By Ryan Simonson
Contributing Writer
A week ago in Brownton, the unthinkable happened. As the team prepared for their first-round matchup with the Rochester Royals, Air Freight Unlimited assistant manager Jake Hardy experienced a sudden, nearly fatal medical emergency. He survived, thanks to the quick response of the Brownton volunteer team and first responders, and was airlifted to a metro hospital, where he remains in care.
Due to the emergency, the game was postponed until Sunday night, and was then suspended by rain in the early innings and rescheduled for this Friday in Glencoe, putting the winner of the game in the unusual situation of having to play back-to-back days during the second weekend of the tournament. Air Freight went on to win the Friday night contest, but it meant they had used ace pitcher and MVP of the their 2023 championship run, Graham Laubscher, and needed to go deeper into their rotation as they faced Section 8 champions the Moorhead Mudcats, waiting for them after earning a first-round bye. It just so happened that they had former San Francisco Giants farmhand Nick Morreale ready to take the ball with plans to lead them back to the tournament quarterfinals.
The Mudcats struck first, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first with a David Dorsey single, an error, and a walk. Air Freight rebounded in the top of the second by loading the bases, but Moorhead starter Jacoby Nold escaped the inning by inducing a ground ball out.
Air Freight would break the game open in the third, delivering three runs on five consecutive hits, all after the first two batters of the inning were put out unceremoniously. Daniel Dahl, Edwin Gray, and Tavier Simmons all drove in runs.
After a leadoff double and steal of third by Mudcat Carter Heinsch failed to produce a run in the bottom of the sixth, the Freighters would add another pair of runs in the seventh on an electric Joe Fenlon home run to left, punctuated by an emphatic, celebratory trip around the bases.
Trailing 5-2, Moorhead made some noise in the home half of the eighth inning, exploiting a Fenlon error and a pair of hits to score a run and load the bases, only to have their threat canceled by a double-play ball. It would be the last run the Moorhead Mudcats would score on the year, as they were shut down in the ninth inning, falling to Air Freight 5-3.
Garrett Spikes had two hits for Air Freight, along with pitching the final three innings to finish Morreale’s six-inning, six-strikeout effort. Six other players each contributed a hit. David Dorsey had two hits and an RBI for Moorhead.
Air Freight advances to play the Macs Industrial Warriors in a rematch of last year’s semifinal classic on Friday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Gaylord.
Forest Lake 3, St. Anthony 1
Led by three hits and two runs scored by leadoff man Brandon Rogers, the Brewers were able to take advantage of some untimely St. Anthony errors and some of their own opportunistic hitting to steal a victory over the Hogs.
St. Anthony leadoff man Bennett Wiggins provided three hits of his own for the Hogs, but never scored — including being thrown out at the plate in the bottom of the third after doubling to start the inning. Starting pitcher Sully Jahnke went 8 ⅔ innings for the Hogs, giving up only one earned run and striking out eight, but faced constant base traffic with the Brewers connecting for 11 hits. St. Anthony produced 10 hits of their own off Forest Lake pitchers Isaac Roers and Davis Bryan, but were only able to produce a single run on Nick Zezulka’s solo home run to lead off the ninth inning.
Forest Lake advances to face defending champions Miesville on Friday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Glencoe.
Macs Industrial Warriors 5, Burnsville Bobcats 3
In a rematch of playoff opponents from last year, the Warriors deviated from their 2024 script by striking early, plating runs in both the first and second innings using a combination of base hits and untimely Bobcat errors. The score held until the top of the fifth inning, when Burnsville tied the game at 2-2 with some hustle on softly-hit balls and sloppy play by the Warriors defense.
Minneapolis would immediately rebound in the bottom of the fifth on three hits, then add another in the seventh to go up 5-3, with starting pitcher Joe Spanier cruising along.
Spanier would give the ball up to Vincent Rupp in the ninth, and the Kitties made it interesting, scoring a run on two hits and stranding a pair of runners with a fly out to second base, which ended the game 5-3.
Michael Weiss, Nate Heymann, and Chad Musser all had multi-hit games for the Warriors. Spanier went eight innings, surrendering no earned runs on six hits and seven strikeouts. Aaron Pfaff and Zach Andreasen each had two hits for Burnsville.
The Warriors advance to face Air Freight Unlimited in a rematch of last year’s semifinal classic on Friday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Gaylord.
North Saint Paul Snowmen 3, Saint Paul Mudhens 0
With three runs in the fourth inning on three hits — including a Joe Moeller double, the North Saint Paul Snowmen won their second-ever state tournament game to advance to Labor Day weekend.
The game featured a combined 29 strikeouts, 10 each by relief pitchers Joe Gizzi of the Snowmen and Evan Fischer of the Mudhens, who both threw more innings than their team’s starters. Logan Grimm of the Mudhens was the game’s only multi-hit player, leading the Hens with a pair of singles. The game featured several fine defensive plays, with North Saint Paul committing the game’s only error.
The Snowmen advance to face the winners of Sartell vs. Chaska on Friday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Brownton.
