Sports
St. Michael Saints Push Toward Section Tournament
The Saints have won 14 of 20 and have five games left before the section tournament begins July 31
As the postseason approaches, the St. Michael Saints baseball team continues to thrive in the North Star Leauge North division standings.
The Saints (14-6) have five regular season games remaining before the section tournament, beginning with a home matchup with East Bethel on Tuesday.
Over the past two weeks, the Saints have faced strong opponents in preparation for this playoff push. St. Michael competed in the Jordan/Shakopee Coors Light Classic on July 8-10, and three of the Saints’ six season losses came in that tournament.
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St. Michael fell to the two-time defending state champion Shakopee Indians 3-1 to begin the tournament. Wade Gorsett pitched the complete game, but the Saints’ bats were unable to produce enough offense to win. on Saturday, St. Michael lost to Cold Springs 11-5, a program with 22 straight state tournament appearances.
The Saints then fell to the Moorhead Brewers, who eventually took second place in the tournament, by a 3-1 margin. Moorhead won on a two-run walk-off home run to end the game.
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“I thought overall we played well,” manager Mike Freske said about the tournament. “It was good for us to get out there and compete against some of the best teams in the state. We had a lead in every game, but unfortunately we were unable to finish them off.”
Aside from the Coors Light Classic, the Saints’ bats have continued to thrive throughout the season. The team’s overall batting average is .314, and four starters—Sam Boisner, Dane Carlson, Nick Volkmann and Mike Freske—are all hitting over .350 for the year.
Chris Volkmann leads the team with 27 RBIs, and Nick Volkmann has 23 RBIs.
On the mound, Gorsett and Blaine Barthel continue to pace the pitching staff. Gorsett leads the team with a 2.67 earned-run average.
After the Saints’ game against East Bethel on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Michael Rec Center, St. Michael will face Kimball on Wednesday at home at 7:30 p.m. and Coon Rapids on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at home. The Saints’ final regular season game is Sunday at 2 p.m. on the road against Hutchinson.
