×

Bullheads win twice at Over 35 state tourney

ST. PETER/LE SUEUR — The Searles Bullheads Over 35 men’s amateur baseball team opened state tournament play this past weekend with two convincing wins in Class B play.

They defeated Fergus Falls 16-0 in five innings on Saturday in Le Sueur and then won another five-inning contest on Sunday with a 12-2 win over Waconia in St. Peter.

In the Sunday game against the Waconia Islanders, the Bullheads wasted no time by scoring eight times in the top of the first inning on seven hits, a walk, and an Islander error. Searles added single runs in the third and fourth and the final two in the fifth.

Leading the 17-hit attack were Jason Schmitz, who went 3 for 4, Pat Portner, who went 3 for 3 and Corey Schaefer, who went 3 for 4. Myke Hubbard had the only extra-base hit, a double in the third inning, to go with his single and two RBIs.

Meanwhile, Bullheads pitcher Jeremy Drexler, gave up two runs on four hits in the bottom of the first and then went on to shut out Waconia the rest of the game, scattering seven additional hits, striking out one.

On Saturday, Searles opened tournament play in a similar style, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning on seven hits and three stolen bases. The runs kept coming with two in the second, seven more in the third and one in the fourth for a 16-0 defeat of Fergus Falls.

All 10 batters had at least one hit and one RBI for the game, led by Troy Kamm’s 3-for-4 day with two doubles and four RBIs. Hubbard was 3 for 3 with a double and two RBIs. Portner had two doubles, while Nate Osborne and Glaser each had two hits, with one being a double. Searles ended with 19 hits.

Craig Schmitz picked up the shutout for the Bullheads, giving up three hits, striking out four and walking one. Schmitz retired the last seven batters he faced. Schaefer pitched the fifth inning and had one strikeout.

The Searles Bullheads, seeded No. 5 in the Class B division of the Minnesota Senior Men’s Amateur Baseball Association state tournament, will play in a semifinal game Saturday against the No. 1-seeded Apple Valley. The time and site have not yet been determined.

The Bullheads will play a final game on Sunday in either the championship game or the third-place game. See the www.msmaba.com website for updates.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper?
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today