Last year in Sleepy Eye Legion Post 7’s Division II State Legion Baseball Tournament championship game win over Eden Valley-Watkins, Schmitz got the start and mound victory in 6 1/3 innings of work. On Friday evening at Lions Memorial Park, he got his work done early as his complete-game shutout lifted Sleepy Eye past New London-Spicer 5-0 in the first round of the state tournament.

Regardless of when Schmitz got his start at state this year, it was business as usual.

“Really, it’s not much different,” Schmitz said. “Just go out there and try to limit them and give them your best stuff. It’s not about playing for the championship, it’s about playing one game at a time. Just go out there and win the first one and win one game at a time.”

Sleepy Eye will now play in the state semifinals against Fosston at 7:30 p.m. back at Lions Memorial Park in Bird Island. Fosston shut out the host team BOLD 9-0 on Friday night.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Sleepy Eye Legion Post 7’s Winsten Nienhaus hurdles New London-Spicer catcher Fischer Glauvitz at home plate in an attempt to score during a first-round game in the Division II State Legion Baseball Tournament Friday at Lions Memorial Park in Bird Island.

Winsten Nienhaus was 2 for 2 for Sleepy Eye at the plate Friday, while Talan Helget was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Schmitz finished his shutout with nine strikeouts while allowing four hits and just one walk.

Kaden Toutges took the loss for NLS in 4 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and a walk for five runs, one earned, while striking out two.

Sleepy Eye’s bats helped net Schmitz some run support right away in the bottom of the first. After Talan Helget reached on an error with one out, Arian Saenz doubled down the line in left before Cody Schultz singled in Helget for a 1-0 lead. A passed ball then allowed Saenz to scamper home for a 2-0 lead.

Schmitz struck out three in the top of the second and his teammates gave him another run in the bottom of the inning. After Nienhaus led off with a single, Owen Weiss dropped down a sac bunt to move Nienhaus to second. A walk was issued to Mark Anderson and a strikeout for out No. 2 brought Helget to the plate, who singled to right-center to score Nienhaus and give Post 7 a 3-0 lead.

Nienhaus showed off his leaping ability in the bottom of the fourth, but it came without a reward. After he singled to lead off the inning, a balk moved him to second.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Sleepy Eye Legion Post 7’s Arian Saenz watches a foul ball he hit early on in a first-round game in the Division II State Legion Baseball Tournament against New London-Spicer on Friday at Lions Memorial Park in Bird Island.

A sac bunt by Weiss led to a throwout at first, but Nienhaus looked for more than just third on the play and rounded for home. A throw from first back to the plate was in time, but Nienhaus hurdled the catcher and home plate before being tagged out for the extended double play.

The Sleepy Eye defense got a double play back in the fifth on a grounder to Schmitz that was thrown to second and back to first for two.

“I just go out there and try to throw strikes and let my teammates make plays for me,” Schmitz said. “It’s not about strikeouts, just trying to limit my pitches and let them play. They get bored out there otherwise.”

Sleepy Eye got its other two runs in the bottom of the fifth after Austin Uecker reached on an error and Helget reached on a bunt single. Saenz reached on a fielder’s choice that ended up getting no outs and loading the bases before a sac fly to right off the bat of Schultz scored Uecker.

Caden Evers reached on a fielder’s choice that again saw no outs as Helget was caught in a rundown between third and home. Helget evaded the tag and got back to third safely, keeping the bases full.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Sleepy Eye Legion Post 7’s Cody Schultz yells to his dugout from second base during a first-round game in the Division II State Legion Baseball Tournament against New London-Spicer Friday at Lions Memorial Park in Bird Island.

Jon Petermann’s sac fly scored Helget for the 5-0 lead.

In the seventh, Schmitz forced a quick flyout to Helget in right field before striking out the final two batters he saw to move Sleepy Eye closer to its dream of back-to-back state titles.

“It’s just as exciting as winning the state chip last year,” Schmitz said of his state-opening win. “It’s one step closer to our goal at the beginning of the year, win a state chip. Just keeping it one game at a time and keep going.”