New ‘Vulture’ attitude for renovated Legion team
Welcome to a new era of Minneota baseball.
Gone are the blue and gold of Vikingland — enter the black and white of the new look Minneota Vultures.
To stay in tune with the Junior American Legion, the varsity Legion has adopted the hungry-looking Vultures that swoop around K. P. Kompelin Field — sometimes in heavy numbers.
Monday night Coach Keven Larson unveiled his new look Vultures, during a nice 5-0 win over Montevideo at Granite Falls.
In a double-header at Richter Field in Granite Falls, Montevideo won the first game over Granite Falls, 8-5.
Because Montevideo is renovating their baseball field for the upcoming state Jr. Legion Tournament, the game had to be played in Granite Falls.
It turned out to be an ideal evening for both the fans and the Minneota pitching staff. Brant Buysse and Preston Nuy combined to strike out 11 Montevideo batters, allow just three hits and shutout Monte.
“It was nice because we threw a lot of strikes,” said Coach Larson. “And we had no walks,” added Assistant Coach JD Pesch.
“We throw the ball across the plate and good things are going to happen,” Larson added.
Buysse had pin-point control over five innings, striking out six. Then Nuy came on and struck out five of the six batters he faced to put the game away.
After the game he revealed a couple of spike marks on his pitching hand. “How did you throw with that?” he was asked.
“It didn’t hurt so bad,” Nuy smiled.
Coming off the Minneota Mudhen amateur game in which he had two hits and knocked in the winning run in overtime against Dumont, this was icing on the cake for Nuy.
“I got spiked in that game, too,” he revealed.
Coach Larson referred to the fourth inning when pitcher Buysse took a come-backer, threw to Teddy Pesch at second and he relayed to Austin Sorenson at first to complete a double play.
“We made some nice plays,” Coach Larson said.
The last time Minneota played Montevideo they fell behind in the first inning, 4-0. This time it was Minneota taking advantage of a couple of Monte errors and hits by Nuy and Alex Pohlen (who doubled), to lead 2-0. They added two in the third after a lead-off single by Brant Buysse and rode the 4-0 lead to the seventh before a single by Nuy, an error and two wild pitches scored pinch runner Grady Moorse.
“We got a couple of runs right away and that helped,” said Coach Larson.
Nuy said his big week helped him pitch “relaxed” in the final two innings.
Fact is, on the mound, he was unhittable — with or without the spike marks on the back of his pitching hand.
Yeah, it’s been a remarkable week for Preston Nuy.
NOTES:
•Minneota’s American Legion Vultures will play this weekend, Saturday and Sunday in an eight-team tournament hosted by Perham. There will be several Junior American Legion and Babe Ruth teams also playing in this tournament on four different fields.
Minneota will open the tournament against Wadena. Games will be played in New York Mills and two other sites. The Vultures will play two games Saturday and one Sunday and will stay at property in Pelican Rapids owned by Minneota’s Ralph Hagen.
•Minneota played without Thomas and Jacob Hennen, who were at a basketball camp and Sam Buysse, who was on vacation.
Lost to Granite Falls
While it was a positive week, with the win over Montevideo, new uniforms, new name — the Vultures — and their first tournament in many years this weekend, the Minneota Legion lost to Granite Falls, 7-5.
“They were loaded with college players,” said Coach Keven Larson. Minneota led 3-2 after four, but a four-run rally by Granite Falls was their undoing. They fell behind and never did catch up.
Although Minneota got good pitching from Sam and Brant Buysse, they got just four hits off Granite Falls and just couldn’t sustain a rally. Alex Pohlen had two of those hits, one a double and he knocked in two runs.
Minneota 5, Montevideo 0
MINNEOTA 9AB-R-H-RBI) Brant Buysse, p 4-0-1-0; Grady Moorse, cr 0-1-0-0; Teddy Pesch, (b 3-1-0-0; Preston Nuy, ss 3-2-2-1; Alex Pohlen, c 2-0-1-1; Tate Walerius, cr 0-1-0-0; Ladon Abraham, cf 4-0-0-0; Jaymes Moon, lf 3-0-0-0; Landon Rolbiecki, dh 3-0-0-0; Cole Sanow rf 0-0-0-0; Josh Laleman, 3b 3-0-0-0; Austin Sorenson, 1b 2-0-0-0. Totals 27-5-4-2.
MONTEVIDEO (AB-R-H-RB) Chace Korte, rf 3-0-1-0; Blake Sederstrom, ss 3-0-0-0; Noah Buseman, 3b 3-0-0-0; Jackson Snell, p 3-0-1-0; Seth Kuno, c 3-0-0-0; Matt Fragodt, c 3-0-0-0; Max Carruth, 1b 3-0-0-0; Hunter Ward, lf 2-0-1-0; Derek Kilibarda, 2b 2-0-0-0. Totals 25-0-3-0.
Score by Innings:
Minneota 202 000 1 — 5 4 2
Monte 000 000 0 — 0 3 4
E-Minneota: Pesch 2; Monte Sederstrom, Buseman, Kilabarda 2. LOB-Minneota 7; Monte 3. SB-Monte: Ward. DP-Minneota 1-4-3-(4). 2B-Minneota: Pohlen.
Pitching IP R ER H BB K
Minneota
B. Buysse (W) 5 0 0 3 0 6
P. Nuy 2 0 0 0 0 5
Montevideo
Snell (L) 4 4 3 3 1 2
Kuno 1 0 0 0 1 1
Kilabarda 2 1 0 1 2 4
HP-Pohlen (by Snell). WP-Kilabarda 3. PB-Kuno.
Granite Falls 7, Minneota 5
MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Brant Buysse, 2b-p 4-0-0-0; Thomas Hennen, ss 2-1-0-0; Preston Nuy, cf, 3b 4-1-1-0; Alex Pohlen, c 3-2-2-2; Landon Abraham, lf 1-0-0-0; Josh Laleman, 3b 1-0-0-0; Landon Rolbiecki, 3b 2-0-0-0; Sam Buysse, p-cf 3-1-1-0; Jaymes Moon, rf-cf-2b 1-0-0-0; Jacob Hennen, dh 2-0-0-0; Austin Sorenson, 1b 0-0-0-0. Totals 23-5-4-2.
GRANITE FALLS (AB-R-H-RBI) Bennett Knapper, p 3-1-1-0; Cole Richter, 1b 2-1-0-1; Ethan Peterson, lf 4-1-1-3; Carter Sneller, cf 4-0-0-0; Angel Jimenez, dh 3-1-2-0; Dalton Anderson, 3b 3-1-0-0; Ayden Friese, c 3-0-0-0; Bryce Schmidt rf 3-0-1-1; Asa Ulferts, ss 2-2-0-0. Totals 27-7-5-5.
Score by Innings:
Granite Falls 020 041 0 — 7 5 1
Minneota 000 311 0 — 5 4 3
E-Minneota: Moon; T. Hennen; Laleman; GF-Anderson. SB-Mnneota:T. Hennen; Buysse 2; GF: E. P.; Asa V., Jiminez. SAC-Minneota: Abraham; GF: C. Richter. 2B-Minneota: Pohlen.
Pitching IP R ER H BB K
Minneota
Sam Buysse (L) 4 5 3 2 4 3
Brant Buysse 3 2 2 3 3 1
Granite Falls
Knapper (W) 4 3 3 3 2 5
Anderson 3 0 0 0 0 0
HP-Asa V. (by Sam Buysse); Abraham, J. Hennen (by Anderson). WP-Knapper; S. Buysse 2.
Junior American Legion
RCW/MACRAY 8, Minneota 7
“Cole Sanow had a double and triple and was pitching a 4-0 shutout when the roof fell in. RCW/MACCRAY scoredthree runs in the fourth, then beat reliever Grady Moorse with a five-run sixth inning.
MINNEOTA (AB-R-H-RBI) Carter Schuelke, c 4-1-1-0; Ben Skorczewski, ss 3-1-1-0; Tate Walerius, c 2B 3-1-1-0; Cole Sanow, p 3-2-2-2; Braeden Panka, 3b 4-1-2-1; Kaden Culver, dh 3-0-0-0; Thor Fischer, lf 0-0-0-0; Jacob Hennen, lf 0-0-0-0; Grady Moorse, 1b-p 4-0-1-0; Josh Laleman, 2b 2-1-0-0; AJ Myhre, 3b 0-0-0-0; Cooper VanOverbeke, rf 4-0-2-1.Totals 30-7-10-4.
Score by Innings
RCW/MACCRAY 000 305 0 — 8 10 2
Minneota 004 001 2 — 7 10 2
2B-Minneota: Sanow, Panka; 3B-Minneota-Sanow.
Minneota Pitching: Cole Sanow (4.1 innings; 3 runs, 0 earned, 4 hits, 1 BB, 4K, 1 HP); Grady Moorse (Losing pitcher, 2.2 innings, 5 runs all earned, 6 hits, 1 BB, 3K).