Volleyball Jaguars improve to 2-0 (VIDEOS*)

Update on Friday...I got a second video added here that you can see further below featuring the final points score in the match. It brought quite the ending! Good stuff from our Jaguars! Also, a third video was added that features the end of game one. It's been a terribly busy day so far with a trip to Sauk Centre with the tennis team. Soon The Voice packs up for a long road to Bagley in northern Minnesota...***A football blog post will be added later this afternoon before I head north.

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team earned a second straight marquee win to start the new season. This was quite a match to take in! The teams split the first two matches before the Jaguars earned two straight wins by scores of 25-22 and 27-25 to close out a 3-1 win. Using tough serving the entire night, the Jaguars earned a whopping 12 ace serves, with many of those ace serves coming at opportune times when momentum was hard to come by.

This match was a seesaw battle the entire night, and game one started out in that fashion with the Jaguars leading 6-3 before falling behind 8-6 and then pulling ahead 10-8. They never trailed from that point on and won the first set 25-22 after winning the final three points. They led 22-18 earlier before MACCRAY closed it to 22-21. The Jaguars came on strong at just the right time with Kacey Fischer earning an ace block and a kill and Anna Jaeger then closing out the win with an ace serve.

The Jaguars led 3-1 in game two before falling behind 7-5. An ace tip by Kacey Fischer got the Jaguars back in front with an 8-7 score. Again the Wolverines pulled in front and led 11-10, but a kill from Adley Hagen later pushed the Jaguars in front 15-13. They later led 23-22 on an ace serve by Kacey Fischer, but the Wolverines earned the last two points scored to take the set by a 26-24 score.

Noteworthy: the Jaguars had 100 serves tonight in a four-set win, which is the same number of serves they had at Pine River two nights ago in a five-set win. The Jaguars served 87 percent against PR-B and 89 percent tonight. Sophomore Kacey Fischer led the team with 5 ace serves while piling up 21 kills on 33.3 percent hitting from 45 attacks. The Jaguars had just one solo block on Tuesday but had four tonight along with six block assists. Brooklyn Fischer received extra attention at the net by MACCRAY but still added 13 kills on 49 attacks while having one solo and one block assist.

Any time the Jaguars earn a win against a Camden Conference team is reason to celebrate. The Camden Conference is one of the toughest small school volleyball conferences in the state. MACCRAY is younger than they were last year, when they swept the Jaguars in Brooten on the same night of the opening week and eventually earned the Camden North title. Last year's Wolverines advanced to the Sub-Section 3A-North finals, where they were defeated by eventual state champion Minneota. A big loss for MACCRAY was Camden Conference MVP Sydney Thein, who continued her volleyball setting career at SMSU-Marshall. MACCRAY brought back two of their top hitters from that team, Brielle Jansen (sophomore 6'0" middle blocker) and Emma Thein (5'11" sophomore right side hitter). B-B-E's tough serving and impressive block helped keep MACCRAY out of system for much of the night. Thein had some stellar right side attacks that the Jaguars struggled to defend at times.

Here's a video from the middle of game one that starts with the Jaguars ahead 15-12:


**Here's the end of game four:


NEXT: the Jaguars host New London-Spicer next Tuesday in a huge border battle. The Wildcats are 3-1 overall with their four matches taking place on August 25 at the Albany tournament. Their lone loss was in straight sets to state-ranked Class 2A powerhouse Sauk Centre.

Later tonight I'll get football updates posted; they open the season tomorrow night in Bagley!

Volleyball battling at MACCRAY (UPDATES)

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team is battling at the home of the MACCRAY Wolverines tonight in their second non-conference game to start the season. The Jaguars had a great start to the match and won game one by a 25-22 score. I don't see a radio station here. More updates to follow!

UPDATE: after holding a 21-17 lead in game two, the Jaguars suffered a very tough 26-24 loss in extra points in game two. The third set is about to begin at 19:08!

***The Jaguars won game three 25 to 22.

More to come in a new blog post with video!

Firing up The Voice sports reporting machine (VIDEO)

This summer the sports department has been working at a very part-time pace since the conclusion of the Class 1A state baseball tournament on June 14 in St. Cloud. That all changes this week, beginning tomorrow, when the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper sets its sights on road tennis and volleyball coverage. The next day, things ramp up another gear with a 2 1/2 hour trip north to Bagley for the football opener. From tomorrow through the conclusion of the Spring 2024 varsity sports seasons, there really will be very little idle time for the sports department (me)...it's going to be a fun ride.

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team, fresh off of a five-set win last night in their season opener, has a very tough task coming with a trip to MACCRAY (Clara City) tomorrow. The C-squad and JV matches start at 4:30 p.m., while the varsity match is estimated to begin at 5:45 p.m. but more likely at 6 p.m. or later.

The B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team competes in a dual match on Friday morning at Sauk Centre.

Here's a video from Elrosa's state tournament opener on August 19 against Hadley at Dassel:


For now there's double duty taking place with the sports department as I cover both the Elrosa town baseball team and B-B-E's fall varsity teams. Plus I'm currently trying to water our family garden two times a day as we head into a nasty stretch of late summer heat.

Volleyball wins season opener in cliffhanger!

As of Tuesday night, we're still waiting on word out of Pine River-Backus on how the volleyball season opener went. Yesterday the girls' tennis team lost 7-0 at Osakis in the Prairie Conference opener.

That's all I've got for now.

UPDATE at almost 10 p.m...the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team earned a five-set win in cliffhanger fashion while defeating host Pine River-Backus in the 2023 season opener tonight. After going down 2-1 in sets, the Jaguars stormed back with a 25-11 game four win. They proceeded to take game five by a 15-11 score. Believe it!

The Jaguars had a very balanced attack with five players earning 6 or more kills. Top hitters were Brooklyn Fischer (21 kills) and Kacey Fischer (14 kills), while setter Kylie Weller led the team with 11 digs in addition to 10 digs from Kacey Fischer and 10 digs from libero Ava Deters.

UP NEXT: the Jaguars travel to Clara City on Thursday this week to take on perennial Camden Conference contender MACCRAY in another non-conference match. The Wolverines won 25-19, 25-18, 25-20 at Montevideo on Monday this week in their season opener.

Area volleyball scores on August 29:
Willmar 3, Fergus Falls 0
Minnewaska Area 3, Benson 0
BOLD 3, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 1
Melrose Area 3, Montevideo 0
Paynesville Area 3, Yellow Medicine East 0
Central Minnesota Christian-Prinsburg 3, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 1

That's all. Time to get my newspaper finished for the printing press.

Elrosa at STATE! Part II (VIDEOS)

This post had videos added early Sunday morning.

Brief updates from the game in Litchfield will follow here on this blog post. The game will be aired on KASM 1150 AM! (And on their website: http://www.mykasm.com.)

First pitch is set for approximately 4:30 p.m. 

GAME UPDATES...
**After the first inning, the game is tied 0 to 0. Cole Fuchs of Cold Spring is pitching for Elrosa.

**Through 3 1/2 innings, the score is still 0 to 0.

**Through 5 innings, we still have no score at Optimist Park.

Here's a video from the bottom of the fourth inning:

**Update: runs scored by Derek Wiener and Ashton Dingmann in the top of the sixth inning have given the Saints a 2-0 lead!! Earning the RBIs were Peyton Winter (fly out) and Andrew Weller (base hit).

FINAL: the Saints won by a 2-0 score to advance to the Sweet 16. They play Delano in Delano on Friday, September 1 at 7:30 p.m. Please spread the word!!

Here's a short video from after the game concluded:

Delano defeated Spring Hill last night by a 4-0 score.

Light summary: Elrosa's bats were dialed in as they totaled 11 hits for the game compared to six by the Mudhens. Minneota had a good start with a lead off base hit in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Elrosa's defense took out the next three batters beginning with a strikeout on the second batter, who got caught looking on a 3-2 count pitch. Overall this was an outstanding game was just one error, which came on a very tough 5-3 put out throw on a hard chopper to third base.

Both teams made outstanding defensive plays including numerous tough pop fly grabs in the outfield.

Game video and a better game recap will be posted in a new blog post later tonight on Sunday evening. I'm spending the majority of Sunday driving our daughter home from Rochester Mayo hospital.

 

Outdoor worship in Belgrade (VIDEO)

To help put a book end on the Belgrade August Fest celebration, the Big Grove-Crow River-Grace Lutheran parish held an outdoor worship at the city park on Sunday, August 13. The turnout surpassed 80 on the hazy, cool morning. After worship, a pulled pork lunch was served by the Free Spirits parish youth at the park shelter.

In this video, the community choir performs the final song of worship on August 13:


Going back a couple of weeks, you can click over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website to see a video recorded at the BG-CR-G Vacation Bible School program held at Grace Lutheran on August 9 (short link): https://tinyurl.com/pw7rv5xv.

More to come. I'm blogging tonight from St. Mary's Hospital on the Rochester Mayo campus...over 200 miles from home!

Saturday morning update: click to follow through to an update from Rochester: https://tinyurl.com/374j8yem.

Norway Lake Lutheran Historical Association anniversary (VIDEO)

The Norway Lake Lutheran Historical Association hosted their 24th annual anniversary celebration this past Sunday at the organization's old log church site in Arctander Township, rural Sunburg. Below is a video from the end of the program, which focused on the 1873 blizzard that killed at least 84 Minnesotans in January of that year. Newspaper issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice back in January and February included extensive coverage of that blizzard as it related to families in Norway Lake Township in the neighborhood that I grew up in.

VIDEO:


Today is a big day for staff, parents and students in Jaguar Country! This is open house day at both school buildings. Exciting times just as the temperatures outside are screaming towards 100 degrees. Yikes! As of 13:30 this afternoon, the temperature in Brooten is 94 degrees. The estimated high is 97 degrees. This reminds me of the weather I often experienced as a child back in the 1980s, when days like today were not unusual at all.

WEATHER update: it appears that we topped out between 97 and 98 degrees. Yikes! This was the hottest day of the summer. I am fairly certain it was hotter than any of the hottest days we had last summer. It still has not surpassed 100 degrees locally in at least 10 years if not more. I think you'd have to go back to the 2000s or 1990s to find a day where the temperature climbed past 100 degrees in central Minnesota.

Tennis earns split in season opener

The B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team was victorious in their first day of competition of the 2023 season. At Long Prairie on Friday (August 18), the Jaguars faced host Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Upsala-Swanville Area and earned a 4-3 win. In the second match of the triangular, the Jaguars fell 7-0 to Staples-Motley.

The Jaguars travel to Pierz on Monday for another non-conference match.

On to the Round of 32 at State! Let's go Saints! (VIDEOS, UPDATES!)

Note: this was updated yet again on Monday morning...see below.

The Elrosa Saints baseball team will play in the second weekend of the 100th Class C amateur state tournament. They earned that right thanks to a walk-off RBI-single by Jackson Peter to defeat Hadley 4-3 in today's opening round game in Dassel.

Peter's base hit was buried in left field, which allowed Andew Weller to score from second base for the game winner. Weller, the leadoff batter for the Saints in the ninth, was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on Will VanBeck's sacrifice bunt. Kevin Kuefler drew a walk, and Jackson Peter then drilled his shot over the third baseman's head for the game winner.

*Here's a rough video of the exciting post-game celebration in Dassel!


*Here's a video from the bottom of the 8th inning when the Saints tied the game at 3-3...


Hadley got a two-RBI home run in the top of the fifth inning that gave them a 3-2 lead.

Payton VanBeck got the pitching win in the ninth inning in relief of Cole Fuchs of Cold Spring, who pitched three scoreless innings. Starter Brett Engelmeyer of Greenwald went the first five innings.

*Here's a video featuring the entire top of the 9th inning with VanBeck on the mound:


Next: the Saints play Region 9A champion Minneota next Saturday at 4:30 p.m., with the site to be determined. **UPDATE: the game will be in Litchfield. Further details to come. Video is uploading. I have to put sports aside for part of the evening as I join what is the 'Event of the summer' at the Brooten Pavilion, where the wedding reception is being held for Larry Torkelson and Eva Smith of Sunburg. They got married! And we couldn't be happier for them.

UPDATE: the Spring Hill Chargers have also advanced to the second weekend of state! They toppled Roseau 6-4 tonight in Litchfield to get Region 15C a total of four teams in the final 32 teams left in contention. Congratulations! Ben Welle started for Spring Hill and pitched seven innings and was relieved by Anthony Revermann, who pitched the eighth inning. Lake Henry draftee Grant Ludwig was closer in the ninth. Next for the Chargers: their second round game is on Friday, August 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Delano, where their opponent will be the host Delano Athletics, champions of Region 12A.

New York Mills ended Regal's season with a 3-2 state tournament win in Litchfield after the Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. It marked the first state win for New York Mills since 1969. 

The Kimball Express defeated Region 9C's runner-up team, the Dumont Saints, by a 4-2 score on Friday in Litchfield to advance. They play Region 8A champion Buckman on Saturday, August 26 at 7 p.m. in Litchfield, a game that follows Elrosa's game with Minneota.

Region 15C champion St. Martin opens their state tournament with the Loretto Larks on Sunday, August 27 at 1:30 p.m. in Litchfield. The Larks were the fourth-place team out of Region 12C, and they beat Luxemburg 8-3 to advance.

State opener is today! (VIDEOS)

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team begins the Class C state tournament today with a first-round game at 1:30 p.m. in Dassel. THe Hadley Buttermakers will provide the competition on which team advances to the Round of 32! The game will be broadcast on KASM 1150 AM of Albany and on their website: http://www.mykasm.com.

*Here's a video from the top of the 9th inning last Saturday in Lake Henry:


In honor of the incredible level of respect and admiration that I have for the Elrosa Saints baseball program, I wanted to share this incredible video recorded at a farmer's market in North Carolina where now-famous farmer and song artist Oliver Anthony drew a crowd of over 1,000 people to hear him sing! This is amazing.

Enjoy for yourself...


Remember that on Friday, June 12, 2020, our Elrosa Saints baseball team displayed their own version of civic disobedience in defiance of Governor Tim Walz when they played a baseball game on a quiet Friday night against the Cold Spring Rockies. I'll never, ever forget that night.

I have to get a new blog post added tonight on the B-B-E girls' tennis team, who fought their way into the win column yesterday on the first day of competition of the fall season. They beat Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Upsala-Swanville Area by a 4-3 score.

Updates to follow on this blog post this afternoon.

Game updates...

After one inning, it's a scoreless game.

*After 3 innings, the Buttermakers hold a 1-0 lead. They scored in the top of the second.

 **After 5 innings, the Saints are trailing 3-2. Hadley got a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to reclaim the lead.

**After 7 innings, Hadley is ahead 3-2.

**Final: Elrosa 4, Hadley 3. The Saints advance to the Round of 32! Details to follow in a new blog post.

Elrosa opens state on Saturday the 19th (*Updates, T-shirts!)

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team will open their second consecutive state tournament and 11th in program history with the Hadley Buttermakers out of the Gopher League in the Round of 48. They will face off at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 19 in Dassel. The Saints drafted Jim Thull from New Munich and Cole Fuchs from Cold Spring to add to their pitching battery.

In recent years, Hadley has played at the state tournament in 2001, 2003, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and now 2023. Hadley is a town of approximately 55 people located just 5 miles west of Slayton or 22 miles east of Pipestone.

In their seventh state tournament in program history, Spring Hill faces Roseau at 4:30 p.m. on the 19th in Litchfield for their opener.

The Regal Eagles, who are the No. 3 seed out of Region 4C, open state on August 19 at 11 a.m. in Litchfield.

As a No. 1 seed to state, Region 15C champion St. Martin receives a bye and will play the winner of the first-round Luxemburg vs. Loretto game, which is scheduled for August 19 in Delano at 4:30 p.m.

More to come much later tonight.

Elrosa Saints are heading to state! (VIDEOS, STATE update!)

Video and game updates were added here following the outdoor worship service held in Belgrade on Sunday morning.

Solo home runs by Derek Wiener and Kevin Kuefler helped lift the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team past the Cold Spring Springers as they earned a berth in the Class C state tournament. After trailing 1-0, the Saints scored four unanswered runs in a 4-1 win in Lake Henry against the Springers to advance to state.

Kuefler added a single, and Wiener doubled as the Saints were held to five total hits by an impressive effort by Cold Spring starter Cole Fuchs, who took the loss in 7 innings of work on the mound. Payton VanBeck got the win in 5 innings of pitching where he held the Rockies to 3 hits and one run with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts. Greenwald draftee Brett Engelmeyer got the save in four innings of pitching with one run, no walks and two strikeouts.

*Here's video from the top of the third inning with Payton VanBeck pitching:


*Here's video from the top of the fifth inning:


*Here's Kevin Kuefler hitting his solo home run in the sixth inning:


After defeating Cold Spring, the Saints faced Spring Hill in their fourth meeting of the year with the Chargers. After taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning, the Saints rode the arms of starter Ashton Dingmann (7 innings) and closer Will VanBeck (2 innings) on their way to a 2-1 win in the first of two Region 15C seeding games. The Chargers got their lone run of the game in the top of the sixth on an RBI-single by Jamie Terres.

NEXT: the final seeding game takes place tomorrow (Sunday) at 11 a.m. back in Lake Henry. Elrosa takes on Kimball to determine the region's No. 2 seed to the state tournament.

SUNDAY update...the Elrosa Saints hold a 3-1 lead over Kimball in the final game of the Region 15C tournament going into the 7th inning. **The Saints hold a 3-1 lead through 7 1/2 innings.

UPDATE: Elrosa now has a 7-1 lead against Kimball after scoring four runs in the bottom of the 8th inning.

FINAL: Elrosa 7, Kimball 1. The Saints (20-4-1) earn the No. 2 seed to the state tournament. Brackets and scheduling information won't be posted until later tonight after 7 p.m.

STATE UPDATE! The Saints play at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 19 in Dassel. Their opponent will be the Hadley Buttermakers!

Elrosa vs. Cold Spring (Updates!)

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team faces Cold Spring at 1:30 p.m. today at Lake Henry. At stake is a berth in the Class C state tournament!

In the first game at Lake Henry today, Spring Hill defeated New Munich in a thriller by a 5-3 score. Matt Imdieke, draftee from Meire Grove, was the winning pitcher for the Chargers in relief of starter Ben Welle. Spring Hill qualifies for their 7th state tournament in program history. They have all taken place since the first one in 2007.

Game updates to follow after 2 p.m. from Lake Henry!
**The Elrosa game started at about 1:39 p.m.

**Through 3 1/2 innings, the Rockies are ahead 1-0.

I'm not going to update until the game is over... I don't want to jinx this!

**FINAL! Elrosa 4, Cold Spring 1. The Saints held down an excellent offense with great pitching by starter Payton VanBeck and reliever Brett Engelmeyer.

They play again at about 4:30 today in Lake Henry in a state seating game against Spring Hill.

**Update: Elrosa holds a 2-0 lead after 5 innings against Spring Hill in tonight's seeding game.

Final: Elrosa 2, Spring Hill 1. 

Next: the Saints play in another seeding game, the final of the region tournament, tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. back in Lake Henry.

Website updated

The Bonanza Valley Voice website has been updated with three new web articles, including one opinion piece and two web stories featuring the Belgrade August Fest and the Kandiyohi County Fair. Click on over and check them out: https://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com.

May you have a wonderful day and wonderful weekend as we continue enjoying all that life offers us in the Land of Rocks and Cows! No better place to be in my opinion.

Now it's time to make tracks to the county fair in Willmar!

Elrosa advances to second weekend at regions (VIDEO)

Thanks in large part to a three-run home run by Peyton Winter tonight, the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team is moving on to the second weekend of action at the Region 15C tournament.

Trailing 1-0 through five innings, the Saints put up a four-spot in the bottom of the sixth and ended Pearl Lake's season with a 4-2 win at Lake Henry.

The bottom of the sixth started with Blaine Fischer's successful bunt single, and Jackson Peter followed with another successful bunt attempt and got on base via error. Fischer made it to third on that error, and Ashton Dingmann later drove him home with a one-out, RBI-single that tied the game. You can see that play out in the video below.

Here's a video from the bottom of the sixth against Pearl Lake:


With Dingmann on first and Jackson Peter on third, Peyton Winter then stepped up to the plate and delivered the game-winning three-run home run that sailed over the left field fence.

The Lakers took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Alex Lenzmeier; they added a run by Max Fuchs in the ninth.

Blaine Fischer, Ashton Dingmann and Jackson Peter each had two hits, with Peter and Dingmann each having a stolen base.

Greenwald's Brett Engelmeyer pitched an outstanding game and went all nine innings; he limited the Lakers to 4 hits with 2 earned runs, one walk and 9 strikeouts.. Pearl Lake led off the top of the eighth inning with a single that was just their third hit of the game to that point. That runner was left stranded after back-to-back strikeouts and a grounder. In the top of the ninth, Pearl Lake got a walk and then a single and later one run on a ground ball play before a 6-4-3 double play ended the game that lasted just 1 hour and 49 minutes as both teams played crisp defense.

NEXT: Elrosa (17-4-1) faces the Cold Spring Rockies in a state-qualifying game next Saturday, August 12 at approximately 2:30 p.m. in Lake Henry. The day begins with a noon contest between SCL-North rivals Spring Hill and New Munich in the other Region 15C elimination game. The two winners of the noon and 2:30 games will square off at 11 a.m. on Sunday in Lake Henry in a state seeding game.

In another region tournament, the Regal Eagles have qualified for the Class C amateur baseball state tournament after beating Milroy 11-2 on Saturday and Raymond 3-1 today.

Added Tuesday...you can watch a video of Peyton Winter crossing home plate after hitting his three-run home run against Pearl Lake...click on the following link to the Bonanza Valley Voice website: https://tinyurl.com/56rrxe33.

Region baseball on Sunday (VIDEO)

Spring Hill has kept their season alive after they defeated Lake Henry 5-4 this afternoon in the Region 15C amateur baseball tournament. Earlier today at Lake Henry, St. Martin edged the Cold Spring Rockies 4-3 to punch their ticket to the state tournament.

The Elrosa vs. Pearl Lake game has been delayed a bit due to a brief shot of rain in Lake Henry. The game won't start until after 4:30 p.m.

Here's the view from Lake Henry just before the bottom of the 9th inning yesterday:


Game updates to follow.

**The game started at 4:28 p.m. 
*Update: going into the bottom of the fourth inning, Pearl Lake has a 1-0 lead.

*Update: with 5 innings complete, Elrosa trails 1-0.

*Update: with 6 innings complete, the Saints are ahead 4-1 over the Lakers.

Final: Elrosa 4, Pearl Lake 1. The Saints stay alive to play next weekend, and they play in another elimination game at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday at Lake Henry. Their opponent will be Cold Spring. Spread the word!! A new blog post will feature game notes and video. Stay tuned.

 

Region 15C baseball: Elrosa vs. New Munich (VIDEO)

The storied rivalry that is Elrosa vs. New Munich continues today with a big first-round match up between the two juggernauts in the Region 15C amateur baseball tournament. The Saints and Silverstreaks will face off at about 2:30 p.m. in Lake Henry. Updates to come that will be posted below the video.

*Here's a short video from the end of the first playoff game back on July 22 in Elrosa...


The last blog post features other region baseball news plus notes on the Pope County Fair in Glenwood.

Elrosa vs. New Munich game updates...
FIRST pitch for the game was at 14:41. On a deep ding that bounced off the outfield fence, a GREAT relay from left fielder Will VanBeck to second baseman Gavin Kampsen gave the Saints the third out to end the top of the first inning. Umpire Dennis Boecker made the call...out at second!

**Through two and a half innings, the Silverstreaks hold a 4-0 lead after getting two two-run homers.
**Through four and a half innings, the Silverstreaks are ahead 5-1.

**With 8 innings complete, New Munich leads 6-1.

FINAL: New Munich 6, Elrosa 1. The Saints play in an elimination game tomorrow at approximately 4:00 p.m. back in Lake Henry. 

Final score in St. Martin on Saturday night: Kimball 13, New Munich 3; the Kimball Express earn the region's first state tournament bid. They play next Friday, August 11 at St. Martin in the Region 15C championship game against the winner of tomorrow's 11 a.m. game.

 

 
THANK YOU to Paul Gruber Baling and Bayer Gas and Grocery of Elrosa for sponsoring this region baseball update!

Region 15C baseball continues today (UPDATES)

A note from the publisher's desk...if you can't make it to the region amateur baseball games, I urge you to go to the Pope County Fair! They are having a terrific fair so far, and your attendance and support would be greatly appreciated!

The second day of the Region 15C amateur baseball tournament continues today with the first games being held in Lake Henry. The Elrosa Saints face New Munich at 1:30 p.m. If the Saints win, they play again TONIGHT! Yes, that's right, and that game will be at St. Martin under the Lights at Ray Weber Field.

In the opening game of the tournament last night in St. Martin, Cold Spring won a nailbiter over Spring Hill in 12 innings by a 6-5 score. The Chargers fall to the elimination bracket and play next at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow (Sunday) to fight to keep their state tournament hopes alive; they face Lake Henry. Cold Spring will play in a state-qualifying game on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Today at Lake Henry, St. Martin beat the host Lakers 2-1 in Saturday's opening game. This was originally the 4 p.m. game, but because of the forecast, these two local teams decided to bump that up to a 9 a.m. start!

In today's second game at Lake Henry and the third game overall of regions, Kimball faces Pearl Lake at 11 a.m. You can listen to the game at KASM's website: http://www.mykasm.com. They are also on the radio at 1150 AM!

Baseball UPDATE: that Pearl Lake vs. Kimball game is still going at 2 p.m., although they are near the 9th inning.  UPDATE at 14:04... Kimball defeated Pearl Lake by a 4-1 score, and they advance to play tonight in St. Martin. Kimball was lifted earlier in the game by a three-run home run by Adam Beyer, which broke a scoreless tie.

Elrosa vs. New Munich updates will be posted in a new blog post.


In county fair news...
A photo gallery with almost 100 pictures from yesterday's activities at the Pope County Fair in Glenwood has been uploaded to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's SmugMug site. You can find that by clicking on this short link: https://tinyurl.com/2s4wd7rk. You can read a full article on The Voice website that features information on today's activities by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/3mcezezx. That article has a new video I just added which was recorded last night at the fair.

*Here's a video from last night at the fair:


GREAT news...related to the weather...it appears that they've taken much of the chances for rain out for today and the early evening hours. This bodes well for both baseball and county fair events today! As of now there's an overall 42 percent chance of rain for Brooten.

Our second county fair is underway

The second local county fair is in full swing as of today...this time in Glenwood.

Just a few days after Glenwood hosted a wildly popular Waterama week of activities, the Pope County area is proud to host their 137th annual county fair this weekend through Sunday afternoon.

I know of at least one B-B-E high school student who will be participating in tonight's Birch Coulee Rodeo at the grandstand. That starts at 6:30 p.m. Right now I'm working to update the newspaper's website. One article about the Pope County Fair has been posted, and you can see that by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/2fk3nc2f.

Another article at The Voice website features the outdoor Catholic Mass held on Sunday at Saints Field in Elrosa. It includes a video clip.

Babe Ruth baseball wins walk-off against Lakers (VIDEO)

The B-B-E Jaguars Babe Ruth baseball team, made up of exclusively incoming eighth graders, earned a thrilling walk-off win by a 10-9 score against Minnewaska Area on Tuesday night at the JV diamond in Belgrade. After trailing 7-3 late in the game and then 9-6, they plated four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for the win. As Elliot Spanier was batting, a passed ball on a pick off throw at second base allowed the game-winning run to come home with Lance Radermacher scoring from third.

Here's a video featuring part of the bottom of the seventh inning:


This was the first youth baseball game I've seen since Bonanza Valley Days. What a treat it was to take in!