Burnsville Legion Ousted From Gopher Classic

The Burnsville American Legion baseball team bowed out of the Gopher Classic tournament on Monday, falling to Hamline Purple 14-10 in the round of 16.

The Cobras, who went 5-0 in the Chanhassen pool on Friday through Sunday, had allowed 12 runs in tournament leading into Monday’s game against Hamline Purple—including two shutouts. But Hamline was too much on Monday, racking up 14 runs and defeating the Cobras at Round Lake Stadium in Eden Prairie.

Hamline Purple then lost to Eden Prairie 6-5 and were eliminated in the quarterfinal round.

Eastview will face Eden Prairie on Tuesday at 9 a.m., and Tri-City Red will face Coon Rapids at 11 a.m. The winners of those games will play for the Gopher Classic championship at 2 p.m. All three games will be played at Veterans Field in Minnetonka.

According to its official website, the Gopher Classic is the largest American Legion baseball tournament in the country. This year, 66 teams competed in 11 different pools across the Twin Cities over the weekend.

The tournament featured teams from across the United States and Canada, but all four teams remaining are from Minnesota. This will be the first time since 2008 that a Minnesota-based team will win the Gopher Classic, when Richfield took home the title. Napoleon, OH, won the tournament in 2009 and 2010 but did not compete this year.