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Sobieski eliminates Springfield

Staff photo by Jake Calhoun Springfield’s Shawn Anderson delivers a pitch in the first inning of the Class C amateur baseball tournament on Friday in Norwood Young America.

NORWOOD YOUNG AMERICA — A tough draw for the Springfield Tigers resulted in an early exit from the Class C state amateur baseball tournament.

Springfield ran into last year’s Class C runners-up Sobieski Skis, losing 4-1 for a first-round exit on Friday at Zellman Field at Norwood Young America.

With the win, Sobieski advances to meet the 2015 champion Plato Bluejays. Sobieski beat the New Ulm Brewers in the Class C state championship in 2014.

The Tigers had numerous shots down the right field line, but all of them pulled foul to stifle any potential momentum.

“They probably didn’t hit nearly as many line drives; we hit a lot of line drives right at people with guys on base,” Springfield manager Steve Helget said. “One of them falls in, the game could be a lot different.”

Tyler Jendro kept the Tigers off balance for much of the contest, allowing one earned run on five scattered hits in getting the complete-game win. He tallied six strikeouts compared to just one walk, which was issued to Cole Milbrath in the bottom of the fifth inning.

“He’s been here before many times — he was MVP the year that New Ulm got second,” Helget said of Jendro. “Everybody knows him around the state and he’s very solid. He keeps the ball down, he doesn’t let you have a chance and when you think you have a chance, he seems to get a big out.”

Sobieski, the fourth team out of Region 8C, hammered Shawn Anderson early with one run apiece in the first three innings. Collin Eckman led off the second inning with a solo home run, while Scott Litchy and Joey Hanowski tallied RBI singles in that span. Hanowski later batted in Beau Hanowski on a suicide squeeze bunt in the top of the seventh inning.

Anderson was tagged with the loss in 3 2/3 innings, having allowed three earned runs on seven hits. Isaac Fink pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed one earned run on one hit with five walks and three strikeouts.

Springfield scored its lone run in the bottom of the first when Brandon Wilhelmi got hit by a pitch and was later batted in thanks to a sacrifice fly by Pat Moriarty. Alex Fink was caught off base for the third out of that inning, killing any potential for scoring more runs.

Jendro made the Tigers pay, putting them down for 1-2-3 outings in three-straight innings before Ryan Sturm led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to left-center.

However, Jendro still worked effectively enough to keep the Tigers from scoring again.

Sobieski 111 000 100 — 4 8 1

Springfield 100 000 000 — 1 5 0

Jendro and Hirsch; Anderson, I Fink (4) and Wilhelmi.

W – Jendro (So) 9 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 137 pitches

L – Anderson (Sp) 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 70 pitches

Leading hitters – Sobieski: B Hanowski 2-4 2 R 1 BB, Hirsch 1-1 1 R 1 BB 2B, J Hanowski 1-2 2 RBI, Eckman 1-4 1 RBI 1 R 1 BB HR; Springfield: Wilhelmi 1-2 1 R 2 HP, D Scheffler 2-3 1 K.

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