Challengers Make Semifinals At Moose Country Baseball Tournament

The West St. Paul/Mendota Heights American Legion team put itself in contention for the Moose Country Wood Bat Tournament championship, but Rosetown had other ideas.

After three wins in three games Friday and Saturday, the Challenger American Legion Post 521 team fell to Rosetown 7-1 on Sunday in the Moose Country semifinals. Rosetown, the Roseville area's American Legion team, defeated Stillwater in the championship game and won the tournament for the third consecutive year.

West St. Paul finished first in the National pool, with wins over Hamline Purple (3-1), Chester Bird (3-2) and South St. Paul (11-2).

The team played American pool No. 2 Rosetown in Sunday's championship bracket first game. The eight-team tournament was divided into two four-team pools, with the top four teams in each pool advancing to the championship bracket.

West St. Paul used solid pitching and consistent offense to make its way to the semifinals, but on Sunday it was Rosetown who used that recipe to advance. Rosetown allowed just one run on four hits in the game.

Teddy Andrews went 2-for-3 in the game, and Spencer Brooks, Zach Gottfredsen and Dominic Mascia each picked up single hits for the Challengers. Their lone run came in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an RBI by Kevin Gust, which scored Andrews.

Meanwhile, Rosetown scored three in the fourth, one in the sixth and three in the seventh while collecting 13 hits in the game.

On Friday and Saturday, it was a different story.

Brooks started and  pitched four scoreless innings in the win against South St. Paul for the Challengers on Saturday, allowing one hit and two walks.

Carlos Morales blasted a three-run home run to lead a big offensive night for Challengers, which socked 17 hits in the game. Gottfredsen went 3-for-4, Doug Vanasek went 3-for-3 with a sacrifice fly, Andrews was 3-for-3 and Jack Miller 3-for-4.

In Saturday's first game, pitcher Tyler Pease and the West St. Paul defense led the way past Chester Bird.

"Our pitcher pitcher a great game," coach Seth Pugh said. "The last inning was our best inning. We gave up a walk and a fly ball and then turned a 1-4-3 double play. We pitched really well and played really good defense. That's the way we've been playing."

In Friday's opening round pool games, Chester Bird defeated South St. Paul 1-0, West St. Paul dropped Hamline Purple 3-1, Rosetown topped St. Paul Park 3-1 and Stillwater edged Rosemount 2-1.

In Saturday's American Pool games at Henry Sibley High School, Rosetown beat Rosemount 6-3, St. Paul Park edged Rosemount 1-0, Stillwater blasted St. Paul Park 12-3 and Stillwater edged Rosetown 2-1 in 10 innings.

In the National Pool games Saturday at St. Thomas Academy, Hamline Purple edged Chester Bird 8-7, West St. Paul tipped Chester Bird 3-2, South St. Paul topped Hamline Purple 5-4 and West St. Paul bombed South St. Paul 11-2.