AUSTIN — With just one loss this season, the Wabasha-Kellogg baseball team is not used to being behind. But when pressed into a 6-0 hole in Section One, Class A winners bracket final against Southland on Saturday, the Falcons didn't panic.
No, after spotting Southland six runs in the third inning, W-K responded with six runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth. The Falcons then scored four times in the sixth to post a 10-6 victory and move to the section title game.
"One thing our coach says is to always give 110 percent," said junior Ben Glomski, who provided W-K with some late-game heroics. "We knew this game wasn't over until it was over."
"It was huge, down by six, to come back like that," W-K coach Pat Moham said. "Our kids never gave up. We never doubted ourselves."
Both teams were sloppy in letting the other have their six-run inning.
ADVERTISEMENT
Southland took advantage of six walks, two with the bases loaded, and two errors in its six-run third. The Rebels had just two hits in the inning, but one was Mike Goergen's three-run double to start the scoring.
Wabasha-Kellogg had just one hit in its six-run fourth. The Falcons were aided by three Southland errors, two walks and two hit batsman.
"I felt we outplayed them," Southland coach Scott Retterath said."We kind of handed it to them."
Relief pitcher Cory Loechler and Glomski ended up playing big roles. Loechler, a senior, entered in the third inning and pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings to collect the win. Included was pitching out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the top of the sixth inning with the game tied 6-6.
"The key for us was getting out of that bases-loaded, no-out jam," Moham said.
"If we had an MVP for this game, I would say it was Cory Loechler for the way he pitched for us," Glomski said.
No sooner had Loechler picked the Falcons up in the top of the sixth, when Glomski did the same in the bottom of the inning. With one out he drilled a high fastball over the fence in left field for his third home run of the season.
"It felt great, you always want to do something special for your new team," Glomski said.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was just last June that Glomski and his family moved to the W-K school district from Saudi Arabia, where he had lived the past 12 years.
"It really feels good to be playing American baseball," Glomski said.
"We all felt we needed someone to pick us up," he added. "So I was really happy I could help my team that way."
His homer was the start of a four-run inning. Hunter Baab, who has the team's other six homers this year, followed with a drive off the base of the center-field fence for a triple. Bryce Breuer then hit an RBI single, and later in the inning two runs scored on an error.
W-K (16-1) advances to Tuesday's 5 p.m. section title game in Austin, needing just one win to advance to state. Moham said Saturday's starter, Will Greenheck, will again be on the mound for the Falcons.
Southland (16-3) will be again be W-K's foe. The Rebels bounced back to beat Hayfield 6-3 in the loser-out finals to reach the championship game. Southland would need to beat the Falcons twice to advance to state.
Winners bracket final
Wabasha-Kellogg 10, Southland 6
ADVERTISEMENT
Southland#006#000#0#—#6#8#4
Wabasha-Kellogg#000#604#x#—#10#6#3
Southland:Issac Kloeckner 1 RBI; Decker Bendtsen 1-for-3, 1 R; Lukas Anderson 2-for-3, 1 R; Sam Klaehn 0-for-3, 1 R; Taylar Schwartz 1 R, 3 BB; Nick Finbraaten 1-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 R; Nick Schmitz 2-for-4; Mike Goergen 2-for-5, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 R. LP: Sam Klaehn 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. Other pitcher: Lucas Anderson 2 IP, 1 H, 6 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K.
Wabasha-Kellogg:Will Greenheck 1 RBI, 1 R; Jack Purvis 1 R; Cory Loechler 2-for-4, 1 R; Ryan Wolfe 1-for-2, 1 R; Bryce Breuer 1-for-2, 1 RBI, 1 R; Austin Baab 1-for-4, 1 3B, 1 R; Andrew Kreye 2 R; Ben Glomski 1-for-1, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R. W P: Cory Loechler 4.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. Other pitcher: Will Greenheck 2.2 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 3 K.
Loser-out finals
AUSTIN — Southland earned its way into the Section 1A baseball finals with a 6-3 win over Hayfield in Austin on Saturday.
The Rebels overcame a 2-0 deficit after the first inning by scoring three times in the third inning, highlighted by Mike Goergen's RBI double.
"It would have been real easy to fold being down 2-0," Southland coach Scott Retterath said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Southland was clinging to a 4-3 lead when Hayfield loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning. But winning pitcher Isaac Kloeckner, a lefty, got the next two hitters to end the threat.
The final out of the sixth came when Hayfield's leading hitter, John Stackhouse, flew to right with two outs. Stackhouse had been 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored prior to that at-bat.
"We had our chances," Hayfield coach Kasey Krekling said. "And we felt we gave them their chances."
Southland (16-3) sealed the win in the bottom of the sixth when Lucas Anderson delivered a two-run single.
"Lucas came up with a big key hit in that sixth inning," Retterath said.
Southland will face Wabasha-Kellogg (16-1) in the section finals at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Austin. W-K beat Southland 10-6 earlier on Saturday in the winners bracket finals.
Hayfield, which has just one senior for the second straight year, finishes 10-13 and third in the section.
"We got a lot better from last year to this year," Krekling said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Southland 6, Hayfield 3
Hayfield #200#010#0#—#3#8#5
Southland#003#102#0#—#6#6#0
Hayfield:Ben Czaplewski 1-for-1; Carter Pesch 1-for-2; Cam Rutledge 1-for-3, 1 R; Drew Streightiff 1-for-3, 1 2B, 3 RBI; Cole Kruger 1-for-4; Jason Born 1-for-4; John Stackhouse 2-for-3, 1 2B, 2 R.
LP: Cole Kruger 6 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 1 K.
Southland:Trent Reinartz 1-for-4; Decker Bendtsen 1-for-2; Lukas Anderson 1-for-2, 2 RBI, 1 R; Taylar Schwartz 2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 R; Nick Finbraaten 2 R; Mike Goergen 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R.
WP: Issac Kloeckner 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K.
Section 1A loser-out
ADVERTISEMENT
AUSTIN — Hayfield eliminated Fillmore Central/Lanesboro with a 4-1 victory in Section 1A baseball play Saturday in Austin.
Blake Risius tossed a four-hitter for Hayfield to collect the win.
Drew Streightiff hit a two-run double in the first inning for Hayfield and finished 2-for-3. John Stackhouse was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI while Cole Kruger was 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.
FC/L finished fourth in the section.
Hayfield 4, F.C./Lanesboro 1
Fillmore Central/Lanesboro#000#010#0#—#1#4#1
Hayfield#201#001#x#—#4#7#2
Fillmore Central/Lanesboro:Clay Olson 1-for-3; Niko Anderson 1-for-2, 1 RBI; Devon Block 1-for-3; Jake Tammel 1-for-3. LP: Josh Jones 3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Other pitcher: Nicholas Ebner 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
Hayfield:Drew Streightiff 2-for-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI; Cole Kruger 2-for-4, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB; John Stackhouse 2-for-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R; Mat Walters 1-for-2, 1 R. WP: Blake Risius 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
