Good day for the Knights

By JEREMY BEHNKE

Journal Sports Writer

CHASKA -- The state tournament time is usually reserved for the stars to come out and show why they got their team to where they are.

On Thursday, Sleepy Eye St. Mary's biggest star, Matt Mathiowetz, was by far the brightest star for the Knights as he pitched his team to a 10-3, complete-game win over Nashwauk-Keewatin in the quarterfinals of the Class A state tournament at the Mini Met in Jordan.

Then, with his team clinging to a 6-5 lead in the semifinals against Goodhue, Mathiowetz found an extra gear and used it to close out the game as he pitched a hitless seventh inning, sending the Knights to the Class A championship against New York Mills today.

Mathiowetz said his mentality changed from going to a starting pitcher to that of a closer.

"The first game, I was just trying to throw strikes -- getting the fastball across," Mathiowetz said. "I made a few mistakes in that three-run inning where they hit the ball hard, but after that I got the ball down, and everybody was a little bit off there."

"Matt throws hard," his catcher Jake Bohnen said. "It's kinda funny, because I thought he was throwing harder the second game. He came in the first game and got the win for us, and then come in here and have the save -- you can't say anything else."

Mathiowetz struck out seven in the first game and allowed one walk. In the second game in relief of starting pitcher Joey Wahl, he struck out two.

"He's one of our top guys," Alan Woitas said. "He's been our leader all along, and to have him on the mound, you know good things are going to happen. You trust him out there, and he's a heck of a ballplayer."

The Knights had gone through some games both in the regular season and in the playoffs where hits were tough to come by, but perhaps Bohnen said it best when he claimed his team was saving the best for last.

"We were saving them I think," Bohnen said. "Coming in here and getting the hits, that says a lot for the team. Guys have had slumps, and that comes with playing ball."

Matt Gangelhoff, who had a hit in his final at-bat in the section championship against Sleepy Eye, carried the momentum over for the state tournament. He went 2-for-3 in the first game with three runs scored and an RBI and put up the same numbers in the second game. He also swiped two bases.

"We're really molding together at the right time, and we're making the plays -- we're putting the ball in play, and that's what you gotta do," Gangelhoff said. "We just came out -- you know, you gotta be aggressive," Gangelhoff said. "The biggest thing is to get that first run in, and when you do that, things start going good for you."

Gangelhoff scored the first run of both games after leading off with a single. He said it was big for the Knights to jump out to an early lead.

Bohnen, the No. 2 batter in the order, also had hit well, going a combined 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.

"That's huge," Gangelhoff said. "The top of the order, they gotta be the leaders of the lineup. They gotta do the job. They're the ones to look to, and they gotta pull through in the pressure situations."

Not only did the Knights do well at the top of the order, but they also got some punch out of the bottom of their order when Alan Woitas led off the sixth inning with a double against Goodhue.

He reached third when the ball was bobbled, and he scored the sixth run for the Knights, which held up to be the game winner.

"I guess I've pretty much been in a slump all year long, and I finally broke out of it -- it's a good time to do it I guess," Woitas said.

Woitas said the big hit will help him in today's game.

"It's definitely a confidence boost," Woitas said. "I'll just try to hit the ball and see what happens."

Wahl was the winning pitcher in the second game. He pitched six innings, striking out eight and allowed five runs on eight hits. Wahl gave a up a three-run home run to Brandon Voth in the bottom of the fifth that cut the St. Mary's lead to 5-4, then gave up another home run in the sixth to make it 6-5.

"Joey, he's got a good curveball, and he works the fastball with the curveball and a lot of combinations like that," Bohnen said. "You can't really touch him.

"He missed a few spots, and that's going to happen," Bohnen said. "But he stuck in there, and that's what counts."

Wahl went 3-for-6 with four RBIs in the two games combined. Lonnie Beltz had two hits and a run scored in the first game.

The win improves St. Mary's' record to 22-4. The Knights will meet New York Mills at 5:30 p.m. today at Athletic Park in Chaska and are trying for their second championship in three years. The Knights took third a year ago, and according to Mathiowetz, the eight seniors would love to end their careers with another title.

"It's the last shot, and when you come down to it, its the adrenaline that's going to get you through," Mathiowetz said. "To come back second -- that's a great accomplishment, but it's not coming back first and that's what we're going for."