Chargers one win away from tourney berth

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

LE SUEUR -- The Minnesota Valley Lutheran Chargers' baseball team is just one win away from history.

MVL plated two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and then pushed three runs across in the sixth inning to win their 17th game of the season with an 8-7 win over Hayfield Saturday afternoon at Bruce Frank Field in LeSueur in Section 2AA winner's bracket play.

Ryan Sander was the winning pitcher for the Chargers (17-7) going the distance and allowing 12 hits. He struck out four.

Weston Hanson was charged with the loss in relief for the Vikings (14-13) as he allowed the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The tandem of David Gullixon and Dusty Lendt each had three hits with Tyler Morgan contributing two hits. Lendt and Ryan Sander each had a double with Morgan and Greg Holzhueter each driving in two runs.

The win means that the Chargers -- who posted back-to-back 7-12 seasons -- are now one win away from their first-ever berth in the Minnesota State High School baseball tournament.

MVL will play Thursday at 5 p.m. in LeSueur against a team yet to be determined. They would have to lose twice to be denied entering their first baseball state tournament.

MVL coach Jeff Schoenherr was excited after the Chargers' win in which they overcame three different Hayfield leads.

"What can I say -- these kids just keep coming out to play. They do not give up," Schoenherr said. "And that was the key today. I told them that it was their perseverance. It would have been so easy for them to hang their heads and give up. But they didn't."

Hayfield would push two runs across in the top of the first inning off of Sander and the Chargers when Drew Wanzek singled, stole second before Darin Wagner beat out an infield single. Wagner stole second and Wanzek scored when catcher Morgan's throw went into center field. Wagner would later score on an infield out.

The Chargers would mount a threat in the bottom of the inning when they loaded the bases with two outs but Hayfield starting pitcher George Evjen fanned Holzhueter to end the threat.

The Vikings upped their lead to 3-0 in the top of the second on a two-out double by Sam Srock and a single by Wanzek.

"I think that early in the game we were a little frustrated," Sander said. "They were just hitting everything, but our bats came back for us."

MVL would knot the game with three runs in the bottom of the third inning sparked by a lead-off single by Sam Mielke. He swiped second and rambled home on Gullixon's base hit to center. Lendt's double placed runners on second.

Gullixson was out at home on a suicide squeeze bunt by Jason Costello with Costello taking first on the play. A throwing error by Hayfield catcher Dan Bennett allowed Lendt to score and a Holzhueter base hit plated Costello with the tying run.

Hayfield would add a run in the top of the fourth before adding two more in the fifth for a 6-3 lead.

But MVL would once again rally scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Lendt and Morgan singled and a Costello fly out to right moved Lendt to third. Morgan stole second prior to Lendt scoring on a Holzhueter sacrifice fly to left. Ryan Sander's double scored Morgan to cut the lead to 6-5.

'We had some clutch hitting there," Schoenherr said. "We had guys in scoring position and then had guys coming through. That is the way that you win games."

MVL rode that momentum and added three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. David Sting reached on an error and Mielke was hit by an Evjen pitch. Weston Hanson entered and allowed an infield single by Gullixson that loaded the bases with no outs. One our later, Morgan delivered a clutch two-run single before Costello laid down a perfect squeeze bunt that scored Gullixson.

Sander then allowed a run in the top of the seventh. But a double play started by second baseman Costello and a foul fly ended the game and moved MVL closer to history.

"It feels great to maybe be part of something that has never been done before," Sander said about the win. When the year started, I didn't think that anything like this was going to happen."

HAYFIELD 210 120 1 -- 7 12 3

MVL 003 023 X -- 8 11 3

WP: Sander.LP: Hanson 2B: Srock (H), Lendt (MVL), Sander (MVL). 3B; Hanson (H).