By Nick Gerhardt
Ten years ago Ada’s Ethan Opsahl put together a record performance in the state tournament. It, however, got overshadowed by Sobieski’s Tyler Jendro, who put together a state tournament performance that will get talked about for years on end.
The left-handed Opsahl struck out 47 hitters in three state tournament games for the Athletics, who fell to 2-1 to Green Isle in the round of 16. Jendro struck out 44 in six games, all of which he recorded a win as the Skis won the Class C state title. The 47 strikeouts stands as the third most in state tournament history and Opsahl held the second-most until last year when Air Freight’s Graham Laubscher set a new record with 60.
“Afterward when the tournament was all done, one of our managers was like, ‘Just so you know, you had 47 strikeouts in three games and in the six games that Jendro had, he only had 44,’” Opsahl said.
Opsahl struck out 19 hitters against Hinckley in the 2014 state tournament in a game that started at 10:30 p.m. in Arlington after rain shifted schedules and fields around. Ada won 5-2 as the game ended around 1 a.m. Monday morning. The A’s had to make the four hour, 15-minute drive back to Ada that night.
“For us to even get to the state tournament was wild,” Opsahl said.
Opsahl played two seasons with the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks in independent ball before returning to amateur baseball at 24 with Ada. He pitched a lot that summer for Ada. The A’s needed a 3-1, 15-inning victory over Roseau to stay alive in the region tournament that season. Opsahl pitched all 15 innings, totaling 227 pitches, 22 strikeouts, just two walks, one hit batter and one run.
“At that point I think I’m just going to go finish the game win or lose instead of waste a bunch of pitchers trying to win this game and then we’re going to be in trouble for the rest of the regions,” Opsahl said.
Opsahl’s a mainstay at the state tournament, whether with Ada or as a draftee. He’s appeared in 10 state tournaments and the last six consecutive. He turned in a vintage performance Sunday as a draftee for Bemidji against New York Mills in a 3-0 victory for the Blue Ox. Opsahl went all nine innings, allowed six hits, walked none and struck out 15 as he returned to Tiger Park where Green Isle ended Ada’s run in 2014.
Bemidji broke through in the sixth inning for a pair of runs courtesy of a Sam Kalberer single up the middle.
The Blue Ox added a run in the top of the eighth inning. Caleb Maneke delivered an RBI single to score Connor McNallan, who led off the inning with a walk and moved to scoring position after a Kalberer single. Kalberer finished 3-for-4 with two RBI.
The Blue Ox had just one hit through five innings and chased New York Mills starter Logan Small in the sixth. Austin Maneval came on in relief and gave up a single to Kalberer, the second batter he faced.
Bemidji will face the winner of Waconia Saturday at 11 a.m. in Belle Plaine.
Courtland 8, Isanti 1
Courtland took advantage of early Isanti errors to pull away for an 8-1 victory Sunday at Tiger Park in Belle Plaine.
The Redbirds committed four errors in the first three innings as the Cubs grabbed a 2-0 lead. Cortland doubled its lead in the fourth inning after Nolan Drill doubled in a pair of runs. No. 9-hitter Cade Bushard singled with one out and Jackson Bode doubled to give the Cubs runners on second and third before Drill set a pitch to right center field. Drill finished 3-for-5 with two runs. Bode had three hits as well.
Teddy Giefer connected on a two-run shot in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 6-0. That chased Redbirds starter Phil Bray from the game.
Isanti, Region 1 champions, had a threat in the bottom of the sixth after James Green and Connor Braaten drew back-to-back walks to start the inning. But a double play and a strikeout ended the threat.
Bode went six innings and allowed three hits while walking five and striking out six. Leavenworth draftee Jackson Hurias threw an inning of relief and allowed a run on a fielder’s choice after walking the first two hitters he faced and giving up a single.
Courtland added a pair of runs in the eighth inning after the Redbirds’ sixth error allowed Drill to score. Maddox Mortensen drove in another run with a single to make it 8-1.
Courtland defeated Richmond 10-5 in the first round to secure its first state tournament win since 1945 and will enter Labor Day weekend to face the Red Wing Aces Saturday, Aug. 31 at 4 p.m. in Green Isle. The Aces, Region 5 champions, defeated Waterville 8-1 Saturday in Belle Plaine.
Union Hill 13, Clinton 2, 7 innings
Union Hill took care of business with a 10-run fourth inning to defeat Region 9 champion Clinton.
Nos. 8-9 hitters Jack Giesen and Jack Kreutzian each had two hits in the fourth inning and drove in three runs each. Will Busch also drove in a pair of runs. Nate Osborne went 2-for-2 with an RBI double and an RBI triple in his first two at-bats.
Clinton got on the board after a double in the bottom of the fourth from 54-year-old Mike Adelman to score Keane Turner and Ryan Toelle flew to center field to score another run. Adelman and his four sons play on the team.
Union Hill pitchers combined to hold the Cards to one hit.
The Bulldogs move on to face Young America Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Green Isle.
