Knights rally

to get past

Chargers, 7-5

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- Revenge wasn't a motivating factor. It was just a bonus.

The Sleepy Eye St. Mary's Knights were more interested in just winning. Winning a grudge game, but more importantly a win they have and a loss they don't.

St. Mary's 7-5 come-from-behind Tomahawk Conference baseball win over Minnesota Valley Lutheran Monday at Sleepy Eye Baseball Park avenged an earlier loss to the Chargers. It also put the Knights two games up on MVL in the Tomahawk standings and gives them an advantage when subsection seedings are decided.

"It's a really big win," said Knights pitcher Darrin Haala, who got the win in relief of St. Mary's starter Chad Armbruster. "It sets us up at the top of the conference, and it was a big confidence builder."

Knights senior Andy Konz agreed.

"We wanted this win for the seedings," he said. "We knew we had to beat MVL to get the higher seed. We knew we had to go through them."

St. Mary's (10-1, 10-1 Tomahawk) suffered its only loss to MVL. And in that nine-inning 2-1 loss to the Chargers, the Knights' offense was stifled, collecting just five hits.

Offense was not a problem for the Knights Monday. St. Mary's tagged John Enter (2-2) with seven runs -- five earned -- on 10 hits before chasing him in the sixth inning.

Offense was not much of a problem early for MVL. But Haala (4-0) threw three shut-out innings, allowing just two hits, after Armbruster got tagged for five runs on eight hits by MVL (10-3, 7-3).

"We let (Haala) get in a rhythm," MVL coach Craig Morgan said. "He threw some strikes and he had a nice little curve ball going, an off-speed pitch and we didn't decide we were either going to jump on it and put it out in left or put it out in right. We didn't hit well against him."

MVL led 4-2 after the top of the third. The Chargers used a solo home run by lead-off hitter Chris Mielke, who finished 2-for-4, to start the first and a two-run shot to left by Enter in the third inning.

"Chad was struggling a little bit, so they were sitting back waiting for pitches they wanted to hit," St. Mary's coach Bruce Woitas said. "He was still pitching well, he was just getting behind and they took advantage of that."

The Knights got their attack going in the first inning, too. St. Mary's answered with a pair of runs in the home half, getting an RBI double to the gap in left by Armbruster. Courtesy runner Brian Seidl later scored on a double steal for a 2-1 Knights lead.

St. Mary's cut into MVL's 4-2 margin with a run in their half of the third. After MVL added its final run in the top of the fourth, the Knights trimmed the lead to 5-4 with a run in the fifth, capitalizing upon three singles.

The Knights chased Enter with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Randy Braun reached on an one-out error and Steve Eckstein followed with a single to left.

John Pelzel made it back-to-back singles, driving in Braun. Darrin Haala followed with a walk and Konz reached on an infield single to drive in a run. St. Mary's upped its lead to 7-5 when David Haala was hit by Metzger, plating Darrin Haala.

Armbruster went 2-for-3 with two runs scored for the Knights. Konz and Dan Schwartz also went 2-for-3, and all three had one RBI.

The Chargers got a pair of baserunners in the top of the seventh, but MVL failed to get a runner past first.

"St. Mary's is scrappy, they keep coming back," Morgan said. "We needed to do something in the fifth and sixth innings and we didn't do it. We went three up, three down."

MVL will meet Wabasso in Milroy today. St. Mary's will travel to Redwood Falls to play Redwood Valley today.

MVL 103 100 0--5 10 3

SESM 201 013 x--7 11 3

Enter, Metzger (6) and Costello. Armbruster, Dar.Haala (5) and Heiderscheidt. W--Dar.Haala 4-0. L--Enter 2-2. HRs--MVL, Mielke (1), Enter (2). T--1:46.