Faribault Lakers Win Ugly Game

The Region 3C,  #1 seed Faribault Lakers defeated #8 Shakopee Coyotes 11-7 at Bell Field tonight to open the 8-team double elimination tournament.

Three teams from Region 3C will advance to the 100th State Amateur Baseball Tournament in a couple weeks in Delano, Dassel and Litchfield.

The Lakers were charged with 5 errors in the game which lasted two hours and thirty six minutes.

Egan Bonde, left-handed pitcher started for Faribault going 2 and 2/3 innings allowing 4 runs, 2 earned, 6 hits, walked 3  and struck out 4 batters.

Joe Grote threw the next 2 and 1/3 innings of no-run ball with 1 hit, 2 walks, a hit batter and 1 strikeout.

Dannty Bomsta finished the contest going 4 innings with 6 hits allowed, 3 runs, 2 earned, no walks, two strikeouts. He threw 66 pitches, 46 strikes.

Grote finished with 32 pitches, 17 for strikes.  Bonde had 69 pitches, 43 strikes.

Coyotes starting pitcher, Jake Poppitz, right-handed, went 4 and 2/3 innings and threw 92 pitches, 61 strikes.  11 hits, 13 runs, 4 strikeouts, 2 hit batters, two walks.

Andy Lazzari, another righty, relieved for the rest of the game with no runs allowed on 2 hits, 3 strikeouts, no walks.  Lazzari threw 42 pitches, 30 strikes.

Shakopee scored 2 runs on 4 hits in the first inning and shut down Faribault in the bottom of the inning.

The Lakers took the lead in the bottom of the second inning when 4 runs scored on 4 consecutive hits.

Following a ground out to start the bottom of the second Austin Rendler hit a 1-2 count pitch for a solid single to left field.  Matt Lane pulled the ball to right field and it looked like was going to go over the fence but the ball bounced over the fence for a ground rule double keeping him and Rendler on the bases.

Jake Petricka hammered a ball to center that ended in a 2-run double.  Tucker Alstead got a RBI single.  Following a walk Aiden Tobin hit a sacrifice fly RBI.

In the top of the third inning Shakopee scored two more runs when they opened with a pair of hits.  After two strikeouts an error allowed two runs to score making it 4-4.

In the bottom of the third Nick Rost started with a double.  There were back-to-back errors before Rendler smacked a 1-1 count double scoring two runs.  Petricka knocked in a run with a ground out.

The Lakers scored their final runs in the 5th inning when none men went to the plate.

Rendler beat out an infield hit and stole second before Lane was walked.  Petricka was on the bases thanks to a fielder's choice, Alstead stroked a RBI single, Znder Fitzsimmons also had a RBI single.

At the top of the lineup Aiden Tobin hit into a fielder's choice , Nick Rost was hit by a pitch and Grote clubbed a 1-0 count pitch to left for a two run double.

Shakopee scored two runs in the seventh and a run in the eighth inning.  Tanner Graff delivered a RBI double before an error allowed  the final run to score.

The highlight of the game came in the 4th inning when it looked like Shakopee was going to score.  There was one out with runners at first and third when Jeffrey Hohenstein hit a fly ball to center that Petricka caught.  Logan Becker was at third base and tried to score but Petricka threw a rocket to Alstead at home and he was out by a couple feet.  It was a sweet defensive play.

With the win Faribault is 21-11 on the season.  The other first round Region 3C game had #4 seed Montgomery get by #5 New Prague  7-2.

The Lakers will host the Mallards at 2:00 p.m. Sunday with the winner securing a trip to the State Tournament and the #1 or #2 seed out of the region.

Shakopee and New Prague will play an elimination game at 2:00 p.m. Sunday.

On the other side of the bracket #2 seed Union Hill defeated St. Benediuct 7-3 Thursday and Lonsdale bested Veseli 6-1.

Union Hill hosts Lonsdale at 2:00 p.m. Saturday with the winner punching their ticket to state.

Veseli and St. Benedict collide in the other elimination bracket game 2:00 p.m. Saturday.

Region 5C in Cannon Falls and Region 6C in Jordan are played all day Saturday and Sunday.

In Section 1B Friday night #2 seed Miesville was upset by Elko 11-0 while the rest of the games went according to seed.

#1 St. Patrick edged Hampton 5-4.  $3 Rochester defeated Northfield 16-3 and #4 seed New Market cruised by Dundas 13-1.

The second game of those 3-game series is Sunday at 2:00 p.m.