Amateur baseball

Over the weekend, here's some area amateur baseball scores...

On Saturday, Regal defeated Starbuck 7-5 in a County Line League game.

In CLL action today, Norway Lake-Sunburg beat Atwater 17-7 in seven innings.

On Friday night, Farming beat visiting Greenwald by a 6-3 score. The team retired the late Mike Schleper's number, No. 6, in the sixth inning.

Today, Richmond beat St. Martin 3-0 and the finished their protested game with Farming and came away with a 10-9 win in 11 innings.

Also today, one of the longest Stearns County League winning streaks in recent years came to an end when Spring Hill beat Meire Grove by a 5-3 score. Spring Hill is now 6-3 in the SCL-North in second place alone. Meire Grove is in first at 8-2, and Elrosa sits in third place at 5-4.


And here's video from the final item auctioned off last night at Prairie View Golf Course during the Gary Breitbach Memorial tournament:


It was a really fun night at the golf course! Look for more coverage of the event in the upcoming July 4 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

##ConquerEveryDay

Offense sputters

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team settled for a regular season series split with Stearns County League North rival New Munich. The Saints hosted the Silverstreaks last night and suffered a 5-1 loss.

Next is a game at Atwater on Saturday, July 6.

Tonight in the amateur baseball All-Star game in Watkins, the Central Valley League defeated the Stearns County League by a score of 4-3.

Back to SCL action (VIDEO)

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team hosts New Munich tonight in a Stearns County League North contest. First pitch between these division rivals is at 8 p.m. at Gumby Bauer Stadium in Elrosa.

Below, video featuring the three outs recorded by the Saints against Freeport last Friday night in the opening game of the Elite 8 tournament. This is from the top of the fourth inning.


A recap of Elrosa's three Elite 8 tournament games appears in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. If you are in or near Elrosa and not a subscriber, free copies are available to pick up at Bayer's Gas and Grocery.

Here's video from last night's home 17U fastpitch game against Sauk Centre:


##ConquerEveryDay

The latest...

Click for the latest that we've collected to this point (short link): https://bit.ly/2LdrPEm.

*This was updated mid-morning on Wednesday.

And in other news!!!!

I just saw this at the KWLM news website (short link): https://bit.ly/2X5Q9Kp.

If you didn't click on it, the headline reads: "Brooten business woman, accused of theft by swindle, in court Tuesday"

The article was published at approximately 08:00 this morning.

Thank you, Lakeland Broadcasting, for helping carry the burden of reporting on this shameful, embarrassing string of events that have transpired in our little corner of the world.

Elite 8 last day

In the third-place game this afternoon, the Elrosa Saints beat Fergus Falls 2-1 to finish the Elite 8 tournament with a 2-1 record.

In the championship game, Sartell defeated Crookston 4-0. In the fifth-place game, New London-Spicer defeated Freeport 11-1. In the seventh-place game, Tri City beat Long Prairie 8-7.

Next for Elrosa: the Saints (7-6 overall, 5-3 SCL) host New Munich on Friday night, June 28 for an 8 p.m. game. The next day is the SCL-vs. Central Valley League All-Stars game in Watkins with first pitch at 7:30 p.m.

In Stearns County League amateur games this weekend, Meire Grove remained on top of the SCL-North division with a pair of wins over Greenwald. In the first game, played on Saturday in Meire Grove, the Grovers won a hard-fought battle by a 4-2 score. They had an easier time in Sunday's game and came back from the short trip south to Cubs country with a 12-1 win.

Elite 8 tournament

Crookston beat Long Prairie 6-2 to advance to the semifinals today in the Elrosa Elite 8 tournament. Fergus Falls beat Tri City 4-2 in another quarterfinal game.

Crookston plays Elrosa at 8 p.m. tonight for a berth in the championship.

In a second-round game today, Freeport beat Long Prairie by a 3-1 score to advance to Sunday's fifth-place game.

*Updates: in their evening game, the Elrosa Saints lost a tremendous game by a 2-1 score to Crookston. The Saints will play in the third-place game at 2 p.m. on Sunday against the Fergus Falls Hurricanes.

In their semifinal game today, Sartell beat Fergus Falls 7-5 to advance to the championship.

Crookston and Fergus Falls will play at 4 p.m. on Sunday in Elrosa with first place on the line.

A break from sports reporting

Here's a short break in sports reporting...although it still has a sports connection in what you're gonna read.

Ryan Presler of Brandon, South Dakota, has advanced to the semifinals of the Jeopardy Teen! tournament show on NBC. Ryan Presler is the son of Kraig and Joann Presler. Kraig is a 1979 graduate of Brooten high school.

During his senior year at BHS in the fall 1978 season, Kraig was one of nine seniors on a 7-2 Buccaneers football squad coached by Keith Krebsbach (head coach) and Jerry Lindstrom (assistant coach). In the winter wrestling season, Kraig Presler was a co-captain with Mark Walz of the Prairie Conference regular season and tournament champion Buccaneers. He was also an individual Prairie Conference tournament champion, New London Invitational champion and the Region 5 champion and Class 1A state entrant at 105 pounds.

The 1978-79 Brooten wrestling team went 12-0 in the regular season, including closer, hard-fought wins over Melrose (by a 31-24 score), Atwater (27-26), Browerville (36-26), Raymond (27-25) and Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (31-27).

In the spring season, Kraig was a two-sport athlete under head coaches Jerry Hilton (baseball) and Greg Hagen (boys' track and field).

Ryan, who will be a ninth grader this fall at Brandon Valley (SD) high school, will compete in Tuesday's show (June 25) on NBC. The show airs at 3:30 p.m. CST. Please spread the word!

Catch a short news report on KSFY ABC out of South Dakota by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2X0aqpD.

Tournament opener

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team won 1-0 over Freeport in the tournament opener tonight. Austin Imdieke got the complete-game win.

In the game that followed, the Sartell Muskies defeated New London-Spicer 5-1.

Elrosa and Sartell square off at 8 p.m. tomorrow night. On the line will be a berth in the championship.

Saints Elite 8 tournament

The weather forecast has turned around in tremendous fashion.

Now it looks like we'll have a rain-free evening! The games can go on in Elrosa...game one between the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team and the Freeport Black Sox will start at 6:30 p.m.

Weather-Dot-Com is now saying that rain is possible "after 10 p.m." tonight.

Summer sports in full swing

Summer sports action is in full swing. Whether it's baseball, fastpitch, tee-ball, youth basketball...there is plenty to do in Jaguar Country!

Here's a glimpse of the post-game huddle following Tuesday's 12-U fastpitch doubleheader against Long Prairie-Grey Eagle:


The B-B-E Jaguars fastpitch 12-U Jaguars settled for a 1-1 tie in the first game after holding a 1-0 lead going into the fifth inning. The Jaguars then finished strong with a 9-1 win in the second game.

Their next home action is Tuesday, July 9...the week of Bonanza Valley Days in Brooten!

*Update from the state baseball tournament:
Today, the BOLD Warriors baseball team won the Class 1A state championship after beating New York Mills 8-0 at Target Field. BOLD's Jordan Sagedahl threw a one-hitter.

Water shut off

The city of Brooten will have the water shut off from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 19.

A new water valve is being installed on the water tower during that time. Plan ahead! And please pass the word!

Other news...

The B-B-E school board will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at the high school library to review results from recent school surveys. The meeting is open to the public.

And remember! A post from yesterday...

School Bus Drivers Needed

B-B-E Schools has immediate openings for Bus Drivers. Daily routes and extra-curricular trips are available. Current Minnesota driver's license along with Bus Endorsement are required. B-B-E Schools is willing to help interested individuals obtain bus endorsement. Potential incentives available. Interested individuals should contact Patrick Walsh at 320-254-8211 x 2130 or pwalsh@bbejaguars.org.

Bus drivers needed...and summer school!

The summer school session at B-B-E has started. They have at least 70 enrolled for the summer session that ends on July 25. An eager group of learners streamed into B-B-E elementary this morning. Most students are in grades K-6.

Also, I want to share this and ask people to help spread the word for the school district:

School Bus Drivers Needed

B-B-E Schools has immediate openings for Bus Drivers. Daily routes and extra-curricular trips are available. Current Minnesota driver's license along with Bus Endorsement are required. B-B-E Schools is willing to help interested individuals obtain bus endorsement. Potential incentives available. Interested individuals should contact Patrick Walsh at 320-254-8211 x 2130 or pwalsh@bbejaguars.org.

11 innings

Last night at Minnewaska Area high school, the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team lost 3-2 in 11 innings to Starbuck.

This afternoon, Meire Grove held onto first place in the Stearns County League North with a 4-3 walk-off win over St. Martin.

Also today, New Munich won 8-6 over Spring Hill.

Lead

Lead would have quickly solved this criminal's problem...click to see what I'm talking about (short link): https://bit.ly/2WF2uFf.

Notice that being hit by a taser did not affect him. THAT IS WHY POLICE OFFICERS CARRY GUNS that are loaded with bullets that contain lead!

And that's why we have a Second Amendment, in spite of the best attempts by liberals to pound away at it and chew away at our rights as Americans.

Repeat after me: "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED." 

AMEN.

• Speaking of guns, the B-B-E Clay Trap team is competing in the Class 6A state tournament today in Alexandria. A total of 42 B-B-E trapshooting students will be shooting starting at 11:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the public.

 It looks like the wind may be a small factor (16 mph. wind in the forecast), but thank goodness the rain is now pushed back to after 2 p.m.!! Last night it appeared that scattered thunderstorms would take place throughout the morning and afternoon in Alexandria.

The month of June is jam-packed with activities. Today, don't miss the second annual Curd Fest at Redhead Creamery of rural Brooten. It has been heavily advertised in recent Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper issues. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and promises to provide an exciting and educational afternoon for your family to take in! They are terrific at helping educate the public about dairy farming and agriculture.

One upcoming event that hasn't been in the Voice (yet) is the 13th annual Gary Breitbach Memorial golf tournament. This is coming up on Saturday, June 29 at Prairie View golf course. You can read up on the details at the Voice website (short link): https://bit.ly/2XfQM8z.

State baseball

At the state baseball tournament today...

In the Class 2A semifinals, No. 5 Paynesville Area lost a heartbreaker 3-2 in eight innings to top-seeded Duluth Marshall.

In the Class 1A semifinals, No. 5 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg lost an equally tough heartbreaker by a 7-6 score in eight innings to top-seeded BOLD.

No. 2-seeded and Section 6A champion New York Mills punched its ticket to the Class 1A state championship game with a 5-1 win over unseeded Sacred Heart. The Eagles will take a 21-4 record into the state title game to face BOLD (19-5). They square off at Target Field in Minneapolis on Thursday, June 20 at 10 a.m.

• In other news...I just saw this at the West Central Tribune, and it makes me sick. I promoted Rib Fest in the Voice and online and on our radio show. Here's the short link to read about a theft of approximately $9,200 at Rib Fest in New London on Sunday, June 9: https://bit.ly/2MRWr0s.

I do have to wonder if certain local criminals from Brooten made their way to Rib Fest that day. I hope law enforcement finds the culprits and that justice is served!!!!!

If money is not yours, IT'S NOT YOURS!!! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAKE IT! Hence, why we call it THEFT!!!!!!!! Now if only theft brought serious jail time, perhaps criminals would be less inclined to take WHAT IS NOT THEIRS!!!!!!!

The loss of over $9,200 makes me sick to my stomach considering that it is money intended to help low-income families, children, seniors, etc.

Just as bad, in my opinion, is theft of money from any community group such as the Brooten Commercial Club. Those are COMMUNITY funds designated for the PUBLIC good. The Brooten Commercial Club was not an ATM there to dish out free money for criminals!!!!!!!! Just like the money donated at Rib Fest in New London was not free money for criminals to take!!!

Time to sign off, go out in the garden and cool my jets.

(VIDEO) Gospel and sermon

Here's video from worship at West Lake Johanna Lutheran church on June 2, featuring the reading of the lesson, the Psalm, the Gospel, children's sermon and main sermon.


In other news...the Bonanza Valley Days posters are going up around local towns. They're already in Sedan, Brooten and Belgrade and will be distributed all across central Minnesota in the next 10 days or so. In case you've missed it in the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper, the dates for BVD 2019 in Brooten are July 11, 12, 13, 14. Please spread the word!

Also, I will start promoting the Spicer Fourth of July celebration events in the June 20 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice. The dates for all of their events spread across June 27 through July 7.

Also, New London Water Days dates run from July 15 through July 21.

And I just looked this up: the Pope County Fair dates in Glenwood are July 17 through July 20.

##ConquerEveryDay

State golf: day two

The Minnewaska/B-B-E Blue Jackets girls' golf team holds an eight-stroke lead over second-place Red Wing after the first nine holes were complete today in Jordan.

Update: the Blue Jackets finished in second place at the state meet. They finished one stroke behind Red Wing with a two-day score of 647. Detroit Lakes took third place with a 662.

*In Elrosa tonight, the Saints Little Dipper baseball team won 7-6 over Roscoe.

Two games in Elrosa

Saints Field at Gumby Bauer Stadium in Elrosa will be hoppin' tonight with action.

At 6 p.m., the Elrosa Saints Little Dipper team hosts Roscoe in a Stearns County League contest. Following that at approximately 8 p.m., the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team will host New London-Spicer in an exhibition game.

The Bonanza Valley Voice is slowly getting more B-B-E Jaguars sports albums uploaded at the Voice website Smugmug gallery. Check out what's there so far (short link): https://bit.ly/2YGTGQA.

No word yet on how day two is going for state golf!

State golf

The Minnewaska/B-B-E Bluejackets girls' golf team is in first place after Day One of the Class 2A state meet.

They lead second-place Red Wing by six strokes! B-B-E's Jacqueline Gossen shot a 73.

Minnewaska/B-B-E has a 313, Red Wing has a 319, and Detroit Lakes sits in third place with a 325. In a distant fourth place is Jordan with a 351.

The second and final day of the state golf tournament takes place tomorrow at the Ridges at Sand Creek golf course in Jordan.

Summer meals in Brooten

The Tri-Valley summer meal program's hours of operation for breakfast, lunch and snack at the elementary school were published on page three of the May 30 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice (under Ramblings). This program is free to all children ages 0 to 18. (Yes, 18-year olds who just graduated are able to come and eat!)

I finally got my hands on the menu.

This is the lunch menu for today (Monday, June 10): kicken' chicken, brown rice, baked sweet potato, apple slices, milk.

Snack today: pineapple, whole grain goldfish, water.

Unfortunately, they serve just skim milk for kids ages two and older. I guess the adage holds, "beggars can't be choosers"

Menu for Tuesday, June 11:
*Breakfast: whole grain cereal, banana, milk
*Lunch: lasagna, vegetable, fruit, milk
*Snack: veggies (carrots & cauliflower) with hummus or cool cucumber dip, milk

Menu for Wednesday, June 12:

*Breakfast: whole grain toast w/ butter or WOW butter, peach halves, milk

*Lunch: bean taco, baby carrots, strawberry, milk

*Snack: low fat cheddar cheese, whole wheat Ritz crackers, water

...the menu for Thursday, June 13 and later will be published in this week's issue.

Saints in eight

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team won 10-0 in eight innings over visiting Farming today.

At Spring Hill, the Chargers defeated Lake Henry by a 2-1 score.

(VIDEO) Section runners-up

Here's video of the awards ceremony yesterday after the Section 6A baseball championship series was completed:


On another note, how's your family garden coming along? Our garden is about 80 percent planted.

Town team baseball!

Also, many options for area baseball fans!

Head up to Elrosa today for the amateur baseball game...it starts at 1:30 p.m. against Farming.

In Spring Hill, the Chargers host a rivalry border battle with Highway 4 neighbor Lake Henry at 1:30 p.m.

Over in Regal, the Eagles host Norway Lake-Sunburg for a 1:30 p.m. game.

A book end to a great season

The B-B-E Jaguars baseball team battled to the very end in the section finals this afternoon at Minnewaska's baseball stadium.

Final score: New York Mills 7, B-B-E 2. The Eagles (19-4) advance to state for the seventh time in school history. I believe the Jaguars were only out-hit by one hit, a 10 to nine margin for the game. Each team ended with two fielding errors.

This is the first trip to state for New York Mills since 2014, when they made it all the way to Target Field and played in the Class 1A state championship. The seniors on their team this year were just seventh graders then.

The Jaguars, who blazed a trail to a baseball section championship series for the first time ever, finish the season with a 13-11 overall record. It's been a truly enjoyable season to follow, and the playoff run was one I will never forget. Thanks for the memories!

If you want to keep taking in baseball, head to Elrosa today and watch the Little League tournament hosted at Saints Field. The championship game is at 6 p.m., and other games will precede that.

On the news front...here's the short link to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's we article that has updated information about the free summer meal program in Brooten: https://bit.ly/2Zfn2G2. This was noted on page three of this week's issue.

##ConquerEveryDay

Game Day! Take II - Let's Do This Jaguars!

It's winner-take-all for the Section 6A baseball championship series!

More updates to follow once the game starts at 11 a.m.!
**Update: in the bottom of the second inning, the Eagles have a 5-1 lead over the Jaguars.

**Update: through three innings, the score is 7-1 with New York Mills in the lead.

**Update: the Jaguars left two runners stranded in the top of the fourth inning. They both got into scoring position on one out after Ashton Dingmann doubled to right field.

***Update: through five-and-a-half innings, the Eagles are ahead 7-2. The Jaguars scored in the top of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by Evan Wiener to score Abe Peter from third base.

Update: the top of the seventh inning starts now at 12:33. The Jaguars need five runs to stay alive.

**The final score will be posted in a new blog post after 1 p.m.

**Below, a clip from the top of the fourth inning in which the Jaguars left two stranded. It was a frustrating day. They battled to the end.


Thank you to our business sponsors!
##ConquerEveryDay

Game time on Saturday**

The final game of the Section 6A championship series will be at 11:00 a.m. back at Minnewaska Area's Marthaler Field on Saturday, June 8.

Spread the word!

Here's the bang-bang play that thwarted a B-B-E threat in the bottom of the second inning. The Jaguars had two runners on with no outs before this fly ball was put into play:

"Win and you're in" is what we are looking at. A win and the B-B-E Jaguars baseball team heads to state. The opponent will again be New York Mills (18-4).

See you there!!!

Game day! Playoffs!! Let's GO!

It's game day! The B-B-E Jaguars baseball team is in their first-ever section championship series, and they are set to do battle with New York Mills for a berth in the Class 1A state tournament.

New York Mills prevailed this morning by a 2-0 score over three-time defending Section 6A champion Parkers Prairie. They played in the elimination bracket final at Minnewaska Area's Marthaler Field.

Parkers Prairie had won Section 6A in 2016, 2017 and 2018. They took second place at state in 2016 after losing 4-2 in 11 innings to Springfield in the championship game at Target Field that year. In 2017, they won it all after beating Legacy Christian 6-3 in the championship game back at Target Field. Last year, the Panthers took third place at state.

Parkers Prairie finished 13-12 this year (8-6 Park Region Conference) and in third place in Section 6A.

The Jaguars (13-9) and Eagles (17-4) square off with first pitch at 1:30 p.m. today. The game will be broadcast on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood (on the radio and also online).

**Just for fun...here's a video clip from May 19, 2017 that was never posted. It features the end of the game in which the Jaguars defeated Minnewaska Area...

Let's do this, Jaguars!!!!!!!

**Game updates will be posted here this afternoon**
The Eagles scored two runs to start the game, off of three hits and one Jaguar error.

B-B-E is up to bat now, with Abe Peter leading off. *Update: the Jaguars went down in order in their first at bat.

**Update: through two innings, the Eagles hold a 2-0 lead. The Jaguars got two runners on with no outs, but the Eagles then turned an F4-4/3 double play for two quick outs.

**Update: through three innings, the Eagles are still ahead 2-0. The Jaguars got Abe Peter on with a two-out walk, but he was left stranded on a ground ball play.

**Update: through five-and-a-half innings, the Eagles are ahead 2-0.

***Update: through six innings, the Eagles hold a 2-0 lead. The Jaguars left one stranded (Payton VanBeck) in the bottom of the sixth inning. He drew a leadoff walk.

FINAL: New York Mills 2, B-B-E 0. The Jaguars (13-10) were held to one hit. Updated tournament information will be posted in a new blog post this afternoon.

...and thank you to our local business sponsors of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's sports department!! We couldn't do this without your loyal support!

Breaking news in health care

This was published in this week's Belgrade Observer, and I just learned about it last night.

CentraCare Health is closing their Belgrade clinic. The last day they will see patients in Belgrade is June 28.

They had cut to just three days a week of service in Belgrade back in January.

Meanwhile, I want to remind everyone that Glacial Ridge Health System of Glenwood is proud to offer a wide array of health care services at the Brooten Medical Center. They are open five days a week, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Their address is 111 Pleasant Avenue, mailing P.O. Box 69...phone number 320-346-2272.

Glacial Ridge Health System has been a loyal, faithful partner with the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper ever since they opened the clinic in Brooten in the early 1980s. (About 1984?)

Which reminds me, I should do a little research on that! And write about the beginnings of how that came about. I know it happened soon after the Brooten Creamery closed.

Baseball playoffs!! Jaguars advance to finals

A tense, high-stakes playoff game played out at Marthaler Chevy baseball stadium on the campus of Minnewaska Area high school tonight. Two teams in Section 6A duked it out in the tournament's winner's bracket final. The B-B-E Jaguars baseball team was playing in the Section 6A semifinals for the second year in a row.

*Below, footage from the bottom of the first inning. It begins with Evan Wiener hitting an RBI-single to score Jackson Peter from third base.


Final score: B-B-E 4, New York Mills 2. Senior Payton VanBeck pitched another complete game playoff win. It was incredible. He now has a 6-1 record for the season.

After New York Mills tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third inning, two scoreless frames played out. The Jaguars pulled ahead 4-1 with a three-spot sixth inning. The Eagles got just one run back in their final at bat, and the Jaguars ultimately out-hit New York Mills by a 9 to two margin.

*Below, video featuring the final minutes of the top of the seventh inning, with B-B-E coming out on top after pitcher Payton VanBeck fielded an infield hit ball and gently tossed it to first base for the final put out.

B-B-E, 13-9 overall, is now in the section championship series for the first time in our 30-year school history!

• The Section 6A championship series begins with a game at 1:30 p.m. on Friday June 7 at Minnewaska Area high school. If our B-B-E Jaguars baseball team wins that game, they are in the state tournament! If the second game is necessary to decide it, that game will be played on Saturday at a time TBD. The Jaguars will take on either New York Mills (16-4) or Parkers Prairie (13-11) in that Friday afternoon game. Earlier in the day, those two teams will play in the elimination bracket final. The loser is out, and the winner moves on.

In the earlier Section 6A elimination games at Minnewaska, Parkers Prairie defeated Border West 3-0 to take out a No. 1 seed from the tournament. In the other elimination game, Upsala/Swanville Area won 5-1 over Brandon-Evansville in a game between No. 3-seeded teams.

In Section 5AA, Maple Lake's baseball team lost in the section championship series. They lost 5-4 to Holy Family Catholic tonight. They would have needed to defeated the Fire twice to advance to state.

• I want to give a quick shout out to anyone who is reading this for this thing we call "History"! Right now we can honor and celebrate the 75-year anniversary of D-Day and the sacrifices our country endured during World War II. Parents, please talk to your kids about history. You are the first teacher in their lives, and history matters! It's especially easy for kids to learn history today if they are steered to the right sources.

Here's a snippet off of Wikipedia about D-Day and the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944: The Normandy landings were the landing operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of German-occupied France (and later western Europe) from Nazi control, and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.

Thank you to all the business sponsors who help pay the cost of operating the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's sports department!

Baseball updates

After four innings of play, the game is tied one to one. The B-B-E Jaguars baseball team drew first blood with one run scored in the first inning. New York Mills tied the game up in the top of the third.

*Update: the Jaguars win!!! Additional information will be posted in a new blog post.

I believe the next game is Friday, but don't quote me on that. This will be determined this evening.

More updates to follow after 9 p.m.; time to head to a Bible school program in Belgrade!

Summer band!!

The Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa music department is excited to announce the start of the summer band program! Summer concert band starts on Tuesday, June 11 and is offered through B-B-E Community Education. Dates are: June 11, 18, 25 and July 9; times are 6:30 to 8 p.m. for student band and 8 to 9 p.m. for adult band. A performance will take place on Thursday, June 11 with details to-be-announced.

Cost: $45 for student band and $30 for adult band.

Join the summer band program and learn new music! Hang out with your friends, and perform for the community! An added bonus is the ability to refresh and keep up your instrumental skills.

If you need an instrument or reeds, the music department may be able to provide an instrument for a small fee. Contact Ms. Tessier to order, or visit Whitney Music in Willmar.

Summer band registration: 320-346-2278, community education; and by e-mail: rtessier@bbejaguars.org.

Baseball playoff game postponed

Today's playoff game at Minnewaska has been postponed. A severe storm passed over the Glenwood area, and a chance of storms will continue into the evening.

*Update: the B-B-E Jaguars baseball team will face New York Mills in the playoffs on Wednesday, June 5 at 5 p.m. at Minnewaska Area high school.

Border West, Parkers Prairie, Upsala/Swanville Area and Brandon-Evansville will duke it out in the elimination bracket earlier in the afternoon.

Tuesday playoffs

The winner's bracket final game on Tuesday will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood.

First pitch at Minnewaska Area's Marthaler Field stadium will be at 5 p.m.; the game will feature the B-B-E Jaguars baseball team and the New York Mills Eagles.

• I just read this story tonight while browsing the West Central Tribune website. So heartbreaking. We lived through this same type of nightmare in Jaguar Country two years ago when we lost Austin Young.

(short link) https://bit.ly/2JS8RDv

Back on the winning track

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team out-hit the visiting Greenwald Cubs on Friday night by a 16-to-1 margin. The result was a 19-1 win in seven innings to get the team back on the winning track.

They take a 4-2 Stearns County League North record into today's huge game against second-place Meire Grove. First pitch at Gumby Bauer Stadium is at 1:30 p.m.

• Click on this link to view the Bonanza Valley Voice newspapers' 67-minute long video of the graduation ceremony held this past Friday night at the high school (short link): https://bit.ly/2wxoHdV.

*Update: the Saints lost 5-0 this afternoon to Meire Grove. Additional coverage will be in the next Bonanza Valley Voice.

Area baseball playoff scores on May 31 and June 1:
Paynesville Area 5, Luverne 0
BOLD 8, Springfield 4
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 10, Minneota 1
Lac qui Parle Valley 9, Renville County West 8 (Eagles scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for the walk-off win in the elimination bracket of the Section 3A tournament)

(VIDEOS) Blast from the past

Here's a short video clip taken on May 7, 2013 at the elementary school. It features the students in Mr. Hadley's sixth-grade section receiving their speech meet championship trophy.


They were a little excited for this! A picture from this scene was published on page 6 of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. You can see the camera flash from that photo in this video clip.


...and here's a basketball clip from January 2013. Austin Young is one of the players on the floor in the end of this half of basketball.


Have you been outside yet?