Lonsdale tops

Sleepy Eye

By ANDY ROGERS

Journal Sports Editor

ST. CLOUD -- The game could have gone either way, but it turned out to be a heartbreaker for the Sleepy Eye Indians.

The lead changed hands several times, but the Lonsdale Aces were on top 7-6 when the ninth inning ended. The loss at Joe Faber Field Saturday eliminated Sleepy Eye from the Minnesota Class C Amateur Baseball Tournament.

"Our mistakes (are) what cost us," Indians manager Ralph Zwaschka said.

Stark draftee Cole Deibele was tagged with the loss for Sleepy Eye. He gave up three runs on five hits over the final six innings; he struck out one and walked one.

"We got a good pitching performance out of Cole (Deibele)," Zwaschka said. "But you got to respect the fact that Lonsdale is a good ballclub. Without question."

Brian Hertling started the game for the Indians, giving up three runs on four hits; he struck out three.

"We had good-enough pitching. We out-hit them -- it says right out there, 15 to 10," Zwaschka said, pointing to the scoreboard.

Sleepy Eye didn't lack in the batting department. Dean Brinkman went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI for the Indians. Hertling went 3-for-4 at the plate and hit a home run that sparked a last push in the ninth inning. Hertling also had a double and three RBI.

The Indians' Jadon Witte went 2-for-3 with a stolen base.

The bright sun was a factor. The teams combined to commit five errors, and several other balls were lost in the glare.

"We had critical errors," Zwaschka said. "There were sunshine balls that kids didn't see -- there were two or three of them. And those aren't excuses. Those are plays we have to make, and we didn't make those kinds of plays."

The Indians committed three errors in the game.

Sleepy Eye had its chances.

In the fifth inning, down by a run, Sleepy Eye tied the game with back-to-back doubles by Brinkman and Hertling. With no one out, the Indians loaded the bases with a walk and a single, but got just one run from the effort.

Aces pitcher Keith Meyers struck out Andy Konz, then got a double play with a grounder from Brian Sieve.

The lead switched sides twice in the seventh inning, but Lonsdale grabbed a two-run lead in the eighth inning.

Hertling sparked Sleepy Eye with a lead-off home run in the ninth, but Sleepy Eye stranded two in the inning.

"We didn't take (advantage of) opportunities to get the key hit and we needed that," Zwaschka said.

Sleepy Eye ends its season at 17-10.

Sleepy Eye 002 010 101--5 15 3

Lonsdale 012 000 21x--6 10 2