Eagles' 9-7 win makes state berth official

The Morris Eagles met the Cards of Clinton during their busy weekend of August 11-12. The outcome was a 9-7 win on Saturday which spelled advancement to state.

This game was the final in the elimination phase for Region 9C. There would be two more games for the resilient Eagle crew to play on the weekend, as the final jockeying for state was completed.

The Eagles outhit the Cards 14-10. It was a sloppily fielded game as Morris committed five errors and the Cards four.

Morris came out of the starting gate with three runs scored in the top of the first. Leadoff man Dusty Sauter singled, then sped over to third on Kirby Marquart's double. An error allowed Sauter to score. The next run came on an Eric Asche single. And the third came home when Craig Knochenmus sent a fly ball deep enough to serve as a sacrifice.

Jacob Torgerson went out to the mound as starting pitcher. He had a rough start as Clinton got to him for four runs. He would settle down to allow no runs in the second and third.
The Morris half of the third saw Knochenmus drive in a run with a single, getting the score tied four-all. Morris asserted itself in the fourth with another four-run rally, finally creating some breathing room. Power was the ticket. First there was a Dusty Sauter single with one out. There were two outs when fans heard the ringing bats of Ryan Beyer, Asche and Knochenmus, all of whom doubled. The latter two Eagles each drove in two runs with their two-baggers.

Torgerson completed his hurling after three innings. On came veteran Matthew Carrington in the pitching role. Carrington allowed one run in the fourth, then slammed the door until the eighth when he again allowed one run. With the ninth inning beckoning, Morris owned eight runs but hardly had this game put away. Knochenmus did his part making sure Morris would keep its edge. He socked his fourth hit of the game leading off the ninth. It was his second double. He sped home on a single off Carrington's bat.

A state tournament bid was on the line as Knochenmus strode out to the mound, psyched for his "closer" role. He's accustomed to wearing this mantle. It was hardly routine on this day. A single and two walks spelled trouble for "Knochy." It was up to Jacob Torgerson to come to the fore defensively to keep the Eagles' fortunes solid. Torgerson was poised at shortstop. He made a memorable catch with his back to the infield. A run did score on the catch via sacrifice but the damage was minimized. Morris kept its lead at two. The next Card to bat sent a grounder toward the hole at shortstop. Torgerson's glove would be tested again. He was up to the task, snaring the ball and flipping it to Carrington at third. It was now official: the Eagles are headed to state!

Carrington was the pitcher of record, picking up his eighth win of the summer. Knochenmus may have struggled but he'll happily take his fourth save.

Marquart was an Eagle rookie when the Eagles made their previous appearance in state (in 2004). Van Kempen was a second year Eagle. And of course, Carrington was in the fold in his usual steadying way. Carrington picked up the pitching win with five innings pitched. He fanned two batters, walked two and allowed five hits and two runs (earned). Torgerson struck out two batters in his three innings.
Knochenmus with his four hits was followed by Asche with three. Sauter and Marquart each had two hits.

 

Morris 7, Madison 2

The Eagles took to the diamond for two more games on August 12. At stake was the coveted No. 1 seed for state which would bring a bye at the start - no small advantage.

The Morris town team went to work for a 7-2 win, thus they forced the second game which would grow into a marathon affair later in the day at Ortonville.

Brett Anderson spanked a run-scoring single in the second to get Morris started. Brett's hit followed a Tanner Picht double. The Mallards of Madison struck with two unearned runs in the bottom of the third. But the damage could have been worse as Madison left the bases full. The Eagles wrested the lead back in the fourth when Jacob Torgerson connected for a two-run single to right. From there, Morris cruised.

A run came home on an error in the fifth. There were fireworks in the seventh thanks to a home run deep to left off Ryan Beyer's bat. The homer was Beyer's fifth of the campaign. Beyer is the team's pace-setter in homers and RBIs. The Eagles scored their seventh and final run in the ninth on Tanner Picht's sacrifice fly.

It was a big day for Eagle Sam Mattson, making the transition from prep ball to the amateur (town team) level. He's a recent MAHS graduate. He looked at home on the pitching mound for Motown. He overcame some control difficulties to get the win, working five innings and striking out four batters. The two runs he allowed were unearned.

Nathan Gades had his arm put to work with the bases full in the sixth. He worked out of the jam and hurled a total of four innings, getting the save.

Three Eagles had two hits in the boxscore: Ryan Beyer, Tanner Picht and Jacob Torgerson. The Eagles outhit Madison 11-8. Each team committed three errors. Beyer scored three runs.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com