Thank you to these supporters of amateur baseball!
7/16/22
For the first time since 2019, the Corn Belt and Tomahawk East Leagues resumed their annual All-Star Game at New Ulm's Johnson Park. Both teams represented their league well in a very well-played ballgame. The Corn Belt led nearly the entire game until the Tomahawk East tied it in the bottom of the ninth. Finally, in the bottom of the eleventh, the home team walked it off - with a walk, for a 2-1 win.
Jordan Sagedahl of the Bird Island Bullfrogs rocketed a one-out triple to deep center field as the second batter of the game off of Hanska's Aaron Portner. After a lineout, Willmar's Jack Baumgart drove in Sagedahl to give the Corn Belt a 1-0 lead.
The Tomahawk East All-Stars were able to get at least one runner on base in all but two of the game's eleven innings. However, the Corn Belt hurlers stranded those runners and even cut down New Ulm's Andrew Peters at the plate as he attempted to tie the game on a two-out double by Jackson Bode of Courtland.
Al Flor of New Ulm and Steve Helget of Springfield managed the Tomahawk East squad and handed the ball to Stark's Zach Haala in the top of the sixth. Haala could not have been better. By game's end, he had worked six no-hit innings, facing just one batter over the minimum.
Down to their last at-bat and facing Sagedahl on the mound, Sleepy Eye's Matt Mielke started the bottom of the ninth with a double to right-centerfield. After two were retired, Stark's Mason Cox beat out an infield single to drive in pinch-runner Carter Benz from Lamberton from third to tie the game at one.
The teams exchanged zeros in the tenth. After a three-up, three-down top of the eleventh, an error put Leavenworth's Jevan Richert on base to start the home half of the inning. New Ulm's Cole Ranweiler was hit by a pitch and a wild pitch got the winning run to third. The Corn Belt went to the bullpen to bring in Ayden Gustafson from Sacred Heart and walked Bode intentionally to set up a double-play. Then Cox was clutch again working the count full before taking ball four to walk in the winning run and giving the Tomahawk East a 2-1 victory.
The 2022 MVP Award went to Stark's Zach Haala for his six scoreless and hitless innings on the mound. Haala earned the win on the mound. Ayden Gustafson took the loss for the Corn Belt with the game ending walk. No one from either team had more than one hit.
The win is the Tomahawk East's third straight extra-inning victory in this 5th annual all-star exhibition between the two leagues and fourth overall win. The win also means it will be all eyes on a ballpark in the Tomahawk East League again next summer for the 2023 All-Star Game.
Huge THANKS to New Ulm for hosting this great gathering of fantastic amateur baseball! The fans were treated to some of the best players from rival teams coming together to put forth a solid team effort in an exciting and entertaining ballgame! Best of luck to all the teams as they wrap up their regular season schedule before beginning postseason play in the next couple weeks! See you at the ballpark!
CORN BELT (1) AT TOMAHAWK EAST (2)
CORN BELT AB R H BI TOMAHAWK EAST AB R H BI
Paxton Nelson 3 0 0 0 Jackson Bode 5 0 1 0
Peyton Grant 3 0 0 0 JT Hoffmann 2 0 0 0
Jordan Sagedahl 4 1 1 0 Mason Cox 2 0 1 2
Ty Steen 2 0 0 0 Decker Scheffler 1 0 0 0
Aidan Elfering 3 0 0 0 Eli Fest 1 0 0 0
Jack Baumgart 3 0 1 1 Chris Knowles 2 0 1 0
Branden Flock 2 0 0 0 Teddy Giefer 3 0 0 0
Brady Kienitz 2 0 0 0 Billy Cook 1 0 0 0
Mike Jeseritz 3 0 0 0 Josh Wasmund 2 0 0 0
Carter Guetter 1 0 0 0 Rafa Herrera 1 0 0 0
Zeke Walton 2 0 0 0 Zach Haala 2 0 0 0
Ayden Gustafson 1 0 0 0 Tori Helget 3 0 0 0
Isaac Call 2 0 1 0 Kasey Kuck 1 0 0 0
Trevor Parlberg 2 0 0 0 Jaden Mickelson 2 0 0 0
Tanner Bauman 1 0 0 0 Matt Mielke 2 0 1 0
Dave Schmidt 2 0 0 0 Carter Benz 0 1 0 0
Andrew Peters 1 0 1 0
Mason Rummel 1 0 0 0
Jevan Richert 2 1 0 0
Hunter Sehr 1 0 0 0
Cole Ranweiler 2 0 1 0
TOTALS 36 1 3 1 TOTALS 37 2 6 2
CORN BELT 100 000 000 00 -- 1
TOMAHAWK EAST 000 000 001 01 -- 2
LOB--CORN BELT 5, TOMAHAWK EAST 14. ERR--Tanner Bauman,
Peyton Grant, Kasey Kuck. 2B--Isaac Call, Jackson Bode, Matt
Mielke. 3B--Jordan Sagedahl. HBP--Mason Rummel, Cole
Ranweiler (2). SB--Eli Fest, Decker Scheffler.
CORN BELT IP H R ER BB SO HR
Jayden Dierenfeld 1.00 1 0 0 2 1 0
Patrick Courtney 1.00 2 0 0 0 2 0
Bennett Knapper 1.00 0 0 0 1 0 0
Mitchell Bouwman 1.00 0 0 0 0 0 0
Christian Lessman 2.00 0 0 0 1 3 0
Jack Howard 1.00 1 0 0 0 0 0
Tanner Bauman 1.00 0 0 0 1 1 0
Jordan Sagedahl 1.00 2 1 1 0 1 0
Zeke Walton 1.33 0 1 0 1 1 0
Ayden Gustafson (L) 0.00 0 0 0 1 0 0
TOMAHAWK EAST
Aaron Portner 3.00 2 1 1 1 3 0
Carter Benz 1.00 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jevan Richert 1.00 1 0 0 0 0 0
Zach Haala (W) 6.00 0 0 0 2 6 0
WP--Ayden Gustafson, Aaron Portner. SO--Zeke Walton, Jordan
Sagedahl, Paxton Nelson (3), Ayden Gustafson, Jack Baumgart,
Brady Kienitz, Peyton Grant, Teddy Giefer, Hunter Sehr, Rafa
Herrera, Tori Helget, Josh Wasmund, JT Hoffmann (2), Kasey
Kuck, Jevan Richert. BB--Tanner Bauman, Ayden Gustafson,
Jack Baumgart, Jackson Bode, Mason Cox, JT Hoffmann, Billy
Cook, Eli Fest, Decker Scheffler (2).
NOTES: Zach Haala MVP
LOCATION: New Ulm - Johnson Park