By Ryan Simonson
MBA contributing writer
A week after befuddling the Forest Lake Brewers with a complete game performance in which he earned a shutout by scattering six hits and striking out only three , while continuously inducing soft contact for his more-than-competent defensive unit, John Schumer was again handed the ball by the Muskies, this time tasked with putting the brakes on the Section 2 champion St. Patrick Irish and its murderer’s row of offensive weapons.
The slender, tall, lefty casts an imposing shadow from the top of the mound, but the nearly 34-year-old veteran is far from a power pitcher, instead finding success with the deception created his dramatic over-the-top release, which has him either extending like a man reaching to pick an apple or folding over like a lawn chair in still photos of his delivery. In frozen frames, he appears less like fellow lanky max-effort southpaw Randy Johnson than a guy casually tossing balls of paper into the recycling bin from his desk.
But nobody can question the results.
Following a 4-0 win over Stockmen’s Irish last weekend, St. Patrick was a popular favorite to take home this year’s Class A title. With a roster of college-grown talent and resume for success under manager Brent Goracke, expectations have remained high all year.
The Muskies scored a run in the top of the first inning, with their expert table-setter Andrew Deters singling and later taking advantage of an Irish error to cross the plate.
Through three innings, St. Patrick remained baffled by Schumer, flying and grounding out harmlessly with only Zach Stroh reaching base on a double.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Jack Taxdahl launched a home run over the left field fence to tie the game up at a run apiece.
Sartell quickly retook the lead off St. Patrick’s Evan Esch in the top of the fifth, with Jacob Merrill reaching on a soft line-drive single and coming around to score on a Cody Partch double. It was the last run scored in the game.
Both clubs continued to scatter random hits and strand a few runners, with Schumer and Esch bending but refusing to break inning after inning. Zak Endres took the mound for the Irish in the eighth, while Schumer continued to grind away, frustrating the hard-swinging Irish who approached each at-bat as an opportunity to drive a ball out of the park and take control of the game, only to find themselves retired again and again.
In similar fashion to his previous tournament win, Schumer went the distance on the mound, striking out only five, while scattering seven hits and allowing one run on the homer, and the perplexed Irish — always seeming one big swing away from advancing — were sent home dumbfounded by a pitcher who continues to prove he’s more than he appears.
Unbelievably, Schumer went on to throw another complete game against the powerful Minnetonka Monarchs only a few hours later, winning 6-0, and sending the Muskies to the Class A state championship game against the Coon Rapids Redbirds at 3 p.m. Sunday in Shakopee, where he might take the mound again.
Coon Rapids Redbirds 4, Eden Prairie Baseball 365 1
Having defeated the two-time defending champion Miesville Mudhens a weekend before, Eden Prairie’s Baseball 365 club squared off with the Coon Rapids Redbirds and their ace, former MLB prospect Nick Herold, who led the Birds over the Chaska Cubs in the tournament’s second weekend. 365 again went with its top arm, spindly righty Noah Danner.
The Redbirds plated a run in the top of the first inning, with veteran Matt Mossey driving in Alex Boxwell with a sacrifice fly after Boxwell reached on an error from the leadoff spot and advanced to third on a passed ball and hit.
The Birds added three more runs in the third with a pair of doubles and two 365 errors. Herold was in firm control of the Eden Prairie hitters until the fourth inning, when a string of hits pushed Brady Burzynski across for their first run. After a pair of strikeouts, Coon Rapids stranded runners on base and escaped the inning when shortstop Kirby Pieri went vertical to rob Tony Manville of a line-drive hit with an impressive acrobatic catch.
It was all pitching the rest of the way, with Herold giving way to Jackson Bates after seven complete innings and Danner going the distance for 365.
Herold walked one and struck out ten, surrendering the one earned run. Pieri and Drew Girtz led the Redbirds with two hits apiece, with Mossey and Scott Jussila driving in two runs each.
Danner walked two while striking out six, with all four runs unearned. Buzynski, Jake Mangler, Adam Seaman and Jorun Hamre all had hits for 365.
The Redbirds went on to defeat Shakopee later in the day, earning themselves a spot in Sunday’s Class A Championship game at 3pm in Shakopee, facing the Sartell Muskies.
Fairmont Martins 10, Starbuck Stars 0 (7 innings)
The Martins handed the ball to draftee Lincoln Swanjord of the Hadley Buttermakers, and he gave them everything they could ask for, allowing only three hits and three walks while striking out nine in the complete rule-shortened game.
In the top of the first, Darion Alexander, the hero of Friday night’s dramatic win over Luxemburg, laced a single for the Stars, but they could not get him home.
The bottom half of the inning went poorly for Starbuck, with the Martins loading the bases immediately and scoring five runs on four hits and chasing starter Alex Panitzke for Sam Etterman, draftee from New London-Spicer with nobody out.
The Martins added two more runs on three hits in the fourth, and three more in the sixth to open a 10-lead heading into the seventh inning.
The Stars had a glimmer of hope to extend the game when lead-off hitter Cameron Simon reached on an error, but a strikeout and a slick double play later saw their season came to a end, with Fairmont punching its ticket to the state championship.
Luke Becker, Spencer Chirpich, Derek Shoen, Joey Crissinger, and John Traetow each had two hits for the Martins’ potent offense, with Shoen driving in four runs.
Five pitchers combined for three strikeouts and eight walks for the Stars, who were led offensively with hits by Alexander, Noah Jensen, and Jackson Hendrickson.
Fairmont will play Elrosa in the Class C state championship game at 6 p.m. Sunday in New Prague.
Elrosa Saints 6, Hanska Lakers 2
After driving starter Ashton Dingman out of the game after one inning, in which Hanska loaded the bases, but were only scored once on an Elrosa error, with a runner forced out at the plate and an inning-ending double-play with Chris Knowles thrown out at home trying to tag-up on a flyout to left, Elrosa seemed to be counting its blessings and Hanska poised to make some noise with their bats.
After Elrosa tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the top of the second, Hanska retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning with a string of hits off draftee Grant Moscho of the Greenwald Cubs. It was the last run the Lakers scored in the game.
The Saints came through with a batch of hits and three runs in the top of the fourth inning to open up a 4-2 lead and never looked back.
The Lakers had plenty of opportunities, stranded runners in every inning after, with Norway Lake-Suburg Lakers draftee Jared Cortez coming on to slam the door with the bases loaded in the ninth to send Elrosa to the state championship.
Derek Wiener had three hits for the Saints, with Blaine Fischer and Ethan Mueller each adding a pair of hits and two RBIs. Moscho went seven innings for Elrosa, walking six and striking out seven.
Five different Lakers provided hits, with Knowles and Tanner Olson driving in Hanska’s two runs.
Elrosa advances to face Fairmont in the Class C state championship game at 6 p.m. Sunday in New Prague.
