Another two wins and another piece of hardware for the trophy case for the Becker Buzzards amateur baseball team as they traveled to Alexandria and claimed the Class AA championship last weekend.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how this team came together to win a championship in the biggest class of Minnesota senior baseball,” said a jubilant Jason Baune, moments after his team captured its fourth straight state title.
While all the titles have been a milestone for the team, this one is definitely more prestigious as it comes in the largest classification for senior mens baseball in Minnesota, which in years past has been dominated by metro area teams.
Saturday Semifinals
Saturday, the Buzzards took on the Waconia Islanders, a team they had lost to a year ago in the state tournament opener. But this time, the outcome was different, as a total team effort led to a 3-1 win for Becker.
Baune’s team opened the second inning with singles from Todd Klaers, Chico Schroeder and Brian Kolbinger to load the bases. Kevin Krenz picked up the RBI when he was beaned by a pitch and Becker led 1-0.
Another run was added in the top of the third when Rich Petty singled, advanced to second on a Schroeder single and scored on a Matt Koester base hit to make it 2-0.
The top of the fourth would brought an insurance run when Steve Newman doubled with two outs and scored on a Jason Wald single.
That would be the extent of the Buzzards’ scoring, but with Tanner Bakke on the mound, it was all they needed. The right hander went all seven innings, scattering six hits and striking out two batters.
The only time the Islanders threatened to make it a game was in the bottom of the sixth inning, as a walk and two singles loaded the bases. Another walk netted the Islanders one run, but Bakke coaxed a ground ball out to shut down the rally.
Not only was the pitching excellent, but Baune credited his defense with some spectacular plays.
“Our defense had a huge game including a few great plays by Newman at third base and a diving catch by Nick Allerson in centerfield,” said the manager, who admitted his team was looking for some revenge after the loss a year ago.
Steve Newman won Tri-County Lumber Player of the Game with some great defense and a big double and run scored.
Championship Sunday
Becker’s opponent on Sunday afternoon in the title game was the Alexandria Classic Clippers, perhaps the Buzzards’ biggest rival. The teams have a long history as they were both members of the now defunct North Star Classic Baseball League and Central Minnesota League prior to joining the Northwest League of the MSMABA.
The two teams split their doubleheader earlier this year and three years ago, they met for the Class B state championship in a game the Buzzards won in extra innings. This year’s game figured to be a tight one, but some early Classic Clipper errors and some timely Buzzard hitting turned it into a laugher with Becker winning, 13-0.
Becker scored three runs in the top of the first despite getting only one hit. Newman walked and Wald reached on an error before Rich Petty sacrifice bunted Newman home for the first run. Jason Pfingsten then hit a line drive to right center field, but it was misplayed by Alexandria and this enabled Wald to score. Chico Schroeder then singled and in the team’s next at-bat, Pfingsten scored on another error to push the lead to 3-0.
The score stayed that way until the top of the fourth, when Pfingsten hit a two run double and Klaers notched an RBI single to make it 6-0.
The Buzzards put the game out of reach in the top of the fifth with three more runs. RBI doubles by Petty and Pfingsten were the big hits in the inning and the score was pushed to 9-0.
With the big lead and Pfingsten’s dominance on the mound, Baune was able to send in the substitutes in the top of the sixth and they came through in a big way and plated three more runs. Jon Kern had a big single in the inning for Becker as they took an insurmountable 12-0 lead. They would add one more run in the top of the seventh when Klaers and Baune singled to put runners on the corners and Koester drove in the game’s final run for a final score of 13-0.
Pfingsten had a memorable championship game performance, as he picked up the complete game victory and player of the game honors. He struck out five batters, allowing just three hits, en route to facing just two batters over the minimum. At the plate, he helped his own cause by going 3-for-4 with a walk and five RBI’s.
Baune used a bit of humor to describe what the team will do to celebrate its latest feat. With COVID-19 interfering with much of the season, he says the team is showing its age and might need a bit of recuperation time after the fast and furious season.
“In lieu of a championship parade, the team has decided to instead spend the next nine months resting and taking ice baths to prepare for the 2021 season,” he said.
That and perhaps building a bigger shelf for the team’s trophies.
