Mudhens lose heartbreaker to Yankees

There was just too much Matt Bauer.

The Milroy Yankee slugger not only went 5-5 with a pair of doubles and four runs batted in, but he also walked and scored.

With the game on the line in the ninth inning, and Minneota still ahead 8-7 — reliever Peyton Nuy was facing a two-men on, one out situation as Bauer stroke to the plate.

The veteran belted a one-strike Nuy fastball into deep right-centerfield. It land safely, Derrick Walker scored to tie the game and Andy Schmitt waltzed home with the leading run, 9-8.

Milroy Manager Ryan Rohlik, not wanting the game to slip away, inserted one of his two ACES, Nathan Duetz. The left struck out the side to end Minneota's upset bid.

"Yoy played a great game," Manager Tyson Sonnenburg said. "There's nothing to hang your head about. This is a great team with a great tradition and you nearly beat them."

The game meant alot to Minneota. Knowing the deep state tournament tradition of the Yankees and the fact they turned Milroy into a true "baseball" town, meant beating them would be a great guage for the upcoming season.

And they nearly did it. And no fault to Nuy, who just happened to be in Matt Bauer's way. Nuy, subbing for starting shortstop Adam Durfee (at school at Augustana), he made several nice plays at shorts. Once he thurned a double play and another time threw a long strike to first base to nip the runner.

"You did a great job," Sonnenburg told Nuy. "It wasn't your fault."

The Mudhens went ahead 3-1 in the fifth when Jake Leighton singled in a run and a groundout by Austin Buysse brought in another.

The Yankees responsed with three runs in the fifth, with Bauer in the middle of that along with Andrew Mathiowetz and Brian Dolan, all of whom singled.

They got two more in the seventh on a two-run double by Bauer and led 6-3. But in the eighth Minneota exploded for a four-run rally off Bauer, who had relieved Austin Duetz.

Four Milroy errors added the rally as Jordan Beck got the only hit in the inning.

Danny Hennen and Zach Nuy had set up the Mudhens for victory but in the ninth the ball was put into Peyton Nuy's hands — and he nearly pulled it off.

For the Mudhens, Jake Leightyon was 3-5 with three runs batted in and a run scored.

The Mudhens play today, Saturday, at 2 p.m. at Tracy.

Milroy Yankees 9, Minneota Mudhens 8
MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Beau Buysse, 2b 2-1-0-0; Cal Swedzinski, 2b 0-1-0-0; Jesse Drager, c 3-1-0-0; Bryce Gorder, 3b 2-0-0-0; Tyson Sonnenburg, cf 3-0-1-0; Jake Leighton, lf 3-2-3-3; Austin Buysse, 3b-c 4-0-1-1; Danny Hennen, p-1b 4-0-1-1; Preston Nuy, ss-p 5-0-0-0; Al Christensen, dh 3-0-0-0; Jordan Beck, lf-ss 3-0-0-0; Brock Buysse, rf 4-1-0-0; Drew Fadness, ph 1-0-0-0. Totals 38-8-6-4.
MILROY YANKEES (AB-R-H-RBI) Brian Dolan, dh 2-0-0-0; Austin Duetz, 0-1-0-0; Derrick Walker, c 3-1-2-0; Andy Schmitt, rf 4-2-1-1; Matt Bauer, c-p 5-2-5-4; Riley Carpenter, 3b 6-0-0-0; Eric Dolan, 2b 2-0-0-0; Zach Felcyn, 2b 2-0-0-0; Braydin Kvistro, lf 5-0-2-0; Austin Kretch, ss 5-0-0-0; Nathan Duetz, 1b-p 5-2-2-0; Andrew Mathiowetz, cf 4-1-1-1. Totals 43-9-13-6.
Score by Innings
Milroy             001 003 203 — 9 13 6
Minneota        000 120 140 — 8 6   3
E-Minneota: A. Buysse 2, Beck 1; Milroy: Carpenter 5, Kretsch. LOB-Minneota 9; Milroy 15. SAC-Minneota: Swedzinski; Milroy: Mathiowetz. DP-Minneota 6-3 (8); Milroy 4-6-3 (1). 2B-Minneota: A. Buysse, D. Hennen; Milroy: Bauer 2, Kvistro.
Pitching                   IP    R    ER   H   BB   K
Minneota
Danny Hennen       5.1   4    4      7     3     7   
Zach Nuy                2.1   2    2      3     1     1
Peyton Nuyh (L)     1      3    3      3     0     1
Milroy
Austin Duetz           4      3     2     3      1    4
Bauer (W)               4      5     1     4      3    6
Nathan Duetz (S)    1      0     0     0      0    3
HP-Sonnenburg (by Bauer); Eric Dolan, Kretsch (by Hennen). WP-Zach Nuy, Bauer, A. Duetz.