Amateur Baseball: Nisswa and Sobieski join Fort Ripley and Lastrup in State Class C tournament

UPSALA - The Nisswa Lightning and the Sobieski Skis will join Fort Ripley and Lastrup in representing Region 8 at the State Class C Tournament beginning Sunday, August 17 in Belle Plaine.

The Lightning and Skis qualified following their 8-1 and 10-0 respective wins over Freeport and Upsala in elimination play Saturday at Upsala. The top four teams from the Region 8 tournament will advance.

Nisswa defeated Sobieski 5-3 Sunday and also defeated Fort Ripley 5-4 to advance to the title game against the Lastrup Lakers 1 p.m. Saturday at Upsala for the No. 1 seed with a second game to follow if necessary. The loser will be seeded second.

Fort Ripley gained the No. 3 Seed and Sobieski will be seeded fourth.

Nisswa 5, Fort Ripley 4

UPSALA - The Nisswa Lightning rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh with Jeremiah Piepkorn singling in the winning run in a 5-4 win over the Fort Ripley Rebels in Sunday's elimination round game.

Jason Roepke had given the Lightning a 3-0 lead in the first with his fourth homer of the tournament and second of the weekend. He also doubled while going 2-4. Piepkorn finished 2-4 with a double and Mark Germain was 2-3.

The Rebels threatened in both the bottom of the eighth and ninth, but Nisswa reliever Brett Jenkins was able to shut the door for the win.

Starting pitcher Jake Lynn lasted 5.1 innings for the Lightning and was charged with all four Rebel runs. Brett Kramer took the loss for Fort Ripley while Jason Sather went 3-4 at the plate and Logan Kalis contributed a double.

With the loss, Fort Ripley gets the No. 3 seed for the Class C tournament while Nisswa faces Lastrup Saturday at 1 p.m. in Upsala for the Region 8C championship needing to win twice to claim the title and No. 1 seed.

Neither Lastrup nor Nisswa have ever won the 8C championship.

Nisswa 5 7 2

Fort Ripley 4 6 9

WP: Brett Jenkins. LP: Brett Kramer. 2B: N-Jeremiah Piepkorn; FR-Logan

Kalis. HR: N-Jason Roepke. Next: Nisswa vs. Lastrup for Region 8C

championship at Upsala 1 p.m. Saturday, second game at 4 p.m. if

necessary.

Nisswa 5, Sobieski 3

UPSALA - Kyle Schaible picked up his second complete game win of the Region 8C tournament pitching the Nisswa Lightning to a 5-3 victory over the Sobieski Skis in the elimination bracket Sunday.

Schaible didn't strike out any batters and only walked one while giving up 10 hits.

Aaron Jenkins led off the top of the ninth with a homer that gave Nisswa a 4-3 lead and proved to be the winning run. He finished 2-5 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored. Luke Shumer went 3-5 with a double scoring twice and Brett Jenkins was 2-4.

Josh Wenzel homered for Sobieski and Isaac Smieja contributed a double. With the loss, Sobieski becomes Region 8's No. 4 Seed at the State Class C tournament and will play Sunday Aug. 17 at 5 p.m. at Belle Plaine against the No. 2 Seed out of Region 2.

Nisswa 5 10 3

Sobieski 3 10 0

WP: Kayle Schaible. LP: Kyle Peterchick. 2B: N-Luke Schmuer; S-Isaac

smieja. HR: N-Aaron Jenkins; S-Josh Wenzel.

Saturday's Games

Nisswa 8, Freeport 1

UPSALA - Jason Roepke belted a home run, his third of the tournament, and pitched a complete game to lead the Nisswa Lightning past the Freeport Black Sox Saturday in the elimination round of the Region 8C tournament.

Roepke struck out three and walked two, while allowing 10 hits. His bid for a shutout was broken up when Jason Tschida ripped a run-scoring single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Jeremiah Piepkorn finished 3-4 with a pair of doubles, sacrifice fly and three RBIs for the Lightning, who clinched a spot in the Class C tournament with the win. Brett Jenkins was also 3-4 and Luke Schumer went 3-5.

Freeport 1 10 1

Nisswa 8 13 0

WP: Jason Roepke. LP: Josh Vorpahl. 2B: N-Jeremiah Piepkorn (2). HR: Roepke.

Lastrup 9, Fort Ripley 7

UPSALA - With both teams already assured a berth in the State Class C tournament, the Lastrup Lakers and Fort Ripley Rebels played for seed positions in Saturday's Region 8 winner's bracket game.

The game see-sawed back and forth until Rick Schlieman blasted a run-scoring triple off the centerfield wall to give the Lakers the lead for good in the eighth. Reggie Litke laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Schlieman with the final run giving Lastrup a 9-7 win and no less than the No. 2 seed.

Litke picked up the win in relief throwing the final 2.1 innings without giving up a hit or run. Starter Chass Weiss lasted 6.2 innings giving up all seven Rebel runs and seven hits.

Josh Haberman was tagged with the loss going the final four innings in relief of starter Ethan Branum.

Jason Salovsky went 3-5 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs for Lastrup. Schlieman finished 2-4 with the triple, a sacrifice fly and three RBIs. Brandon Lochner, Paul Herman and Dan Saehr all contributed doubles.

Brett Kramer led Fort Ripley with a double, two RBIs, three stolen bases and three runs while going 3-5. Rhett Williamson and Logan Kalis added doubles.

Fort Ripley 7 7 3

Lastrup 9 12 3

WP: Reggie Litke. LP: Josh Haberman. 2B: L-Brandon Lochner, Paul Herman,

Dan Saehr; FR-Rhett Williamson, Brett Kramer, Logan Kalis. 3B: L-Rick

Schlieman. HR: L-Jason Sadlovsky.

Sobieski 10, Upsala 0 (7 innings)

UPSALA - Winning pitcher Tyler Jendro helped his own cause by going 3-4 at the plate with a double and three RBIs in the Sobieski Skis 10-0 win in seven innings over the Upsala Blue Jays in the elimination bracket of the Region 8C tournament Saturday.

The win assured the Skis of a berth in the State Class C tournament.

For the second time in the tournament, Jendro pitched a complete seven-inning shutout, this time striking out eight and walking none, while allowing six hits.

Jon Czech finished 3-4 with a pair of doubles, two RBIs and scored a run for Sobieski, which improved to 19-1.

Upsala 0 6 3

Sobieski 10 14 0

WP: Tyler Jendro. LP: Matt Swanson. 2B: S-Jon Czech (2), Jendro.