By Nick Gerhardt
Opole’s Cinderella story continues.
The Bears, in their first-ever state tournament appearance, clung to a one-run lead through eight innings before breaking the game open in the ninth with five runs for a 6-0 victory over Sauk Centre.
Opole features four Lange boys with big brother Austin managing the other three. It’s a unique dynamic that can produce some tension, but it’s working just fine for the Bears. On top of things, younger brothers Tate and Alex serve as the battery for Opole. Alex in the pecking order, which can put Tate in a tough spot with two older brothers telling him what to do. On Saturday, they overruled him to pull him after eight innings when the Bears pushed five runs across in the top of the ninth to cushion their lead.
“It can be a handful at times,” Austin admitted. “They’re the biggest ones that get on me because they don’t hold back. They’ll carry it on on the way home, too, so I’ll hear about it. Whatever, at the end of the day, we’re still brothers and we get along. I heard it today in the dugout. If it would’ve been a close game, we would’ve kept [Tate] in because he was throwing well. We have to get some of these other guys experience in our first state tournament experience, too.”
Tate kept Titans hitters off-balance, inducing eight pop outs. Lange went eight innings and allowed nine hits. He struck out three and walked one in the win.
“He threw a great game,” Alex said. “He was upset when we pulled him out in the ninth. He wanted to finish it out. Sometimes it’s a stern look and it is what it is. The manager gets the final call and that’s Austin. Not everyone is happy about it all the time but that’s the game.”
Opole used some small ball to jumpstart the offense, which had gone stagnant much of the game. The Bears tallied just three hits prior to the ninth inning. After Keaton Gustin reached on an error and Maverick Novitzki singled, Opole laid down three straight bunts and pushed across two runs. Masyn Patrick singled to drive in a pair of runs and Brodi Huls drove in another run with a single. Huls reached base all five times for the Bears.
Alex laid down the first bunt and Austin kept the sign on for the next two hitters.
“The sign was put on every time,” Tate said. “It was ballsy but it was something we figured had to be done.”
Sauk Centre starter Jack Miller kept Opole at bay through the first eight innings. Keaton Gustin hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning to score Huls but that was it for eight innings.
Sauk Centre had base runners on in nearly every inning but couldn’t find a clutch hit.
The Bears will face the winner of Cannon Falls-Roseau Royals Saturday, Aug. 23 at 4 p.m. in Brownton.
Leavenworth 11, Randall 0, 8 innings
Leavenworth needed just two big innings and a couple of base hits to dispatch Randall Saturday in Gaylord in an 11-0, eight-inning opening-round victory.
The Orioles, who claimed the No. 3 seed out of Region 2, pushed across all four runs in the second inning. Jackson Ludewig led off with a single and Dylan Hillescheim reached on a bunt single. A throwing error allowed Alex Sellner to reach. A throw home forced Ludewig out but kept the bases loaded for Richert, who delivered a base hit to clear the bases. Jackson Huiras followed with a double to score Richert to make it 4-0.
Randall had base runners throughout the game, including the first inning when Nate Benning and Zach Gwost moved to second and third base with two outs, but Mark Anderson picked up a strikeout to end the inning.
The Cubs, who advanced from Region 9 as the No. 2 seed, loaded the bases in the sixth inning with one out but Anderson got out of the jam with a called third strike and popped up near the Randall dugout that first baseman Jaden Mickelson made a diving catch on to end the inning.
Richert paced Leavenworth with a 3-for-4 day at the plate with four RBI and a run. Sam Pidde finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run after driving in a pair of runs with a single in the top of the eighth inning to push the lead to 7-0. Richert later delivered an RBI double to make it 8-0.
The Orioles tallied seven runs in the top of the eighth. Randall committed three errors to keep the inning alive. Caden Evers drove in a run as well in the inning for Leavenworth, which finished with 10 hits.
Anderson went 6 ⅓ innings and allowed six hits, walked one and struck out four. Granite Falls draftee Bennett Knapper closed it out with 2 ⅔ innings of relief. He finished the seventh inning with a pair of strikeouts to stop a threat.
The Orioles will face Le Sueur, which defeated Urbank 2-0, Saturday, Aug. 23 at 6:30 p.m. in Brownton.
