MVL holds off GFW

By DAVE CLARK, Journal Sports Writer


NEW ULM — The weather wasn’t fit for man nor beast.

However, it was fit enough for Minnesota Valley Lutheran and Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop to play a Tomahawk Conference game that saw the Chargers come back from a 6-2 deficit to win 7-6 in 4 1/2 innings after experiencing rain the entire game.

The win tightened the standings in the middle of the conference, with GFW dropping to 7-4 with MVL improving to 6-5.

But considering the terrible spring weather baseball teams have experienced, the main focus isn’t necessarily about the conference rankings.

“It’s not about the wins and losses, it’s about getting the team the reps and getting them ready for the playoffs,” Chargers coach Jeff Schoenherr said. “I’m really happy with the way the guys played. The defense made plays and made the routine plays.”

Thunderbirds coach Jeff Seehafer also took note of MVL’s offense.

“They put the bat on the ball and the one play we needed to make, we didn’t.”

GFW began the scoring in the top of the third, as Luke Youngblom led off with a sharp single to left, followed by consecutive walks to Max Pagel, Aaron Bruns and Cody Berger that made it 1-0.

Sam Van Hon then ripped a single to left to score Pagel, with a walk to Corey Gutknecht forcing home Berger. It became 4-0 when Alex Busch was hit by a pitch to bring home Van Hon.

Keith Besemer led off the bottom of the third by walking, with Brian Enter adding a single. Besemer came home later on a single to right by Galen Holzhueter, with Enter making it 4-2 after a double to right by Seth Hoscheit.

The Thunderbirds extended their lead in the fourth after one out. Bruns walked, Berger singled to center and Van Hon took a free pass to load the bases.

Bruns scored when an attempted pickoff throw to second sailed into center field and a Gutknecht single brought home Berger to pad GFW’s margin to 6-2.

But it was the bottom of the fourth that decided the game. Keith Struck led off with a double, Ethan Degner followed with a walk and Brandon Johnson reached on an error.

A Dan Holz walk forced home Struck, with Craig Rossiter closing the scoring gap to 6-5 with a single down the third base line that scored Degner and Johnson.

A walk to Holzhueter re-loaded the bases, followed by the play GFW had to make but didn’t referred to by coach Seehafer, a grounder by Hoscheit that went for a two-run error and gave the Chargers a 7-6 lead.

The Thunderbirds followed in the top of the fifth by loading the bases with two out, but a ground out ended the threat and the game, with the umpires ordering out the tarpsno, those

before calling the game after a half hour wait because of the incessant rain and increasingly poor field conditions.

Besemer took the win for the Chargers after coming in to pitch in the third inning, while Reed Sallstrom threw all four innings for the Thunderbirds to take the loss. GFW’s Youngblom and MVL’s Enter were both 2-for-3 at the plate.

The two teams resume action at 4:30 p.m. Monday, with MVL hosting New Ulm Cathedral and GFW traveling to Sleepy Eye to take on Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s.



GFW - 0 0 4 2 0 - 6 7 2

MVL - 0 0 2 5 x - 7 7 0

WP - Besemer LP - Sallstrom 2B - MVL: Hoscheit, Struck. GFW: Sallstrom. LOB - MVL 4, GFW 7.