The magical ride continues! Elrosa Saints smoke Carlos 6-0 in state tournament opener - Up next: Cannon Falls on Sat. Aug 29 at 1:30 in Gaylord

Two frames on the camera shutter show Ethan Vogt sliding safely into second base on a steal attempt, as the ball got into the outfield after an errant throw by the Carlos catcher.


Kevin Kuefler caught in a squeeze play in the fourth inning, passing up the catcher in this photo.


A scene of the team and background before the game.

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team's 15th win of the season was their biggest so far in 2009, as they knocked out Region 14C champion Carlos in the state tournament opener 6-0 today in Arlington.

Ethan Vogt fired a three-hitter, with eight strikeouts and no walks, while also having a hot day at the plate with a 3-for-5, two-RBI performance in the hitting department.

It is the third state tournament victory for Elrosa in the team history. They went 2-2 at "state" in 2003. Other state trips (with 0-1 exits) came in 1988, 2002, and 2006.

The Carlos Cougars (24-2 final record) were making their sixth straight trip to the state tournament.

Elrosa (15-12 overall) faces Cannon Falls on Saturday, August 29 at 1:30 in Gaylord. Scouting information about Cannon Falls will be posted on Monday. (I've already found a ton of information about them.) Cannon Falls is located in Goodhue County.

St.Martin also won, with a 4-2 win over the Bertha Blazers. The Martins (16-13) will play Hampton at 11:00am on Saturday, also in Gaylord. Both games will be aired on Albany's KASM, 1150AM.

Bertha, out of the Hi-10 League, finishes their season 18-12.

What an awesome day for the Stearns County League! And what an amazing run so far for Elrosa, after starting their season with only two wins in their first seven games.

Fans who missed out on the excitement can see a few sights on a Youtube page set up at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/jaguarssports2
A handful of video clips from today's action have been posted there.

Full stories on the Elrosa Saints at the state tournament will appear in this week's Sauk Centre Herald, Belgrade Observer, and Bonanza Valley Voice.

One sidenote on Carlos...The Cougars may wish they could borrow a few runs they earned in the Region 14C tournament and bring them with to the state tournament. In their last four games in Region 14C, including the seeding game, the Cougars won 12-6, 8-1, 9-2, and then 14-4 in seven innings. (Cumulative 43-13!)

This Elrosa Saints amateur baseball state tournament update brought to you by:



Click for my Youtube video page: http://www.youtube.com/jaguarssports2