Legion falls to BOLD, 7-2
Maybe it was the “lackluster” showing Minneota made in a 32-0 loss on Tuesday, but BOLD probably wasn’t prepared for Minneota to put a big fight in the “Best-of-Three” series.
But Thursday pitcher Preston Nuy and the highly undermanned (no subs) Minneota Legion put up “a fight”, before losing 7-2 to end their American Legion season.
BOLD went on n to play a “Best-of-Three” series with Glenwood-Lowry, who ousted New London-Spicer.
BOLD lost the first game, then game back for double wins, 8-2 and 5-4 over Glenwood-Lowry to earn a spot in the state tournament July 28-30 at the Green Lake Diamond in Spicer.
Although they lost, New London-Spicer gets an automatic seed because they are the home team.
'We played much better and had good pitching,” said acting Coach J.D. Pesch.
Coach Keven Larson and five of the players were still on a Mission Trip to California and Thomas Hennen was also gone to a basketball camp — so there was no bench.
Pesch had to use three Jr. Legion Vultures in the lineup and Everett VanHecke, who didn’t see much playing time all year, also was in the lineup.
VanHecke responded by getting on base twice.
On the hill, Preston Nuy silenced the bats that were roaring at Bird Island two days earlier.
He went five and two-thirds innings, gav eup 12 hits and all seven runs, walking three and striking out two.
Henry Pesch relieved and fanned three with one walk and no hits in the final one and a third innings.
He came in only when Nuy finally ran into trouble.
The game was tied 1-1 after four innings.
Minneota scored in the second when Nuy singled and scored the run.
“We were pesky at the plate, bunting, hustling, fouling off pitches and scratching out base runners for five out of six innings,” said Pesch.
BOLD also scored a run in the second — but in the fifth they plated two more on a Reed Stadther single, a double by Hayden Teersteg and a triple by Riley Weis.
In the sixth they broke out the bats for four more runs to finish Nuy’s time on the mound.
The big hit was a bases-clearing triple by Teersteg.
Minneota still had some fight left in them, as Austin DeVlaeminck tripled, Sam Buysse singled him home and both Pesch and Nuy walked.
But BOLD pitcher Jake Peppel went the distance, gave up just six hits and fanned five.
The Minneota Legion ended their season with a 9-6 record and won their sub-section before bowing out for the year.
“I’m very happy with the effort that these guys gave. With three Junior Legion guys, Sam Buysse, Grady Moorse and Jaymes Moon and sub Everette VanHecke in the lineup,” said Coach Pesch. “And we played with NO ONE on the bench."
And coming off the Tuesday “blowout” at Bird Island, and with out the core of their lineup and their coach, the team represented themselves well in the end.
A Division II District 7 All-Tournament Team was named and Minneota’s Blake Nelson was named to the team. Here is the team:
Minneota - Blake Nelson 3B/P.
NLS - Josh Soine CF, Evan Haugen 3B/P
Glenwood/Lowry - Colin Richards P/IF, Matt Gruber P, Connor Westberg OF
BOLD - James Woelfel C/P, Jack Peppel 1B, Riley Weis 1B/DH, Hayden Tersteeg SS/P
BOLD 7, Minneota 2
MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Austin DeVlaeminck, c 4-1-1-0; Sam Buysse, lf 4-0-1-1; Henry Pesch, ss-p 3-0-1-0; Preston Nuy, p-ss 2-1-1-0; Blake Nelson, 3b 4-0-1-0; Mark Laleman, cf 3-0-1-1; Everett VanHecke, rf 2-0-0-0; Jaymes Moon, 2b 3-0-0-0; Grady Moorse, 1b 2-0-0-0. Totals 27-2-6-2.
BOLD (AB-R-H-RBI) Luke Ryan, cf 3-1-1-0; James Woelfel, c 2-1-1-0; Jake Peppel, p 4-2-1-1; Reed Stadther, 2b 4-2-2-1; Hayden Teersteg, ss 4-1-3-1; Riley Weis, dh, 3-0-1-2; Cade Morse, lf 3-0-0-0; Andrew Sheehan, lf 1-0-0-0; Matthew Moorse, rf 4-0-1-0; Jordan Sagedahl, 1b 4-0-1-0. Totals 32-7-11-5.
Score by Innings:
BOLD 010 026 0 — 7 11 2
Minneota 010 000 1 — 2 6 1
E-Minneota: Moon; BOLD-R. Stadther, Moorse. LOB-Minneota: 9; BOLD: 6. SB-Minneota: Pesch. 2B: BOLD: Teersteg. 3B-Minneota: DeVlaeminck; BOLD:Teersteg, Weis.
Pitching IP R ER H BB K
Minneota
Nuy (L) 5.2 7 7 11 3 2
Pesch 1.1 0 0 0 1 3
BOLD
Peppel (W) 7 2 2 6 4 6