Sleepy Eye runs out of steam at state

By JEN SEAVEY

Journal Sports Editor

LONSDALE -- The dust devil that swept across the field may have been an omen.

Starting the game with seven runs, including a solo home run and heads-up baserunning, the Rochester A's could have forseen their 10-3 first-round win over Sleepy Eye in the state Legion tournament.

Starting the game giving up seven runs on five hits, two errors, three walks and two hit batters in the first two innings, Post 7 could've seen the whirlwind that swept them away in the first-round loss and the 13-7 second-round loss to Tri-City. Sleepy Eye ended the season 14-9.

Game 1

Losing pitcher Brett Braulick went the first 1 2/3 innings. Dan Krzmarzick relieved, giving up two runs on six hits and one walk, striking out four.

In the first two innings, Sleepy Eye dug themselves a hole that Rochester wouldn't allow them to claw their way out of.

"Starting pitching didn't go very well," Coach Cook said. "And we didn't score -- we had plenty of opportunities."

Post 7 left 12 runners on base in the game, leaving the bases loaded in both the fifth and seventh innings.

"They threw a heck of a game," center fielder Andy Cook said. "They threw really good when we had clutch batters at the plate, and definitely made really good plays."

The A's had one error and the five pitchers gave up eight hits total.

Brad Hillesheim, who came in at shortstop for an injured Matt Mathiowetz, went 2-for-3 at the plate, with a walk and an RBI double.

"We just didn't swing the sticks like we usually do," Andy Cook said. "And it came back to bite us."

Two pitches into the second inning, Rochester starting pitcher Aaron Craig had hit Mathiowetz in the right inner bicep with a hard-thrown fastball. Mathiowetz started to walk to first, then stopped and headed for the bench. The pitch had stunned a nerve in his arm.

Mathiowetz sat out the rest of the day.

"[Later] I tried to pick up a baseball, but I couldn't feel it," Mathiowetz said. "I still thought maybe I could swing the bat and get to hit, but I couldn't grip it hard enough."

Down 8-0, the highlight of Post 7's game was when Andy Cook pounded the ball over the fence for a solo home run in the fourth.

"I knew it was out [right away] -- it's a short fence, so I knew it could travel out," Andy Cook said. "It was 0-2 and he threw a strike -- he definitely missed [his spot]. He made a mistake -- they didn't make many though."

After a double, Joey Wahl scored on Jake Bohnen's single to trail 8-2. Post 7 scored their last run in the fifth on Hillesheim's double to right, scoring Chris Reinarts.

Sleepy Eye gave up just two more runs, but the damage was done, as the 2003 National Champion A's won 10-3.

Game 2

Sleepy Eye's woes continued in the second game.

"Hitting, fielding, it just felt like one of those off days," reliever Matt Gangelhoff said. He gave up one run, two hits and walking one. "I think it was just one of those days. Not everyone can be winners."

In the fourth inning, Sleepy Eye came within a run of Tri-City, 5-4 -- the closest they would come -- when Gangelhoff launched the ball over the scoreboard in right field.

"It made up for a little bit of it," Gangelhoff said. "I'm not usually that much of a home-run hitter, so it's always nice to crack one over the fence."

In the bottom of the inning, Tri-City scored two more, and in the bottom of the fifth they added four more with a double, three singles, a walk, and a wild pitch.

Tri-City starting pitcher Mark Ries walked Brett Braulick and Jason Schueler with two outs in the sixth, and Post 7 came through with two on base. Gangelhoff drove a ball deep into right field for a two-run double to make it 6-11.

"The first pitch was a curveball, so I took one pitch," Gangelhoff said. In the second game, he went 3-for-5 with a single, double and a home run, scoring twice. "The second pitch was down the middle. I tried to drive it the opposite way, and the runners did their job."

The game had started in the first with Joey Wahl driving Gangelhoff home with a single to right-center. But Red countered when Tim Flaherty's hot box attempt allowed Lex Reinke to score, then Matthew Freaks hit a two-run home run to go up 3-1.

Tri-City added two in the second, thanks to another two-run homer, by Ries.

All Red's runs in the first two innings scored after there were two outs.

"We got behind early, and they had the energy knocked out of them," Coach Cook said.

"It was a little bit draining to play two games back to back," Gangelhoff said.

Losing pitcher Hillesheim went 4 1/3 innings, giving up 11 runs, nine hits, walking two and hitting one.

SleepyEye 000 021 000 -- 3 8 1

Rochester 341 001 10X -- 10 9 1

SleepyEye 102 102 001 -- 7 8 3

Tri-City 320 240 10X -- 13 10 2