YANKS TRIPPED UP BY TIGERS

AMATEUR BASEBALL — REGION TOURNAMENTS

S’field holds off Milroy in Region 2C Tourney, but Yankees still alive

In a game filled with big moments and even bigger momentum changes, the Milroy Yankees hit a road bump in the Region 2C Amateur Baseball Tournament against a Tomahawk East League rival.

Milroy overcame an early 3-0 deficit and took a late lead, but a five-run eighth inning from Springfield was too much to overcome in an 8-7 loss Saturday. The Yankees now find themselves taking a detour through the loser’s bracket on their road to state after a game that lasted more than three hours.

“Obviously, this is not the way we wanted this to go down, but there’s a lot of fight in these guys,” Milroy manager Braydin Kvistero said. “We’ll fight to stay in it next weekend.”

The Yankees, seeded fourth in the tournament, will try to keep their season alive when they take on 14-seed Essig at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Sleepy Eye. The winner of that game will be back in Sleepy Eye at 1 p.m. on Sunday, while the loser will go home. The Yankees will need to win three straight games to reach the state tournament.

Milroy starter Joey Liebl did everything he could to keep the Yankees in the game. He pitched himself into major trouble early on, but despite loading the bases with one out twice in the first three innings, held the Tigers to single runs before the Yankees got on the board in the fourth.

“There were chances to have this one get out of hand early — Joey beared down, kept us in the game,” said Kvistero. “Two out of the first three innings they had the bases loaded with one out and could’ve come away with a crooked number and took the wind out of our sails, but he ended up getting some big outs. He worked his ass off tonight.”

Liebl started the inning with a base hit and scored on a double by Aaron Mathiowetz. After a bloop double by Brock Schultz, Alex Schuh singled to plate Mathiowetz to make it 3-2, Springfield. Schuh was thrown out at second on the first of many controversial calls for the second out, and the Yankees finished the inning down by one.

However, Milroy was able to tie it up in the bottom of the fifth on a single by David Schmidt that scored Branden Flock, who had drawn a two-out walk.

The Yankees grabbed their first lead in the seventh. Eli Weedman started the inning with a bloop double, advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Flock reached on an error.

Things got really interesting in the eighth. Reliever Nathan Deutz got the first out, but the next six Springfield hitters reached base with four hits and two walks to not only regain the lead, but extend it to 8-4 in a half inning that seemingly would never end. But the Yankees weren’t done, either. Four-pitch walks to David Schmidt and Mathiowetz and a single by Schultz loaded the bases and put Milroy back in business with nobody out.

With one out, Andy Schmidt walked to score pinch runner Jackson Kruse, and later, Jacob Hughes, another pinch runner, scored on the Tigers’ second error of the game to pull the Yankees to within two runs at 8-6. With two outs and the bases still juiced, Flock was hit in the foot by a pitch to force in Ethan Weedman to make it 8-7. However, the Yankees would leave the bases full as Liebl struck out to end the rally.

“Down 8-4, we battled almost all the way back,” Kvistero said. “We had it down to 8-7, had the bases loaded.”

But again, the Yankees wouldn’t quit and loaded the bases once again in the bottom of the ninth with three walks (one intentional). Weedman, however, flew out to right field to end the back-and-forth contest.

Springfield 101 100 050 — 8 12 2 Yankees 000 210 130 — 7 10 0 Liebl, Deutz (8, L) and Minkel and A. Schuh. 2B: Weedman, Mathiowetz, A. Schmidt, Schultz. HBP: Flock.

ROUND ONE: YANKEES 10, SACRED HEART 2

An eight-run third inning highlighted by a bases-clearing double off the bat of designated hitter David Schmidt lifted the Yankees to a 10-2 win over Sacred Heart in the first round of the double-elimination Region 2C Amateur Baseball Tournament in Springfield on Saturday.

The Saints went up 1-0 after the first inning, but the Yankees, seeded fourth in the tournament, replied with a run of their own. After a scoreless second, Milroy went to work and blew the game open against the overmatched Saints.

Schmidt had two doubles, drove in three and scored twice, and Eli Weedman and Branded Flock both had three hits. Aaron Mathiowetz and Jayden Reminger contributed with two hits apiece, and Alex Schuh had a single and knocked in two runs.

Milroy had 15 hits on the day, but only one of its runs was earned, as the Saints committed five early errors. Both teams had five miscues, but it was the Yankees who took advantage.

Isaac Schmitt pitched a solid five innings, giving up just one hit and striking out nine. Parker Schmitt threw the final four innings and struck out four.

Sacred Heart 100 000 010 — 2 3 5 Yankees 108 100 00x — 10 15 5 I. Schmitt (W), P. Schmitt (6) and A. Schuh. 2B: Schmidt (2). SF: Hughes.

HBP: Schuh.