Creighton crushes Duluth 12-2 for title

BY JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- They came. They saw. They crushed.

Creighton Prep jumped to a 6-1 lead after one inning and went on to hammer Duluth Lakeview 12-2 Sunday afternoon to capture the 2002 Upper Midwest Classic title.

The game was stopped after five innings because of the 10-run lead rule.

Left-hander Brian Bull, a future Gopher, scattered six hits and gave up both runs-- one unearned -- in his five-inning win. He struck out four.

Brian Rechechi took the loss for Lakeview, allowing six runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Dave Bodnar, Tyler Mullen and Jeff Daneff each collected two hits with Bodnar driving in four runs -- all coming on a first-inning grand slam home run. Jeff Daneff also added a two-run home run for Creighton. He ended up with three RBI.

Mark Nemei had two of Lakeview's hits.

For the tournament,Creighton Prep outscored opponents 71-11 in four wins with wins of 19-1, 6-5 (over Mankato), a pair of 11-1 wins over New Ulm Blue and Blue Earth and a 12-1 win over Sioux Falls in a semi-final game Sunday morning.

Duluth took a short-lived 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an Eric Dahlberg RBI single before Creighton Prep, which finished third in last year's Legion World Series, went to work.

A Mark Wellwood single and a Tyler Mullen base hit to right and an error on the play made it 1-1. A walk to Brian Bull, a fielder's choice and another walk loaded the bases for Dave Bodnar who took Rechechi's first pitch over the fence in left field for a 5-1 lead. A Jeff Daneff double, a walk and a single by Todd Jansen loaded the bases before Wellwood was hit by a pitch for force in the sixth run of the inning.

The 2002 Nebraska state high school champions tacked on two more runs in the third inning off Dave Mennes when Bodnar was hit by a pitch and Daneff set a Mennes' pitch over the fence in left for an 8-1 lead.

The Bluejays continued the onslaught with four runs in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Mullen and Bull and a hit batter. Jordan Benson's two-run single made it 11-1 and Daneff's sacrifice fly added Creighton's 12th run of the game.

Duluth Lakeview avoided the shutout in the top of the fifth scoring a run on a Luke Olin groundout.

DULUTH LAKEVIEW 100-01=2-6-2

CREIGHTON PREP 602-4X=12-10-0

WP: Bull.LP: Rechechi. 2B: Daneff (CP), Mullen (CP), Bull (CP). HR: Bodnar (CP), Daneff (CP)

DULUTH 8,

OMAHA 7

Brian Olds' bases-loaded single in the bottom of the eighth inning scored Luke Olin with the winning run in Lakeview's semi-final win over the Bulldogs.

Ben Grams picked up the win for Duluth. Justin Shaw was tagged with the loss. Both pitchers went the distance.

Joey Labanowski and Lee Kramolisch each had two hits for Omaha with Labanowski driving in four runs.

Eric Dahlberg had three hits for Duluth. Dave Mennes hit a bases-full triple.

In the first inning, Omaha scored two runs on a two-run single by Labanowski. But Duluth cut that lead in half in the bottom of the inning on an Omaha error. Four of Lakeview's runs in the game were unearned.

The 'Dogs pushed that lead to 4-1 in the top of the third inning on a second Labanowski two-run single before Lakeview tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the fourth.

A two-run error by shortstop Joe Johnson, and a second two run error by second baseman Jeremy Groen tied the game.

Both teams plated four runs in the fifth with Omaha using an error and a Groen two-run single. Lakeview scored three runs with two out on Dave Mennes' bases-loaded triple.

Lakeview won the game in the bottom of the eighth inning when Luke Olin tripled to start the inning. Omaha intentionally walked the next two hitters before Olds singled.

OMAHA 202-030-00=7-8-3

DULUTH LAKEVIEW 100-330-01=8-11-2

WP: Grams.LP: Shaw. 2B: Kramolisch (O), Grams (DL). 3B: Grams (DL), Mennes (DL).

CREIGHTON 14,

SIOUX FALLS WEST 1

(Five innings)

Mark Wellwood led a 14-hit attack in the romp over Sioux Falls West with three hits and three RBI.

Eric Eymann, who will play shortstop for the University of Illinois next year, and Brian Bull each had two hits with Bull pasting a two-run home run.

Jared Greenfield had West's only RBI of the game.

Prep plated three runs in the first on a run-scoring Mark Wellwood double and a Dave Bodnar two-run single.

A Wellwood double, a Bull single, Eymann's double and a groundout made it 7-0 before Sioux Falls scored its only run.

Mike Harmelink's two-run single and Bull's home run made it 11-1. Wellwood's RBI single in the fourth inning increased the lead to 12-1. Jeff Daneff's two-run double in the fifth inning made it 12-1. Mike Harmelink pitched the win, fanning nine.

CREIGHTON PREP 344-12=14-14-0

SIOUX FALLS WEST 010-00=1-2-1