gave the Mudhens their first lead.
Chipping away … 8-5.
In the sixth, Peyton Nuy had completed his night on the mound with 93 pitches and Zach Nuy came on on relief. He gave up three singles, a walk and two runs, but got out of the inning with Minneota leading, 8-7.

In the ninth the Grizzlies got a single and an error by the Mudhens, but Nuy’s mates got a force out at third and Nuy fanned the final two batters and the Mudhens had officially, CHIPPED AWAY!
As for Leighton, his two doubles and four runs batted in plus a hit, run and walk in the first game win over Ruthton, earned him the Most Valuable Player Award.
 Searles relief pitcher Ryley Hansen. “Was throwing my outside fastballs and that’s my favorite thing,” he said. His theory on hitting, “Put the ball in play and good things happen.”
For Manager Sonnenburg, “You just have to keep believing in yourself.”

MUDHENS (AB-R-H-RBI) Beau Buysse, 2b 3 2 1 0; Jake Leighton, rf 2 0 2 4; Tyson Sonnenburg 3 1 0 0; Austin Buysse, 3b 2 0 0 0; Preston Nuy, ss 3 0 0 1; Alex Pohlen, lf 4 1 1 0; Noah Scott, dh 3 0 0 0; Peyton Nuy, p 0 0 0 0; Zach Nuy, p 0 0 0 0; Danny Hennen, 1b 1 2 1 1; Austin DeVlaeminck, c 3 1 1 0. Totals 24 7 6 6.
SEARLES (AB-R-H-RBI) Collin Helget, c 1 2 0 0; Casey Lux, 2b 4 1 2 1; Dan Reinke, 3b 1 0 0 0; Dave Hatle, rf 4 0 1 1; Ryley Hansen, cf-p 3 1 0 1; Steve Kloeckl, dh 2 1 23 0; Ben Schumacher, lf 0 0 0 0; Nick Dewanz, 1b 4 1 1 4; Taylor Ulmen, p, cf 5 1 1 0; Jack Fairbairn, ss 2 0 0 0. Totals 27 7 7 7.
Score by Innings:
Searles           500 002 0 — 7 7 4
Mudhens        101 240 x — 8 6 1
E-Mudhens; Brock Buysse; Searles: Reinke 2, Fairbairn, Helget. LOB-Mudhens 8; Searles 7. SB-Mudhens: Beau Buysse, Leighton, Pohlen 2, DeVlaeminck 1. SAC-Searles: Helget. DP-Mudhens 9-6-5 (2). 2B-Mudhens: Leighton 2; Hennen 1. HR-Searles: Dewanz.
Pitching                    IP     R    ER     H     BB    K
Muddiness
Peyton Nuy (W)        5       5     5       4      5       2
Zach Nuy (S)            2       2     2       3      1       3
Searles
Ulmen                      3.1    4     3       2       6      3
Hansen (L)               2.2    4     4       4       2      1
HP-Reinke, Fairbairn (by Peyton Nuy).WP-Peyton Nuy, Ulmen 2.

Mudhens 8, Ruthton 7
Minneota seemed to have this game salted away with an 8-2 lead after six innings.
But concern over the pitching woes of Bryce Gorder caused Sonnenburg and Buysse to try and “Pitch his way out of it.”
But Gorder, for his third straight game, didn’t have his control and surrendered a pair of walks and three wild pitches. “We decided to try and help Bryce work it out, but we’re prepared to bring Danny (Hennen) back in,” said Buysse.
And that’s what happened. Hennen, who gave up just two four hits, came back in, struggled a bit, but with the tying run on second, got a pair of ground outs to end the game.
“We just wanted to give Bryce to work out of this. He says it isn’t his arm, but he just doesn’t have any control right now,” said Manager Sonnenburg.
This had been Sonnenburg’s game. He sacrificed in one run, homered with one on in the second and singled in two other runs for a five-RBI game.
“I’ve really been working out (to get out a slump), even had batting practice three times yesterday,” Sonnenburg smiled. He did break that slump — in a big way.
Beau Buysse scored three runs with a hit and two walks and he knocked in a run. “That’s what a leadoff hitter has to do, work the count and make things happen for the guys behind you,” he said.
Preston Nuy and Danny Hennen added two hits apiece.

MUDHENS (AB-R-H-RBI) Beau Buysse, b 2 3 1 1; Jake Leighton, rf 4 0 1 1; Tyson Sonnenburg, cf 3 1 2 5; Austin Buysse, 3b 3 0 0 0; Preston Nuy, ss 3 0 2 0; Alex Pohlen 4 0 1 0; Noah Scott, c 4 1 1 0; Dan Hennen, p 4 0 2 0; Brant Buysse, 2b-cr 1 2 0 0; Austin DeVlaeminck, 1b 4 1 1 0. Totals 32 8 11 6.
RUTHTON (AB-R-H-RBI)  Shay Wabeke, ss 5 0 1 0; Tylan Gylling, dh 4 0 0 0; Brandon Verly, p 0 0 0 0; Ryan Bridgewater, lf 2 2 0 0; Eric Wiering, c 3 1 0 0; Colin O’Roarke, 1b 4 1 2 0; Chris Dougherty, 3b 4 1 2 0; Dain LaRock, cf 4 0 2 1; Brent Wiering, 2b 3 0 0 0; Dan Pauluch, rf 4 0 2 3. Totals 31 7 8 5.
Score by Innings:
Mudhens        142 100 0 — 8 11 1
Ruthton          011 000 5 — 7  8  5
E-Mudhens-A. Buysse; Ruthton-Pauluch. LOB-Mudhens: 9; Ruthton 11. SB-Mudhens: Beau Buysse. SAC: Mudhens: Sonnenburg; Ruthton: Pauluch. 2B-Ruthton: Pauluch. HR-Mudhens: Sonnenburg.
Pitching               IP    R     ER    H     BB    K
Minneota
Hennen (W)        7     5      4       7      2       4
Gorder                0     2      2       0      2       0
Ruthton
Verly (L)             7     8      7       11     4       2
HP-Doughery 2, Brent Wiering 1 (by Hennen). WP-Gorder 3, Verly 2.

 

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