Jr. Legion building a baseball future
When J.D. Pesch came back home to Minneota, he looked around and saw a pretty good baseball program that needed help developing players at the lower level.
“We talked about it,” Pesch said about he and Coach Keven Larson and," we knew we needed a Junior American Legion team,” he said. They worried about numbers — but once they got it started, it was like the line out of the movie, “Field of Dreams.”
Namely, “You build it and they will come.” And they did. The coaches went shopping for a new name and came up with the Minneota Junior American Legion Vultures,” named after the birds that circle K. P. Komplien Field, where the teams play.
The name stuck to the point where the American Legion team also adopted the name, “Vultures.”
Clad in black, red and white uniforms, with helmets and caps signifying the same MV (Minneota Vikings), that now fits as the Minneota Vultures.
“It’s meant to be a feeder program for the varsity (and American Legion),” said Pesch. This year much of the varsity were Junior Legion players.
Last week the Jr. Legion Vultures opened the first of two games against Montevideo Wednesday with a 5-4 comeback win and 14-3 victory to sweep Montevideo.
Then on Saturday and Sunday at Morris they took second place in the weekend tournament. They beat Benson 9-5, then tied Mount-Westonka, 3-3 in eight innings to put the Jr. Vultures in the championship game — which they lost to St. Charles, 5-3.
Sweep Montevideo
The Junior Vultures opened the first of two games against Montevideo Wednesday by giving up a 4-1 lead in the second inning. But they cut it to 4-2, then rallied for three runs in the sixth to beat Montevideo, 5-4 in the first game. In the sixth, it started with a single by Jonah Gruenes.
He ended up racing around the base patchs after Josh Schuelke was hit b a pitch and Ben Skorczewski reached on an error.
Cooper VanOverbeke delivered a single to bring home one of the runs. The rally was complete, 5-4. Skorczewski and AJ Myhre each ripped a pair of hits for the winners while Kade Lozinski and Josh Schuelke each added hits.
On the hill, Skorczewski pitched the entire seven innings, allowing no earned runs on seven hits, with four walks and seven strikeouts.
Won second game, 14-3
Cooper VanOverbeke made his debut pitching, going three three innings and giving up three runs. Carter Schuelke pitched two innings giving up no runs.
Minneota 5, Montevideo 4 MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Ben Skorczewski, p 3 1 2 2; Cooper VanOverbeke, cf-lf 4 0 1 1 ; Carter Schuelke, c-ss 3 1 0 0; AJ Myhre, ss/c 3 0 2 0; Jackson Esping, lf-rf 3 0 0 0; Kade Lozinski, 3b 3 0 1 0; Trey Gronke, 3b 0 0 0 0; Thor Fischer, 1b 2 0 0 0; Kaden Culver, cr-ph 1 0 0 0; Jayden Gamrak, dh 0 0 0 0; Tyler Gronke, rf 0 0 0 0; Jonah Gruenes, cf 1 2 1 0; Troy Van Keulen, 2b 1 0 0 0; Josh Schuelke, 2b 1 1 1 0. Totals 25 5 8 4.
MONTEVIDEO: (Totals) 29 4 7 4. Score by Innings Montevideo 310 000 0 — 4 7 3 Minneota 100 103 x — 5 8 2 E-Minneota: Lozinski, Myhre; Montevideo 3. LOB-Minneota 9; Montevideo: 6. SB-Minneota: Skorczewski, C. Schuelke 2, Gamrak, J. Schuelke. Montevideo: 0. SAC: Montevideo 1. DP-Minneota 6-3 (3); 6-3 (5); Montevideo 9-4 (1). 2B-Minneota: Skorczewski. Pitching IP R ER H BB K Minneota Skorczewski (W) 7 4 1 7 4 7 Montevideo (Total of 2 pitchers) 6 5 2 8 3 8 HP-Montevideo 2; Minneota: J. Schuelke (by Montevideo). WP-Montevideo 2. Minneota 14, Montevideo 3 MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Ben Skorczewski 2 2 0 1; Josh Schuelke 3 0 0 1; Carter Schuelke, 3 1 0 1; AJ Myhre 4 1 3 0; Thor Fischer 0 0 0 0; Jayden Gamrak 3 2 1 0; Kaden Culver 0 3 0 0; Trey Gronke 3 2 0 1; Kaden Lozinski 0 0 0 1; Jackson Esping 1 1 0 0; Cooper VanOverbeke 4 2 2 3. Totals 23 14 3 8. MONTEVIDEO (Totals) 20 3 3 0. Score by Innings Minneota 214 70 — 14 3 0 Montevideo 210 00 — 3 3 3 LOB-Minneota 8; Montevideo 9. 2b-Minneota: Skorczewski; Montevideo: Gage Augeson.
PITCHING IP R ER H BB K Minneota VanOverbeke (W) 3 3 3 3 4 4 C. Schuelke 2 0 0 0 1 2 Montevideo Augeson (L) Morris Tournament Minneota 9, Benson 5 Thor Fischer pitched a seven-inning, 12-hit, three strikeout win for the Vultures. His teammates rapped out 15 hits, including three by Arter Schuelke and two each from Skorczewski, Josh Schuelke, AJ Myhre, Jonah Gruenes and Cooper VanOverbeke.
Minneota 9, Benson 5
MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Ben Skorczewski 2 3 1 2; Josh Schuelke, 3 1 2 1; Carter Schuelke 4 2 3 2; AJ Myhre 3 0 2 1; Jonah Gruenes 3 1 2 0; Jackson Esping 3 0 1 1; Kaden Culver 3 0 1 0; Thor Fischer 3 1 1 0; Cooper VanOverbeke 3 1 2 0. Totals 27 9 15 7. BENSON (Totals) 28 5 12 4. Score by Innings Benson 110 000 3 — 5 Minneota 301 120 x — 9 LOB-Benson 9, MINNEOTA 6. E-Minneota: Fischer. 2B-Benson: Minchow; Minneota: VanOverbeke (2), Esping, Carter Schuelke; Skorczewski; Junior Legion, Josh Schuelke,3B-Benson: Lenart. Minneota Thor Fischer (W) 7 5 5 10 3 4
Minneota 3, Mound Westonka 3 (8)
After eight innings the game was called in a 3-3 tie, but it was enough to put Minneota into the championship game on Sunday. AJ Myhre threw six innings, allowing just six hits while fanning six. Carter Schuelke relieved and fanned one in two innings. At the plate, Carter Schuelke led the way with a pair of hits and a run batted in and Thor Fischer picked up two hits. Myhre knocked in two runs. Mound-Westonka’s C. Christianson socked a home run.
Minneota 3, Mound-Westonka 3 MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Ben Skorczewski 4 0 1 0; Josh Schuelke 2 1 0 0; Carter Schuelke 3 1 2 1; AJ Myhre 3 0 1 2; Jonah Gruenes 4 0 1 0; Jackson Esping 4 0 1 0; Thor Fischer 4 0 2 0; Kaden Culver 2 0 1 0; Cooper VanOverbeke 4 1 1 0. Totals 30 3 10 3.
MOUND-WESTONKA (Totals) 30 3 9 3. Score by Innings Minneota 000 030 00 — 3 Mound-Westonka 002 001 00 — 3 Pitching IP R ER H BB K Minneota Myhre 6 3 3 6 3 6 Carter Schuelke 2 0 0 2 0 1
St. Charles 5, Minneota 3
Tied 3-3 after seven innings, the game went eight innings and St. Charles scored two runs in the top of the eighth to take the tournament championship. Ben Skorczewski went the distance, giving up 12 hits. He fanned three and walked two. Minneota got a double from Braeden Panka as one of his two hits while Josh Schuelke and Jackson Esping each added a pair of hits to the attack. St. Charles had three doubles from Sam Linderbaum, Chase Walters and Kyler Reps as they rallied to beat the Vultures.
MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Ben Skorczewski 2 0 0 1; Cooper VanOverbeke 2 0 0 0; Carter Schuelke 4 0 0 0; AJ Myhre 4 0 1 0; Josh Schuelke 4 0 2 0; Braeden Panka 3 1 2 0; Jackson Esping 3 1 2 1; Thor Fischer 2 1 0 0; Jonah Gruenes 1 0 0 0. Totals 25 3 7 2. ST. CHARLES (Totals) 34 5 1 2 3. Score by Innings St. Charles 110 010 02 — 5 Minneota 000 020 10 — 3 2B-Braeden Panka. SAC: Skorczewski. SB-VanOverbeke. Pitching IP R ER H BB K Minneota Skorczewski (L) 8 5 5 12 2 3
Minneota 7, Granite Falls 4
Minneota took a 5-0 lead, then had to hang on to win, 7-4 when Granite rallied for four in the fifth. But Thor Fischer picked up the win and Braeden Panka got the save in relief.
MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Ben Skorczewski, ss 4 0 0 0; Cooper VanOverbeke, 3b 3 1 0 0; Kade Lozinski, 3b 1 1 0 0; Carter Schuelke, c 4 2 2 0; AJ Myhre, dh 2 1 0 0; Thor Fischer, p-1b 0 0 0 0; Josh Schuelke, 2b 2 1 1 0; Troy Van Keulen, 2b 0 0 0 0; Braeden Panka, 1b-p 3 0 0 0; Jackson Esping, lf 2 2 2 1; Kaden Culver, rf 2 0 0 0; Jonah Gruenes, cf 10 0 0; Jaden Gamrak, phj 1 0 1 0. Totals 25 7 6 2. GRANITE FALLS (AB-R-H-RBI). Totals 29 4 5 3. Score by Innings Granite Falls 000 040 0 — 4 5 5 Minneota 203 110 x — 7 6 5 Pitching IP R ER H BB K Minneota Fischer (W) 5 4 0 6 2 3 Panka (S) 2 0 0 0 0 2