SHAKOPEE — Glencoe manager Clark Christianson could finally breathe a sigh of relief after the final out was recorded. His Brewers survived, but it wasn’t easy.
In a first-round matchup that featured two teams who were playing on Labor Day weekend a year ago, it was Glencoe rallying in the bottom of the eighth to keep its season alive with a 4-2 win over the Howard Lake Orphans.
“It was tough to hang in there,” Christianson said. “We’ve been grinding like that all season. We’ve had a few games like that during the year where we needed to score in the eighth or ninth, and we did.”
Even though the Brewers have rallied late before, it’s a different kind of pressure when the season is on the line. Especially when you come into the state tournament as one of the favorites to win it all.
“We weren’t necessarily panicking,” Christianson said about the mood in the dugout the last few innings. “We were pitching really well, and we had the top chunk of the order coming up.”
Down 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth, a pitching change for Howard Lake gave the Brewers a chance to reset. A patient approach at the plate gave them a pair of baserunners as they opened the inning with a lead-off walk and a hit batter. Teddy Petersen then put down a perfect bunt to load the bases, which set up a chance for Korey Johnson to deliver once again for Glencoe.
“That’s something we’ve emphasized,” Christianson said. “We got beat last year because we couldn’t get a dang bunt down against Roseau. We’ve played a little differently this year. We squeezed a lot during the regular season. We sacrificed and bunted more, and I think in a game like this, this is why we win. This is how we’ve played all year.”
An RBI single from Johnson tied the game at two, and then it was Nate Litzau who kept things rolling for his team. He delivered an RBI single of his own to score two runs and give Glencoe a 4-2 lead heading to the ninth inning.
“They changed pitchers, and as soon as that happens, momentum changes,” Christianson said. “We had guys up that don’t usually swing at first pitches. We got patient, and it really helped us. They gave us a couple of runners, and then Johnson (and Nate) smacked it for us.”
Howard Lake had their chances throughout as they came up just short in the loss. After letting a pair of scoring opportunities earlier slip through, it was Noah Bush that gave the Orphans the lead in the top of the fifth. A two-out RBI single from the Mr. Baseball winner in 2021 put Howard Lake in front for the first time, and it looked like it might be enough with Colton Long dealing on the mound.
After giving up a run on a two-out single in the top of the first, Long found his groove for the Orphans to keep them in the game. He retired 10 in a row at one point and finished his outing by retiring 14 of the final 15 batters he faced in his seven innings of work.
For Glencoe, Jake Ryan earned the win in relief of Nick Hays. Hays gave Glencoe just what it needed with five strong innings in which he allowed two runs on six hits while striking out two and walking two. Ryan went the next three innings to get the win while Hamburg draftee Luke Koschinska picked up the save with a scoreless ninth inning.
Johnson finished the day going 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI to help lead the way offensively. Jake Christianson added two runs while Litzau finished with two RBI.
Leading the way for Howard Lake was Bush, who had two hits and drove in both of its runs. Jake Gruenhagen added two hits of his own while Bennett Anderson and Long each finished with one hit apiece.
With the win, Glencoe became the fourth Crow River Valley League team and the second from Class C to secure a spot in the second round. The Brewers will be taking on the New Prague Orioles Friday, Aug. 28 in New Prague to kick off the second weekend. Christianson and Glencoe hope they’ll be doing so along with their two other CRVL representatives in Class C, as they’ve battled against each other all year long and made them ready to make a state tournament run.
“It really does,” Christianson said. “We’ve had some tremendous games with Cologne during the regular season and playoffs. We’ve had some good games with Brownton. We push each other, and that’s what you want. I really am hopeful Cologne gets it done, and we see three Class C teams in the CRVL winning games. We’re competing against each other during the season, and we teach each other how to win. Now in the playoffs, we can go and beat other leagues.”
