Hanska scores 10 unanswered, routs Waterville at state
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Hanska's Tanner Olson celebrates after scoring the go-ahead run off his brother Sawyer's single during a Class C Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament game against Waterville on Saturday afternoon at Joe Schleper Stadium in Shakopee.
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Hanska's Kevin Larson prepares to round third and score during a Class C Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament game against Waterville on Saturday afternoon at Joe Schleper Stadium in Shakopee.
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Hanska's Tanner Olson celebrates after scoring the go-ahead run off his brother Sawyer's single during a Class C Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament game against Waterville on Saturday afternoon at Joe Schleper Stadium in Shakopee.
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Hanska's Kevin Larson prepares to round third and score during a Class C Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament game against Waterville on Saturday afternoon at Joe Schleper Stadium in Shakopee.
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SHAKOPEE - After trading blows with the Waterville Indians early on Saturday, the Hanska Lakers steadily turned things into a one-sided beatdown.
The Lakers broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth and scored 10 unanswered runs to roll to a 13-3 victory in the first round of the Class C Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament at Schleper Stadium.
A five-run eighth inning by the Lakers gave them an early walk-off win in the eighth due to the 10-run lead rule.
Kevin Larson led the Lakers bats by going 3 for 5 with an RBI, while Chris Knowles was 2 for 5 with a homer and two RBIs. Brady Mosenden had a hit and two RBIs for Hanska also, while Brock Wellmann had two RBIs.
Aaron Portner pitched all eight innings in the win. The big lefty allowed eight hits and two walks for three runs while striking out seven. All eight hits allowed by Portner occurred in the first two innings, giving him a nice bounceback to aid his team.
Tom Gannon was 2 for 3 with an RBI to lead Waterville. Dallas McBroom took the loss in 5 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and three walks for seven runs, five earned, while striking out six.
Sam Knowles led off the bottom of the first with a single before a walk to Jake Finstad put two on for the Lakers. McBroom struck Chris Knowles out looking, but Larson followed with an RBI double to center to make it 1-0. Tanner Olson then had a sac fly to score Finstad before Mosenden reached on an error that scored Larson for a 3-0 Hanska lead.
Waterville got those three runs back in the second on an RBI single from Gannon and a two-run single from Josh Cook.
After a scoreless third, Hanska went back in front in the fourth when Sawyer Olson singled in Tanner Olson, who led off with a single. Wellmann then grounded into a fielder's choice to score Colin Anderson, who walked with one out, to make it 5-3 Hanska.
A Mosenden sac fly in the fifth made it 6-3 Hanska before an error scored pinch runner Evan Blekestad in the sixth for a 7-3 Lakers lead. Mosenden doubled in another run in the seventh before the Lakers unleashed on the Indians in the eighth, starting with a two-run homer by Chris Knowles. Anderson singled with two outs to score Larson and a walk to Sawyer Olson loaded the bases for Wellmann, who was hit by a pitch to make it 12-3. A bases-loaded walk by Sam Knowles then ended the game early.
The Lakers play at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30, in Jordan in the next round of the state tournament.