Granite Falls ends state drought, tops Stark
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau The Granite Falls’ Hunter Wilke claps toward his dugout after hitting an RBI triple during a Region 2C Amateur Baseball Tournament state-qualifying elimination game against Stark on Friday night at Mueller Park.
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau The Stark Longhorns’ Zach Haala races home during a Region 2C Amateur Baseball Tournament state-qualifying elimination game against Granite Falls on Friday night at Mueller Park in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau The Granite Falls’ Hunter Wilke claps toward his dugout after hitting an RBI triple during a Region 2C Amateur Baseball Tournament state-qualifying elimination game against Stark on Friday night at Mueller Park.
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau The Stark Longhorns’ Zach Haala races home during a Region 2C Amateur Baseball Tournament state-qualifying elimination game against Granite Falls on Friday night at Mueller Park in New Ulm.
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NEW ULM -- The Granite Falls Kilowatts' 18-season state tournament drought came to end Friday night at Mueller Park.
With a 6-3 win over the Stark Longhorn in a Region 2C Amateur Baseball Tournament state-qualifying elimination game, the Kilowatts earned a Class C state tourney berth for the first time since 2007.
Bennett Knapper earned the complete-game win for Granite Falls, allowing 10 hits and two walks for three runs, two earned, while striking out 12.
Hunter Wilke led the third-seeded Kilowatts out of the No. 9 spot, going 3 for 4 with a triple and two RBIs. Also for the Kilowatts, Nikson Knapper was 2 for 4 with an RBI and Bryce Sneller was 2 for 4 with two doubles, while Bennett Knapper and Brody Dack each had a solo homer.
Jon Kopacek took the loss for the eighth-seeded Longhorns in a four-inning start, allowing six hits and no walks for two runs while striking out four. Adam Sellner pitched the final four innings for Stark, allowing six hits and a walk for four runs while striking out one.
Granite Falls got on the board right away in the first for a 2-0 lead after a sac fly from Dack and a solo homer by Bennett Knapper.
Dack made it 3-0 in the fifth with a solo home run to left, but the Longhorns made it interesting in the top of the sixth with one-out singles from David Surprenant, Brandon Helget and Kayden Klein, with Kayden Klein's scoring Surprenant to have Stark down 3-1. Dylan Klein then singled to left to bring home Helget and have the Longhorns down 3-2. Nick Labat walked with two outs to load the bases, but Bennett Knapper ended the threat with a strikeout.
The Kilowatts got a run back in the bottom of the inning when a double by Sneller was followed with a line-drive RBI single into center by Wilke.
Stark got back within a run, 4-3, in the seventh when Helget took first on an error that scored Zach Haala, who reached on a leadoff single.
Granite Falls added some insurance runs in the eighth on an RBI triple from Wilke and a sac fly from Nikson Knapper.
A 1-2-3 inning ended the top of the ninth and gave Granite Falls its ticket back to state.
Stark finished its season 13-13 with the loss. Granite Falls' win improved its record to 19-9 and moved them on to a Region 2C third-place game against Leavenworth on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 15, in Sleepy Eye.