Vulture hurlers devour foes
Minneota’s American Legion team is undergoing change.
They gave themselves a new name, The Minneota Vultures, entered their first weekend tournament in many years and suddenly have found a dearth of starting pitching.
The result this past week was a 4-1 record, third place in the Perham Tournament a nice comeback win over Canby and whitewash of Granite Falls.
They beat Canby 6-2, went to Perham Saturday and defeated Wadena, 8-0, lost to Breckenridge 5-2 and took third place with a 4-3 win over Park Rapids.
On Monday two Minneota hurlers threw a one-hitter and beat Granite Falls, 9-3.
A single strand of baseball lore says, “Get good pitching and everything else will come together.”
During the incredible 4-1 week they got:
•A 13-strikeout effort from Teddy Pesch in the win over Canby;
•A complete game, two-hit shutout by Sam Buysse over Wadena;
•Six-strikeout, two hit pitching for six innings by Cole Sanow against Breckenridge, with Preston Nuy two-thirds an inning in relief.
•A sparkling six-hitter, 10-strikeout, no walk, 4-3 walk-off performance by Nuy against Park Rapids and ...
•A one-hit, five strikeout combined win by Brant Buysse and Pesch over Granite Falls. Pesch threw four innings wiout givin up a hit while striking out three to get the win.
“They’re all pitching really well,” said Coach Keven Larson. The fact he played without six of his regulars at Perham made the week even sweeter. “The younger guys saw they can play, too,” said the coach.
“We’re pitching really good,” said Larson.
Yet, you’ve got to wonder if becoming the “Vultures” has suddenly injected a new “tear-’em-apart killer instinct into the team.
Certainly new “tactics,” such as working harder with younger kids, injecting theories on batting and pitch count and patience at the plate have begun to take hold.
Having a “big gun” in the middle of the batting order hasn’t hurt, either.
Alex Pohlen has been swinging a hot bat. He homered against Wadena, was 4-9 at Perham and during the five-game stretch, was 10 of 18, a .555 clip, with five runs scored, five runs batted in, a home run and five doubles.
With his new career as a college football quarterback at Dakota Wesleyn in Mitchell, SD looming closer and closer in the rear view mirror, Coach Larson moved Pohlen from catcher to right field Monday night at Granite Falls — perhaps giving Jaymes Moon some much-needed time behind the plate.
Certainly, when Pohlen leaves for football, his presence at the plate will be felt.
The bats, usually good for three to six hits a game, suddenly have been torturing opponents outfields.
They got 12 hits against Canby, eight against Wadena, 12 against Granite Falls and used walks and errors to score runs against Breckenridge and Park Rapids.
Above all, the New Vultures have, “Stayed positive,” said Coach Larson.
Breckenridge, the only team they lost to all week, “Was getting frustrated against us. They even tired trick plays that didn’t work,” he said.
Perhaps the most “charming” win came in the third place game at Perham.
With the game tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, the young Vultures began to prey on Park Rapids.
With two outs, Jaymes Moon walked and stole second base. First baseman Austin Sorensen slapped a single, Moon raced home and the Vultures had a 4-3 “walk-off” win.
What made the win so pleasant was the fact they used just three hits, five walks and three Park Rapids errors to cash in four runs.
Meanwhile, Nuy surrendered just six hits, struck out 10 and all three runs against him were unearned.
“No earned runs, that was nice pitching,” said Coach Larson.
ON THURSDAY, what started as a disaster, ended rather well for the Minneota American Legion when they defeated Canby, 6-2.
“There were lackadasical, making mental errors and just not playing well. So I called them together and told them this group from Canby would love to go home and tell everyone they beat Minneota,” said Assistant Coach J.D. Pesch.
The Vultures responsed by banging out 12 hits and coming from behind 2-0 to win, 6-2.
“It wasn’t good at first,” said Coach Keven Larson. “But after that we played pretty well,” he said.
Led by a three-hit performance by Alex Pohlen, who started a two-run rally in the fifth with a single, the Vultures added two more in the sixth and an insurance run in the seventh.
Pohlen was 3-4 with a double; Preston Nuy went 2-4 and Austin Sorensen was 2-3. Minneota stole stole six bases on the night.
Teddy Pesch pitched the distance, allowing just four hits, one a double by Nolan Harding. He fanned 13 batters, walked just three and after the third inning, allowed just three runners on base.
After losing to Granite Falls the last two times they’ve faced them (once in high school and once in Legion), the Vultures came out with all bats blasting away at Granite Falls.
Brant Buysse started it with a single, Teddy Pesch singled, Alex Pohlen doubled them both home, Sam Buysse rocked a hard single to center, Landon Abraham singled home a run and with two out, Austin Sorensen delivered the sixth hit of the innin g, scoring Abraham with the fifth run to cap as solid an inning as Minneota has enjoyed all summer.
With Brant Buysse, then Pesch on the mound twirling a one-hitter, the only nick in Minneota’s armour was some shaking play in the field that allowed Granite to score three runs.
Bennett Knapper had the only hit, a booming double in the first inning and he scored on an infield out.
Other than that, Minneota pretty much ran wild over Granite. — literally. They stole 13 bases and pretty much Controlled the base paths.
Oh, Alex Pohlen’s three doubles didn’t hurt much, either.
The Vultures, now 6-3 on the year, will play a doubleheader startig at 6 p.m. Monday at Madison.
Minneota 6, Canby 2
MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Teddy Pesch, p 4-1-1-0; Jaymes Moon, 2b 5-0-0-0; Preston Nuy, ss 4-1-2-1; Alex Pohlen, c 4-1-3-1; Sam Buysse, cf 3-0-1-1; Austin Sorensen, 1b 3-1-2-1; Braeden Panka, ss 0-0-0-0; Josh Laleman, 3b 4-0-1-0; Cole Sanow, rf 2-1-1-1; Ben Skorczewski, cr 0-0-0-0; Tate Walerius, dh 1-0-0-0; Grady Moorse, lf 0-0-0-0; Landon Rolbiecki, 2-1-1-0. Totals 32-6-12-4.
CANBY (AB-R-H-RBI) Tyler Sayre, cf 3-0-2-0; Nolan Harding, c 3-0-1-1; Hunter Cleveland, p 4-0-0-0; Chantz Engesmoe, 3b 3-0-1-0; Parker Viessman, 1b 2-0-0-0; Jordan Ries, ss 3-0-0-0; Dylan Bruns, rf 3-0-0-0; Bryce Hansen, lf 3-0-0-0; Payton Anhalt, ss 3-0-0-0. Totals 27-2-4-1.
Score by Innings:
Minneota 001 022 1 — 6 12 2
Canby 101 000 0 — 2 4 1
E-Minneota: Sorenson, Nuy; Canby: Anhalt. LOB-Minneota: 10; Canby 6. SB-Minneota: Pesch, Moon, Nuy, Buysse, Laleman, Skorczewski, Moorse; Canby: Sayre 2, Cleveland 2, Engesmoe, Viessman 2 each. SAC-Minneota: Sanow. 2B-Minneota: Pohlen; Canby: Harding.
Pitching IP R ER H BB K
Minneota
Pesch (W) 7 2 2 4 2 13
Canby
Cleveland (L) 7 6 4 12 5 4
Minneota 9, Granite Falls 3
MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Brant Buysse, p-2b 4-2-1-1; Preston Nuy, ss 3-0-1-0; Thomas Hennen, ss 1-0-1-1; Teddy Pesch, 2b-p 4-1-1-0; Alex Pohlen, rf 5-2-3-2; Sam Buysse, cf 4-1-1-1; Landon Abraham, lf 3-2-2-1; Jaymes Moon, c 3-1-0-0; Austin Sorensen, 1b 2-0-1-1; Josh Laleman, 3b 4-0-1-1. Totals 33-9-12-8.
GRANITE FALLS (AB-R-H-RBI) Jordan Odegaard, cf 3-0-0-0; Bennett Knapper, ss 3-2-1-0; Ethan Peterson, 2-0-0-1; Cole Richter, 1b 2-0-0-0; Angel Jimenez, p-3b 3-0-0-0; Tate Schulte, 3-0-0-0; Dalton Anderson, 3b-p 0-0-0-0; Nick Lindstrom, 3-0-0-0; Bryce Schmidt, rf 1-1-0-0; Ayden Friese, c 3-0-0-0. Totals 22-3-1-1.
Score by Innings:
Minneota 502 100 1 — 9 12 0
Granite Falls 102 000 0 — 0 1 3
E-Granite Falls: Anderson, Knapper 2. LOB-Minneota 11; Granite Falls 3. SB-Minneota: B. Buysse 2; Nuy 3, Pesch 1; S.Buysse 2, Abraham 3, Moon 1, Sorensen 1; Granite Falls: Knapper 1, Peterson 2. DP-Minneota 1-6 (6). 2B-Minneota: Pohlen 3; Granite Falls: Knapper.
Pitching IP R ER H BB K
Minneota
B. Buysse 3 3 2 1 3 2
Pesch (W) 4 0 0 0 2 3
Granite Falls
Jimenez (L) 2 7 7 7 2 2
Anderson 5 2 0 5 5 4
HP-Nuy (by Jimenez; Peterson (by B. Buysse). WP-B. Buysse 2; Anderson 2. PB-Friese 1; Moon 2.
Minneota 8, Wadena 0
MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Preston Nuy, ss 3-2-1-0; Sam Buysse, p 3-0-0-0; Alex Pohlen, c 2-2-2-1; Cole Sanow, 2b 1-1-1-0; Braeden Panka 1-0-1-1; Jaymes Moon, ss 4-1-1-0; Austin Sorenson, 1b 3-0-2-2; Josh Laleman, 3b 2-0-0-0; Grady Moorse, lf 3-0-0-0; Myhre, 3b 0-0-0-0; Ben Skorczewski, 2b 3-2-1-0. Totals 25-8-8-4.
WADENA (AB-R-H-RBI) Totals: 25-0-2-0. (Preston Warren, Justin Dykoff 1 single each).
Score by Innings:
Wadena 000 000 0 — 0 2 2
Minneota 220 211 x —8 8 1
LOB-Minneota 6; Wadena 5. SB-Minneota-Pohlen, Sorensen 1 each. 2B-Minneota: Nuy, Moon. HR-Pohlen.
Pitching IP R ER H BB K
Minneota
Sam Buysse (W) 7 0 0 2 1 5
Wadena
Lleyton Pettit (L) and Dykoff totals
6 8 5 8 2 6
Breckenridge 5, Minneota 2
MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Preston Nuy, ss-p 4-1-1-0; Alex Pohlen, c 3-0-1-1; Cole Sanow, p 3-0-0-0; Jaymes Moon, rf 3-1-1-0; Austin Sorensen, 1b 3-0-1-0; Josh Laleman, 3b 3-0-1-1; Grady Moorse, lf 2-0-0-0; Braeden Panka, 2b 2-0-0-0; Ben Skorczewski, 2b 0-0-0-0. Totals 26-2-8-2.
BRECKENRIDGE (AB-R-H-RBI) Totals: 28-5-5-4. Tommy Hiedeman 4-0-2-2; Mitch Porter 3-2-2-2 (double).
Score by Innings
Breckenridge 000 200 3 — 5 5 3
Minneota 001 001 0 — 2 8 1
LOB-Minneota: 9; Breckenridge 6. SB-Minneota: Moorse. 2B-Breckenridge: Porter.
Pitching IP R ER H BB K
Minneota
Sanow (L) 6 4 2 4 0 6
Nuy 1 1 1 1 0 1
Breckenridge
Hiedeman (W) 4.2 1 1 7 1 2
E. J. Engen 2.1 1 1 1 1 0 HP-Sanow (4); Hiedeman.
Minneota 4, Park Rapids 3
MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Preston Nuy, p 3-0-0-0; Sam Buysse, cf 3-0-0-0; Alex Pohlen, c 4-0-1-0; Cole Sanow 4-1-0-0; Tyler Myhre, lf 0-0-0-0; Jaymes Moon, 2b 1-2-0-0; Austin Sorensen, 1b 2-0-1-1; Josh Laleman, 3b 2-0-0-0; Grady Moorse, rf 3-0-0-0; Ben Skorczewski, ss 3-0-1-1. Totals 25-4-3-1.
PARK RAPIDS (AB-R-H-RBI) (Totals) 28-3-6-2 (Brenden Krudowski 4-1-1-0; Ty Karger 3-1-2-0; Tristin Persons 3-0-2-2.
Score by Innings:
Park Rapids 100 002 0 — 3 6 2
Minneota 021 000 1 — 4 3 4
LOB-Minneota: 9; Park Rapids 4. SB-Minneota: Moon 2, Sorenson 1; Park Rapids: Persons. SAC-Park Rapids: Persons. 2B-Park Rapids: Persons.
Pitching IP R ER H BB K
Minneota
Nuy (W) 7 3 0 6 0 8
Park Rapids
Krudowski 5 3 2 2 3 8
Persons (L) 2 1 1 1 1 0
HP-S. Buysse, Sorenson, Laleman (by Krudowski).