Amateur Baseball: Lightning advances to third round

COLD SPRING - The Nisswa Lightning nipped the Loretto Larks 8-7 and the

Lastrup Lakers were eliminated by the Howard Lakes Orphans 4-1 in the

second round of the

Class C state tournament Saturday.

The Lastrup Lakers were eliminated by the Howard Lakes Orphans 4-1

Saturday and the Luverne Redbirds defeated Fort Ripley 4-2 Sunday to send

the Rebels home.

Nisswa 8, Loretto 7

COLD SPRING - Adam Hardy drove in the winning run with a walk-off single

in the bottom of the ninth to give the Region 8A-seeded Nisswa Lightning

an 8-7 victory over the 12C Loretto Larks who refused to rollover

Saturday.

Jason Roepke who was 3-5 scored the winning run and was credited with the

win in relief.

Nisswa drew first blood with a run in bottom of first on singles by Drew

Boland and Jason Roepke coupled with a pair of Loretto errors.

Boland added to the lead with a three-run homer in the second as the

Lightning quickly got to Loretto starter Jake Braun.

Nisswa starter Kyle Collins, a draftee from the Avon Lakers, retired seven

of the first eight batters he faced before allowing three consecutive

singles in the third to load the bases. He then walked Tyler Martin to

force in the first Loretto run before the Lightning turned a double play

to end the inning.

In the Nisswa fifth, Jeremiah Piepkorn and Roepke led off with their

second singles of the day. Facing the third Loretto pitcher of the day,

Luke Schumer singled. An error by new pitcher Kyle Messner allowed

Piepkorn and Roepke to score and Schumer to reach third. Adam Hardy's

single scored Schumer giving Nisswa a 7-1 lead.

After his shaky third inning, Collins settled down to retire the next six

Larks he faced and nine of the next 10. He allowed six hits and one run

while striking out four and walking two before giving way on the mound to

Tory Miller in the top of the eighth.

The Loretto comeback started when Miller loaded the bases and nobody out

to start the eighth but was able to get out of the jam with only one run

allowed.

Miller loaded them again in the ninth with nobody out before giving way to

Roepke. Five runs later, the Larks had tied the score 7-7.

Roepke led off the bottom of the ninth and went to second on an error by

the left fielder. Schumer laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached first

safely on the sixth Loretto error of the game with Roepke advancing to

third. Schumer stole second and Tyler Wittwer was intentionally walked to

load the bases leading to Hardy's walk-off single.

Nisswa outhit Loretto 16-12 and played error-free.

Boland finished 3-3 with three RBIs and walked twice. Adam Hardy was 3-5

with a pair of RBIs while Piepkorn and Brett Jenkins had two hits each.

Nisswa faces 3B-seeded New Market in the third round 5 p.m. next Saturday

at Watkins with quarterfinal and semifinal games next Sunday in Cold

Spring and Watkins.

The championship game will be 2 p.m. Sept. 7 at Watkins.

Loretto 7 12 6

Nisswa 8 16 0

WP: Jason Roepke. LP: Colton Petron. 2B: L-Tyler Maher. HR: N-Drew Boland.

Overall: Nisswa 17-2. Next: Nisswa vs. New Market in state tournament

third round 5 p.m. Saturday at Watkins.

Howard Lake 4, Lastrup 1

COLD SPRING - Rick Schlieman's RBI single accounted for the only run the

Region 8C-seeded Lastrup Lakers could muster in their 4-1 loss to the

12A-seeded Howard Lake Orphans in the second round of the Class C State

Tournament Saturday.

The Lakers took an early lead in the fourth when Paul Herman reached first

and went all the way to third on an error by Orphans pitcher Mitch Wurm.

Schlieman drove him in with the only hit Lastrup of the game.

Howard Lake responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth and added

an insurance run in the seventh.

Chad Weiss took the loss for the Lakers giving up five hits and four runs

- three earned - in seven innings while striking out seven and walking

none.

Wurm threw a complete came for Howard Lake striking out 14 and walking

only one.

Lastrup 1 1 3

Howard Lake 4 5 2

WP: Mitch Wurm. LP: Chad Weiss. 2B: HL-Matt Streich. Overall: Lastrup

finishes 16-6.

Luverne 4, Fort Ripley 2

WATKINS - Fort Ripley threatened several times, but managed just two runs

as the Region 8D-seeded Rebels were eliminated 4-2 by the 13A seed Luverne

Redbirds Sunday evening in the Minnesota Class C state tournament.

Luverne jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on Phil Paquette's two-run homer in

the first and the Redbirds never looked back.

Fort Ripley loaded the bases in the third on an error, hit batter and walk

with two out, only to see the threat end when Logan Kalis struck out on

three pitches.

The Rebels left two more on base in fourth after Jason Sather picked up

the first Fort Ripley hit when he ripped a one-out double to right center

and Brian Skluzacek singled. A strike out and ground out ended the threat.

Luverne added two more runs in the fifth on two-out RBI singles by

Paquette and Mike Wenninger that led to KyleBoser replacing starting

pitcher Ethan Branum.

Fort Ripley broke up Redbirds starter Brandon Alfson's bid for a shutout

when Dustin Littlefied's sixth-inning, two-out single drove in Ray Austin

who had led off the inning with a single.

Bill Sather doubled and Rhett Williamson drew a walk to start the Rebels'

ninth. Sather went to third on Nick Jelacie's fly out to right and scored

when Brett Kramer hit a fielder's choice to the shortstop. A ground out by

Kalis ended the game with the tying run on base.

Branum took the loss for Fort Ripley striking out eight and walking one

while allowing six hits and four earned runs over 4.2 innings. In 3.1

innings of relief, Boser didn't allow a hit, struck out three and walked

two.

Jason Sather and Bill Sather each had a double and an RBI for the Rebels

who finish 13-6.

Fort Ripley 2 5 0

Luverene 4 6 1

WP: Brandan Alfson. LP: Ethan Branum. 2B: FR-Jason Sather, Bill Sather.

HR: L-Phil Paquette. Overall: Fort Ripley finishes 13-6.