extended sports coverage for the B-B-E community brought to you by the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper in Brooten, MN. (Address: P.O. Box 250, Brooten) http://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com. ALL VIEWS posted are strictly and without exception the opinions of the newspaper owner and no one else; they're written in first hand format. Please submit feedback in writing to the address posted above. **This is Minnesota's oldest varsity high school sports blog. We hope to keep it going into the future!
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Elrosa Saints pick up another big win (VIDEO)
The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team has continued to pick up steam as the regular season is nearing the final stretch. In a border battle league game today, the Saints defeated visiting Greenwald 6-2. Their Stearns County League North division record now stands at 4-6, still good for fourth place.
Payton VanBeck started and got the Saints off to a solid start while striking out the side in the top of the first inning. Ashton Dingmann then took over on the mound and tossed the next six innings while giving up four hits, no earned runs with no walks and six strikeouts. Wyatt Steffensen closed with two innings of one-hit relief with no walks and three strikeouts.
Here's action from the top of the 6th inning today against Greenwald:
Next: the Saints host Roscoe on Saturday, July 6 under the lights. The next day, they resume SCL-North action with a trip to New Munich for a 1:30 p.m. contest.
I'm thrilled to say that the church social hosted by the Parishes on the Prairie Catholic churches in Elrosa enjoyed a wonderful turnout today. You can see more on that event in the July 4 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.
The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team kept their playoff hopes alive with a thrilling walk-off 7-6 win in 10 innings against Richmond on Friday night. The game was played across two days, as it began on May 24 but was halted after the third inning due to the weather. It was an incredible game that saw 24 runners stranded by both teams.
In the bottom of the 10th, Will VanBeck led off with a walk, advanced on a two-out intentional walk issued to Jackson Peter and then scored on Derek Wiener's RBI-single off the fence. Wiener had a hot bat all night and went 5-for-6 with 5 RBI while accounting for half of Elrosa's hits.
Payton VanBeck started and pitched three innings before being relieved by Ethan Vogt. Will VanBeck earned the win while pitching 2 2/3 innings of two-hit relief.
The amateur baseball Stearns County League All-Star game takes place in Roscoe today at 1:30 p.m., and the Little Dipper All-Star game with 8th grade players starts at 5 p.m. in Roscoe. On Sunday, the Saints host Greenwald at 1:30 p.m.
Today is a big day with the Gary Breitbach Memorial golf tournament at Prairie View in Brooten. The 18-hole tournament started at 11 a.m.
I've got a brief web article with video posted to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website featuring the Brooten Farmers Market season which officially restarted on June 20. Click here to find that: https://shorturl.at/1eyY1.
Also! On Sunday, tomorrow, the Parishes on the Prairie Catholic churches will hold their summer church social in Elrosa. The big day starts with outdoor mass at 10:30 a.m. and is followed by five hours of FREE food, live music, games and more. This was outlined in better detail on page 2 of both the June 20 and June 27 issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspapers.
Bonanza Valley Days is coming! In case you didn't hear
Yes, Bonanza Valley Days is on the horizon. It is finally coming SOON to Brooten! Less than two weeks away.
A web article has been posted at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website with a few bits of BVD information. You can find that by clicking here: https://shorturl.at/P74b9. I hope to get images that feature the official BVD poster added to this web article on Friday afternoon. I'll be tied up in the morning with my radio show in Glenwood.
On page 7 in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice, quite a few notes have been added regarding the BVD weekend. I've added a few of those notes to the website article.
Elrosa Saints win Elite 8 title: it's a THREE-peat! (VIDEOS)
To cap a long and exciting weekend of baseball, the Elrosa Saints earned the Elite 8 tournament title with a convincing 11-4 win over the New London-Spicer Twins tonight. Elrosa held a 6-4 lead after two innings. The offense was aided by three home runs, a three-run shot by Jackson Peter and solo home runs by Kevin Kuefler and Andrew Weller. In addition to the home runs, Jackson Peter had two doubles, and Derek Wiener and Gavin Kampsen also doubled.
Ashton Dingmann started and pitched four innings for the win, and Wyatt Steffensen closed to earn the save in three scoreless innings. The Twins tallied 7 hits, while the Saints had a 13-hit attack.
This marks the third straight year that the Saints have won the Elite 8 title.
Here's a video from the bottom of the third inning against NL-S:
Here's a video starting when Jackson Peter rounded the bases after hitting a 3-run home run:
The Saints now have four straight wins to their credit and improve to 6-7 overall. Next: the Saints host Richmond on Friday, June 28 in a Stearns County League game which will begin in the fourth inning and Elrosa holding a 3-2 lead. This resumes action from May 24, which was halted due to the weather.
The second day of the Elite 8 amateur baseball tournament got underway by mid-afternoon after another round of rainfall passed over the Bonanza Valley area earlier today.
Elrosa's game tonight should get going by around 8:30 p.m. They face the winner of Royalton vs. Veseli, which started at 3 p.m. Additional game notes from the Spring Hill win last night were added to my previous blog post.
Elite 8 tournament opening-round scores:
Fergus Falls defeated Raymond 10-6.
Elrosa 4, Spring Hill 2 (last night)
New London-Spicer 1, Luxemborg 0 (last night)
Veseli 12, Royalton 1
Elite 8 round two updates...
Fergus Falls faces NL-S in one of the championship semifinals tonight.
Update...in the top of the seventh, NL-S took a 17-10 lead over Fergus Falls. The Twins won by a 17-11 final score to advance to the championship. The nightcap features Elrosa vs. Veseli in the other championship semifinal. First pitch was set for about 8:50 p.m.
Final score: Elrosa 1, Veseli 0! What a game! Ashton Dingmann drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ethan Vogt pitched a complete game for the win while giving up just four hits with one walk and six strikeouts. Veseli's Jackson Jirk also pitched a great game but took the loss while giving up four hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Earning one hit each for Elrosa were Kevin Kuefler, Blaine Fischer, Ashton Dingmann and Luke Illies.
In the bottom of the sixth, Jackson Peter advanced on an error and stole second base before scoring on Dingmann's base hit. Vogt then earned two strikeouts to go with one grounder to end the game after the top of the seventh. The Saints (5-7 overall) will face New London-Spicer in the championship on Sunday.
Sunday's schedule in Elrosa:
10 a.m. - Spring Hill vs. Royalton
12 p.m. - Luxemborg vs. Raymond
2 p.m. - Veseli vs. Fergus Falls (third place)
4 p.m. - Elrosa vs. NL-S (championship)
In a Stearns County League North game last night that also was part of the opening round of the Elite 8 tournament, the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team earned their second SCL win of the season by defeating Spring Hill 4-2. Elrosa's next game in the tournament is tonight at approximately 8 p.m., although I haven't heard what the rain has done to the Elite 8 schedule.
In Elrosa'a win, the Saints collected 9 hits. For Elrosa's pitching, brothers Payton VanBeck and Will VanBeck combined for a three-hitter. Closer Will VanBeck pitched four innings without a hit to earn the save. Payton VanBeck got the win in five innings with five strikeouts and two walks. None of Spring Hill's runs were earned. Jackson Peter was 2-for-4 with one double and two RBI. The Chargers led 1-0 after the first inning and then 2-0 in the top of the third before the Saints got on the board in the bottom of the frame. The Saints tied at at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth. They scored the go-ahead run in the fifth and then added a fourth run in the eighth.
In the earlier game last night to open Elrosa's Elite 8 tournament, the New London-Spicer Twins defeated the Luxemburg Brewers by a 1-0 score.
At Paynesville last night in a County Line League game, the Regal Eagles defeated the Paynesville Pirates 2-1. B-B-E graduates Josh Beier (2009) and Jordan Wosmek (2015) had all three Regal hits, with Beier going 2-for-4 with one RBI and Wosmek going 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two stolen bases.
In other sports news...let's talk marathons!
At the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth this weekend, B-B-E senior (Class of 2025) Taylor Nelson of Brooten completed the run with a time of 3 hours, 8 minutes, 21 seconds. His average pace was running a mile in 7 minutes, 12 seconds His 5K split was 20:07.
And speaking of marathons...Brooten high school graduate Tony Hofmann (1984) and Gary Geer (1985) are preparing for the Leadville Marathon in Colorado, which will be held on Saturday, June 29. Around 800 athletes make up the field of this huge event, which is held in support of veterans' causes. From the event website: "The Life Time Leadville Trail Marathon and Heavy Half, presented by La Sportiva, takes trail runners through the historic mining district’s challenging trails to the highest point of any Leadville Race Series event: Mosquito Pass (13,185 feet). As you take on the baddest trails and thinnest air in all of endurance racing, you’ll need all the Grit, Guts and Determination you can muster." You can read more on the event at its website: https://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/run/trailmarathonheavyhalf.
EXCITING! Gary Geer reported that his fundraising shot past his goal of $4,000 for the Leadville Marathon. Both Geer and Hofmann are on a team of 13 that has a combined goal of raising $100,000 for the cause. Today, Hofmann reported that they are nearing that lofty goal and are at about $87,000. The website where you can donate to Gary's efforts is https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/5581238.
Another round of updates have taken place at the B-B-E/Bonanza Valley area community calendar that is on the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website. You can find that calendar by clicking here: https://shorturl.at/eji1T. The last 48 hours have been extremely busy. A terrific church event was hosted by Grace Lutheran Church and the Big Grove/Crow River/Grace Lutheran parish on Wednesday night. I wrote about this in this week's newspaper, and you can find that on page 5.
This week, I've tried dealing with a snafu we have going regarding Bonanza Valley Days. The official BVD Facebook page that was set up years ago by my late editor, Jennifer Murphey, is not available for posting...this is because I do not remember who she provided administrative access to. The last post on this BVD Facebook page was made by Jennifer on the day she died...June 13, 2023. As it was, the Facebook page served us well for the 2023 BVD celebration. Jennifer had the BVD poster added and also had BVD grand parade registration information posted there. We rode the coattails of the work Jennifer put into it. This time around, however, it has been a heavy lift to replace the work that Jennifer did on behalf of BVD. She continues to be missed by her friends and family and Brooten in general.
Tonight, we had the Brooten Farmer's Market and the Belgrade Economic Development Authority concert in the park. That's all I've got, as I am hopeful to get some last-minute gardening done at sunrise tomorrow before thunderstorms hit. The storms may arrive as early as 5 a.m., but I hope that is wrong. I managed to get a fair amount of garden planting done today in spite of the ground being very wet. I'm at the point where I am desperate to get plants and seed in the ground. It appears we will be getting more rain across Friday and Saturday. That will be followed by what I'll call a "mild" heat wave of temperatures in the 80s next week. This is prime gardening season, and July and August are months where the bulk of garden produce is grown.
How's your family's garden coming along?
Friday updates...
This is exciting! I just learned this morning that the B-B-E Jaguars 17-U fastpitch team swept another regular season series in a doubleheader at Minnewaska Area last night. The Jaguars won by scores of 4-3 and 4-2.
Yesterday, Thursday, I learned about an exciting Little Dipper game in the Stearns County League. On Wednesday night at Spring Hill, the Elrosa Saints Little Dipper team defeated the host Chargers in 10 innings! TEN innings! Crazy. I didn't hear the final score, but I heard that this was Spring Hill's first SCL loss of the season. Playoffs are not far off for the SCL Little Dipper League, with the quarterfinals scheduled for Sunday, July 7.
Here's a short Bonanza Valley Voice web article with a video from the Redhead Creamery's Curd Fest held last Saturday: https://shorturl.at/yPAYC. The Bonanza Valley Voice website has been updated a couple times on Thursday and Friday.
Below, here's another video recorded at Curd Fest...
Tonight, Friday, we have the Elrosa Saints Elite 8 baseball tournament getting underway. The first game features the New London-Spicer Twins in a 6:30 p.m. game. The Elrosa Saints follow with a game under the lights against neighboring rival Spring Hill. The Chargers (5-2) currently lead the SCL-North division by a half game over second-place Greenwald (5-3).
Bonanza Valley Days is coming; school board special meeting
Once again, here's another announcement for Bonanza Valley Days in Brooten! This week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper issue will feature additional information on BVD Youth 3-on-3 basketball registration, the BVD grand parade registration and other events coming on July 11, 12, 13 and 14 in Brooten. Other information, including a glimpse of the BVD poster (the upper half) can be found at the newspaper's website by clicking here: https://t.ly/xp5tZ.
Speaking of BVD...here's a video from Sunday morning of BVD in Brooten last year:
That video features the last part of the Catholic Mass worship held at St. Donatus church. I haven't posted it until tonight. My first clip from Mass that morning was posted in July and received 10 views.
B-B-E school board special meeting announcement: the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa District No. 2364 school board will meet at 8 a.m. on Thursday, June 20 for a special meeting. The meeting agenda consists of one item, which is ratification of the certified union contract. This meeting will take place via Google meets, and any member of the public can receive a meeting link by contacting B-B-E district office secretary Sarah Hagen at shagen@bbejaguars.org .
The Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's website community calendar has finally been updated after having outdated information on it for the past week. You can find that by clicking here: https://shorturl.at/59kzh. Events on the near horizon are always published on page 2 of the printed newspaper for easy reference by anyone. You've got no reason to not know what's happening locally!
This news is two days old, but it's exciting news nonetheless. I'm playing catch-up after - honestly - taking the day off on Thursday!
In a high school American Legion game, the Brooten Post No. 288 baseball team defeated Osakis 13-7 on Thursday night in Elrosa. The Jaguars racked up 15 hits against three Osakis pitchers in a game where both teams had two errors. Earning two hits each were Jack Lundberg, Brett DeRoo, Aiden Mueller, Carson Loe, Aiden Radermacher and Andrew Spanier. Earning doubles for the Jaguars were Aiden Radermacher, Carson Loe and Aiden Mueller. Luke Illies tripled and had two RBI.
In a West Central summer softball game at Osakis on Thursday, the B-B-E Jaguars 17-U fastpitch team defeated Osakis behind a no-hitter performance by Mya Worms. Just one day earlier, the Jaguars went 1-1 against visiting Sauk Centre in a rare Wednesday afternoon makeup doubleheader. I am verifying the scores of the three games before posting.
It's exciting to see our summer varsity-level baseball and fastpitch teams getting off to a great start to their summer seasons.
Sunday night, June 16 update:
On Friday, the majority of Brooten businesses (in town) received Bonanza Valley Days posters. I haven't gotten any to the KaDe Shack, city hall or Rustic Stables Stylists. I will take care of them on Monday. You can get a glimpse of the posters by clicking over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://t.ly/xp5tZ. That link re-directs you to a web article with an image of the poster plus a video from the 2023 BVD Walk/Run event.
Also on Monday, the Belgrade city council will meet at 7 p.m., and I hope to get the agenda posted at my editor's blog: http://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com.
The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team defeated the Cold Spring Rockies on Friday night by a 4-1 score. The Saints had 6 hits to 5 for the Rockies. Ashton Dingmann got the win in relief while pitching the final three innings. This was Hall of Fame night, and a wonderful induction ceremony took place before the game for the late Gary Breitbach and Andy Illies, the newest members of the Elrosa HOF.
Here's a video featuring the player introductions and the playing of the National Anthem at Saints Field last night:
I'll be working on a large Hall of Fame story for Elrosa to be published in the June 20 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.
Today, Saturday, the Saints are hosting their golf tournament at Prairie View Community Golf Course in Brooten. I have to pack up and head out to Curd Fest at the Redhead Creamery!
Willmar Stingers night for B-B-E Cub Scouts (VIDEO)
Tonight brought the annual summer Willmar Stingers baseball outing for the B-B-E Cub Scouts Pack No. 667. The pack and family and friends traveled to Willmar tonight to take in a well-played game of baseball at the spacious Bill Taunton Stadium. Adding to the excitement of the night was seeing the Stingers win 9-5 against the Badlands Big Sticks.
Here's a video from just prior to the start of the game with the Stingers defense taking the field for the top of the first inning:
The Big Sticks held a 1-0 lead early in the game and then expanded that to 2-0 before the Stingers pulled in front 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth.
It's been another busy, hectic week with very little sleep. On Tuesday morning, as I was getting this week's newspaper ready for press, I enjoyed a terrific half-hour long phone conversation with Brooten native Tony Hofmann. He was a senior on the 1983-1984 Brooten Buccaneers boys' basketball team that won the Prairie Conference title. In the spring under head coach Jim Dykema, Hofmann's Buccaneers baseball team earned third place in the conference. Tony Hofmann has lived an incredible life since graduating from Brooten in 1984. You can read more in the June 20 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.
This week's June 13 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice features sports stories on the baseball team's run to the Section 6A finals for the third straight season. It also has a separate story featuring the Jaguar fastpitch team awards.
And speaking of baseball...the Parkers Prairie baseball team defeated Heritage Christian Academy 3-0 today in the state quarterfinals at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud. The Panthers (24-1) now face Sacred Heart of East Grand Forks in tomorrow's state semifinals. That game is set to begin at Joe Faber Field at 11 a.m.
A change of pace: Games Lake Park worship service (VIDEO)
This was a nice change of pace from the hectic running involved with spring sports and school year-end activities. The video below was recorded yesterday at Games Lake park at the start of the Norway Lake Lutheran parish's park worship.
VIDEO:
The wind was ferocious. Even though I had my tripod weighed down, the wind still almost took it down twice. During Pastor John Clementson's sermon, the wind grabbed a couple pages of his sermon notes and gave them a ride. Yikes! (They were retrieved and brought back to him mid-sermon.) It was a challenging environment for outdoor worship, but roughly 100 people were in attendance - and it was worth the hassle of fighting the wind!
In the music processional, Joyce Rudningen was one of the adults who created music with the handheld instruments. Joyce is a Brooten high school graduate, and B-B-E's athletic teams have done battle against many of her grandchildren in recent years who play for the K-M-S Fighting Saints. She was Community Education director at B-B-E for many years before retiring in 2007.
On another topic...this came to me earlier this morning and I wanted to share it right away. This organization is seeking donations for a very worthy cause. Click to read about it: https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/5581238. The team raising the funds is led by Tony Hofmann, who was a 1984 Brooten high school graduate. Another team member is Gary Geer, a 1985 BHS graduate and a father of Nate Geer. Nate Geer was a sophomore on this past year's varsity football and track and field teams.
Coming tonight: B-B-E's school board meets
The school board has an ambitious agenda that has a lengthy list of what I'd refer to as smaller items. I predict we just may go past the usual one hour that these meetings usually take. I like the flow of our school board meetings. It is nice for a newspaper owner whose time is measured by the minute! The biggest news I see is the resignation of four full-time licensed teachers, ranging from two elementary classroom teachers plus two specialized teachers. If I can pull off what I hope to pull off, you can read more in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.
In another resignation, the elementary is losing one of its janitors. I learned a little more here, and he's been a great asset to the school and has always been pleasant to interact with...Adam Tauber is heading to significantly greener pastures for income in the neighborhood of $30 an hour. I am not sure exactly where janitor pay is at B-B-E, but I know it's not competitive with what local industries are paying for manual skill jobs. I don't say that to criticize the school, but I'm saying it as a matter of fact. For the sake of informing the public, I'll get the figure for starting pay for a custodian position at B-B-E for the newspaper.
Another resignation is from Mike Brower as JV boys' basketball coach. I know it was a tough decision for him, but he has the pull of his own children coming up in the ranks as the driver for stepping down from the No. 2 position in the program. He will be dearly missed!
The Busy Beehive in Brooten is open today (VIDEOS added)
The Busy Beehive in downtown Brooten is open today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. While you're out and about going to graduation parties and other events, I encourage you to stop by and check it out! Harmony Sturges, owner, was featured on page one of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.
Here's a video featuring part of the player introductions, including the starters, for the Jaguars before facing Parkers Prairie on Thursday:
Don't forget! Tonight is the Sunburg Fire Department street dance starting at 8 p.m. with Hicktown Mafia playing. Come out and show your support!
**Here's a video from the bottom of the 5th inning against Parkers Prairie...
The Jaguars went into the sixth inning nursing a 6-5 lead. Once the dust settled on eight innings of play, Parkers Prairie had an 11-10 win to their credit that launched them into the state tournament for the first time since 2018.
Time to get back in the garden before heading to Sunburg.
It's not too early to get this on your radar...in fact, it's coming in less than one week. The sixth annual Redhead Creamery Curd Fest is on Saturday, June 15 at their rural Brooten/Padua location. This is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. They have live music, and you can see a video of one of their Curd Fest 2021 bands below.
On Saturday, June 19, 2021 at Redhead Creamery:
I'll get some additional coverage of this event published in the June 13 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. You can read the important details by clicking at the following link, which also includes information on how you can order presale tickets and save some cash! Link: https://shorturl.at/UvT6h.
Going back to Memorial Day, I posted a clip of B-B-E junior Tia Nelson reading General Logan's Order No. 11 at the Belgrade V.F.W. Memorial Day program at Olson Auditorium on May 27. You can watch her by clicking here: https://shorturl.at/Cj5P6.
Terrific season ends in Section 6A finals in excruciating loss (VIDEOS)
It is cliche, but it holds true tonight: this game was not for the faint of heart. This game was "all over the place" the whole way...right to the end.
In the Section 6A championship series tonight in Clarissa, a late 9-5 lead could not hold up for the B-B-E Jaguars baseball team, with Parkers Prairie coming back from late deficits twice, including a 10-9 deficit in the eighth inning.
Here's a video featuring the end of the top of the 8th inning after the Jaguars scored one run:
Final score: Parkers Prairie 11, B-B-E 10 in eight innings. More than once, just when it seemed like the game was ours, the Panthers battled back to keep their chances alive. It really felt like we were within reach of earning a second game to the series. Unfortunately, and it is always unfortunate and heartbreaking to say this - a longer season was not meant to be. Parkers Prairie is state-bound for the first time since 2018.
B-B-E trailed 4-1 after the fourth inning. In the top of the fifth, Jack Lundberg led off with a single, and Brett DeRoo then hit a ground ball to the shortstop, but the throw to first was off the mark for an error. Kaden DeRoo hit a single that glanced off of the third baseman's glove. Owen Paulson then earned a walk with an RBI to cut it to a 4-2 deficit. Paulson put up a hell of a battle and swung in the batter's box for two-and-a-half minutes! Ethan Mueller then hit a two-RBI single to left field to tie the game. Aiden Mueller later hit a two-out two-RBI single that gave the Jaguars a 6-4 lead.
**And here's action from the top of the 5th inning...in this 8+ minute video:
The Panthers scored once in the bottom of the fifth and left two stranded on a deep foul ball that was caught by centerfielder Kaden DeRoo with B-B-E's halved lead intact...in the top of the 6th, the Jaguars got a huge boost when Luke Dingmann launched a three-run home run over the left field fence. The Jaguars took that 9-5 lead into the seventh inning.
Parkers Prairie then scored the needed four runs to send it into extra innings; the four runs included a three-run home run that just cleared the right field fence near the right pylon.
In the top of the eighth with a 9-9 tie game, Ethan Mueller's RBI-double gave the Jaguars a 10-9 lead.
In the pivotal bottom of the eighth, the Panthers tied the game on an RBI via a walk. The game ended on a bases loaded base hit that landed in the center of left field. For the game, Parkers Prairie out-hit the Jaguars 13 to 12. Kaden DeRoo led the Jaguars by going 4-for-5 at the plate.
Pitching for the Jaguars against Parkers Prairie were Luke Dingmann, Aiden Mueller and Kaden DeRoo.
B-B-E finishes the season 16-9 overall, which is good for a tie for the second-most wins in school history. The 16 wins equals the win total of the 1995 season, when the Jaguars went 16-4 after winning the West Central South Conference title. Steve Mueller, father of current players Ethan and Aiden Mueller, was a senior on that 1995 team.
The 2016 Jaguars continue to hold the record for most wins in a season. They went 9-5 that season in the Central Minnesota Conference before finishing in third place in Section 6A and 19-7 overall. That team was the first B-B-E baseball team to go six games deep in a postseason run. I'll never forget the 7-6 loss to West Central Area that ended the season. That was tough!!! Hard to believe it was 8 years ago...WCA then lost 5-4 to Parkers Prairie in the section championship. The Panthers then won 3-2 and 6-3 in two state tournament games before falling in the state finals 4-2 in 11 innings to Springfield at Target Field.
Here's action from early in today's Parkers Prairie game in the bottom of the first:
The Panthers got a solo home run that tied the game at 1-1 in the first inning. They ultimately left three stranded.
The Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website includes a short summary of this week's baseball playoff action. The attached video on that web article features action from the top of the sixth inning tonight against Parkers Prairie. You can find this by clicking here: https://shorturl.at/1bkDq.
For B-B-E, there's one event left on the horizon, the Minnesota high school All-Star Series. Senior Luke Dingmann was nominated to play in this game, so in a way, the season will continue for that. This 49th annual event, sponsored by the Minnesota State High School Baseball Coaches Association and Minnesota Twins Community Fund, takes place June 20-22 at the Chaska Athletic Park. Games will be played on Friday and Saturday that weekend.
Parkers Prairie takes a 23-1 record into the Class 1A state tournament next week. They are an outstanding baseball team and should earn a top three seed.
In the Section 5A finals, New York Mills thrashed Ogilvie 11-1 tonight to earn a state berth. They are 18-6 overall.
In the Section 3AA championship (game one), Minnewaska Area lost 3-2 to Montevideo to see their season end. They went 20-4 overall.
It's time to head home.
In fastpitch state tournament news from Caswell Park in Mankato...
Russel-Tyler-Ruthton, champions of Section 3A, fell 4-2 to New Ulm Cathedral in today's Class 1A state semifinals. The Knights (23-5) advanced to the state semis with a 10-0 five-inning win on Wednesday against Moose Lake-Willow River. They will play for the third-place trophy tomorrow against West Lutheran at 3 p.m.
West Lutheran (18-5) fell 8-2 in the other state semifinal today to Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley. The unseeded C-G-B Wolverines (20-4) continue their Cinderella season when they face top-ranked and top-seeded New Ulm Cathedral (25-2) in the Class 1A state championship tomorrow at 4 p.m. In the state quarterfinals on Wednesday, C-G-B defeated Red Lake Falls 9-7 to advance to the Final Four. The NUC Greyhounds were ranked No. 3 in the final QRF state power rankings on June 1, while Red Lake Falls was ranked No. 1.
Jaguars get the win! Now it gets tougher in 6A finals! (VIDEOS, UPDATES)
Late Thursday night, I added the video featuring the end of the game...
A late outburst of offense in the bottom of the fifth inning helped the B-B-E Jaguars baseball team utilize the mercy rule to finish with a 13-3 five-inning win against Long Prairie-Grey Eagle. The Clarissa ball diamond is the site, and the weather has featured strong northwest winds plus heavy cloud cover with occasional shots of warm sunshine.
Senior Kaden DeRoo started for B-B-E and pitched all five innings while throwing a total of 75 pitches.
The Jaguars improve to 16-8 overall, while LP-GE ends a fine season with a 15-6 overall mark. The Thunder won the Prairie Conference title with a 5-1 record. Next comes Parkers Prairie, who is a once-beaten unit that sports a 22-1 overall record. In the Park Region Conference, Parkers Prairie won the title outright with a 13-1 mark. In second place were New York Mills and Ottertail Central, who tied each other with 10-4 records. New York Mills was moved to Section 5A this season, and they entered today undefeated in sections and need to beat Ogilvie once in a 4:30 p.m. game at Pierz to punch through to state for the first time since 2022.
*Here's a video from the bottom of the fourth inning today against LP-GE:
And here's action that ended the game...with the Jaguars scoring twice on a wild pitch. The game-ending 13th run was scored when Luke Dingmann slid home...
The Section 6A championship series is set to begin soon in Clarissa. I expect the game to start before 5 p.m. Stay tuned.
The Section 6A finals game (one) started at 4:55 p.m. Then after one inning, we have a 1-1 tie score. Luke Dingmann is B-B-E's starter.
After two innings are complete: Parkers Prairie 4, B-B-E 1.
After six innings played, the Jaguars are ahead 9-5. A NEW blog post will have additional game notes and the final score.
Jaguar baseball is deep into the Section 6A tournament (UPDATES)
We are deep into the Section 6A tournament with a huge game taking place this afternoon...which will be followed by another huge game depending on this game's outcome! Our B-B-E Jaguars baseball team is taking on Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at 2:30 p.m. in Clarissa. This is an elimination bracket final. The loser is done, while the winner advances to the Section 6A championship series.
I am struggling to come up with any radio coverage. The Long Prairie station of 99.7 FM is playing music as of 2:30 p.m. Grrr!! Almost as bad: their main radio station's Facebook page was last updated on June 17, 2023. Good Lord. Their AM station, which can be heard on 103.1 FM, is also playing music as of 2:30 p.m.
UPDATE: I got someone on the phone from the KEYL radio station, and they confirmed that the 2:30 game is not on the radio. It's rather unbelievable that their town's station is not carrying the game. Clarissa is a pretty short drive north from Long Prairie. LP-GE is in the top three of the section tournament. I didn't ask the gentleman why. Perhaps it's staffing or just plain economics, but it's remarkably disappointing that they can't carry a postseason game of a local team that's deep into a section tournament.
GAME UPDATES! in the top of the third inning against LP-GE, our Jaguars hold a 5-1 lead. Fingers crossed! As expected, the wind is a mighty challenge here in Clarissa. Their diamond is on the western edge of town.
**After 4 innings, the Jaguars hold an 8-1 lead.
The Thunder score two runs in the top of the fifth inning to cut it to 8-3. **Catch the final score and more in a NEW blog post after 4:30 p.m.
In their second crack at playing the Section 6A semifinal game, the B-B-E Jaguars baseball team is back in Clarissa this afternoon to face Parkers Prairie. At stake is a berth in the section championship series. The winner gets a pass to that contest, while the loser will have to win the loser's bracket final to get a shot at a state tournament berth.
Updates to follow.
Through four-and-a-half innings, the Panthers have racked up a 9-0 lead. The Jaguars then scored 3 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and 2 more in the bottom of the sixth to cut the deficit to 9-5. The final run of the game was scored by Parkers Prairie in the top of the seventh.
*In the top of the 7th inning, the Jaguars trail the Panthers 9-5. Final score:Panthers 10, Jaguars 5. Both teams banged out 9 hits, but the Jaguars had 5 errors to just one by the Panthers (22-1).
Here's what's next: the Jaguars (15-8) head to the loser's bracket final, and that game will be played at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, June 6 at the Clarissa ball diamond. If they win that game, the Jaguars head to the section championship series and get another shot at defeating Parkers Prairie. The first game of the section finals series is set for 4:30 p.m. tomorrow in Clarissa.
The loser's bracket semifinal game is tonight at 5 p.m. in Clarissa between Long Prairie-Grey Eagle and Breckenridge.
Right now, all that matters is winning at 2:30 tomorrow! They'll face either LP-GE or Breckenridge. UPDATE: the Jaguars will face LP-GE in the 2:30 p.m. game tomorrow in Clarissa. The Thunder (15-5 overall) kept their season alive with a 2-1 win against Breckenridge tonight in an elimination game. LP-GE won the Prairie Conference title this season with a 5-1 record. They beat the Jaguars 8-3 in the final regular season game on May 23.
In the elimination bracket of Section 3AA, the Minnewaska Area baseball team defeated Fairmont 9-7 today in their first game in Marshall. The Lakers (20-3) followed that with a 12-0 win against Windom Area to advance to the Section 3AA championship series. They face conference rival Montevideo tomorrow night in Marshall. If they beat the Thunderhawks, the two teams will play a second game in winner-take-all fashion.
In Section 3A, Lac qui Parle Valley defeated Adrian/Ellsworth 3-2 to keep their season alive and improve to 14-6 overall. The Eagles lost to neighboring rival Dawson-Boyd 3-1 on June 1 and will have to beat the Blackjacks twice to advance to state.
In other news...
Tonight features the varsity and JV fastpitch team banquet at Lucky Shots Bowling Alley as well as a full slate of Pepsi League games at New London-Spicer high school. No rest for the restless!
I finally have video posted from the Grove Lake Memorial parade, which was held on Sunday, May 26. You can watch that by clicking here: https://shorturl.at/2krdd.
At the Clarissa ball diamond today, the B-B-E Jaguars baseball team is trailing 2-0 in the second inning against Parkers Prairie in the Section 6A championship semifinals. As of 2:10 p.m., the game is in a rain delay. I haven't caught up to whether or not it has radio coverage.
UPDATE:the game was suspended due to heavy rain in Clarissa shortly after 2 p.m. As it stands, Parkers Prairie holds a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Other information is forthcoming later tonight in terms of the venue and time the game will resume (Wednesday, June 5).
Section 6A elimination bracket scores on June 4:
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 3, Border West 1
Breckenridge 4, Upsala/Swanville Area 3
As of today, the Section 6A tournament has reached the Final Four stage with these three teams remaining: B-B-E, Parkers Prairie, U/SA and LP-GE. As of now, I am unaware of when the games will resume tomorrow.
**UPDATE: the Section 6A semifinal game between our Jaguars and Parkers Prairie will resume at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5 at the Clarissa ball diamond. I am hopeful that the weather will cooperate, and our team will have a large contingent of fans to cheer them to a win! It's a HUGE game, and if they win, they will wait for the Section 6A championship series to begin on Thursday. If needed, a winner-take-all game will be on Friday. As usual, this is all dependent on the weather! Right now, all that matters is defeating Parkers Prairie tomorrow.
How about a change of pace...back to Graduation night!:
Here's a video featuring Superintendent Walsh's speech to the graduating class on May 24:
It could take up to two more weeks for me to adequately comb through all the activities that took place in Jaguar Country in May. The list is endless.
BVD 3-on-3 basketball; Starz of Tomorrow Baseball Academy, and *VENUE change
The flyer is ready for the Bonanza Valley Days 3-on-3 youth basketball tournament! Coach Rambow submitted this to our sports department tonight, so now it's time to promote, promote, promote! This event will help kick off the four-day BVD weekend of activities, and it will be held on Thursday, July 11 at the B-B-E elementary school in Brooten.
The BVD 3-on-3 basketball tournament is set up for student athletes who are ENTERING 4th through 9th grade for the 2024-2025 school year. Games will start at 9 a.m.
Now's the time to start organizing your 3-on-3 team...teams can include 3 or 4 players. I'll get additional details posted here. Also, I hope to get the registration form included in the newspaper. We'll see.
In high school baseball news...
At this point, a venue change has been posted for the Section 6A semifinals for our B-B-E Jaguars baseball team, who is set to face Parkers Prairie tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2 p.m...this game is set to be played in Clarissa, not Browerville. The forecast looks tough, however...we'll have to see what develops for severe weather on Tuesday. ALSO! The Section 6A championship series is set to begin on Wednesday, June 5 at 4:30 p.m. at a site to be determined.
**Here's top of the fifth inning action against Upsala/Swanville Area last Friday in Morris:
The clip begins with U/SA batting with one out and two runners in scoring position for a solid threat to B-B-E's slim 2-0 lead underway. Right fielder Jack Lundberg ran down a ball hit down the right line, caught it for a pop fly and then threw a bullet to catcher Aiden Mueller that held up the runner at third base. It was an incredible throw right on the money that helped preserve the shutout!
In YOUTH baseball news...Youth baseball camp coming to Elrosa on June 19 - register soon!
The Starz of Tomorrow Baseball Academy will be coming to Elrosa on Wednesday, June 19 at Saints Field. This is for baseball players age 13 and younger.
The Starz of Tomorrow Baseball Academy is operated by Pat Dolan with the St. Cloud State University baseball team. He has been head coach of the Huskies since June 2007. At SCSU, his teams compiled a record of 611-247-1. The 2024 season was his 29th year as a collegiate head baseball coach.
This year’s Starz of Tomorrow Baseball Academy youth camp in Elrosa features a skills camp from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and a game will be played from 2 to 3 p.m. Lunch is provided.
This will be the 35th year that Coach Dolan’s baseball academy has done summer camps across Minnesota.
From his website, Coach Dolan said, “Come join the baseball FUN and learn the FUNdamentals of this great game with learning new baseball drills, drills, drills to in every area of the game to improve your baseball skills along with simulated baseball games and various contest and always finishing the day with a game
Each player will get a Starz of Tomorrow camp T-shirts and a baseball lunch. Awards will be given for MVP, MMS (Star!), Charlie Hustle, Mr. Defense and top hitter. Also included are contests that test arm speed and bat speed with their radar gun and running speed from home to first base along with Rambow “Grinder of the Day!”, the Viking Coke “Powerade dirty, mustache throwing contest!” and more.
The cost for B-B-E Jaguar players is just $75 or $50 by cash payment.
Registration can be handled online at https://starzbaseballcamp.com/camps/detail.php?campid=178.
The days continue to get longer and longer...it will be this way for a couple more weeks before the summer solstice. Can you believe it? THEN we begin our march towards winter. Crazy...yes, later in June, the days begin to shorten day by day.
Area baseball playoff scores on June 1 and June 3:
Windom Area 3, New London-Spicer 2
Minnewaska Area 7, Paynesville Area 4 (an elimination game at Regal on Saturday)
Minnewaska Area 5, NL-S 4 (an elimination game in Granite Falls on Monday)
Montevideo 2, Windom Area 1 (a Section 3AA winner's bracket game)
Pierz 5, Holdingford 2
Foley 7, Albany 6
Graduation parties continue, BVD hoops tournament date set, Saints win!
Today we have a big graduation party coming to the Brooten Pavilion. Two Radermacher families are joining forces for an open house graduation party for Class of 2024 graduates Faith Radermacher and Owen Radermacher. The party runs from 1 to 4 p.m. today at the Pavilion.
So far this spring, I've only been able to make it to two graduation parties in the month of May. I hope to get to more in June.
Head coach Austin Rambow has announced that the Bonanza Valley Days 3-on-3 basketball tournament will be held on Thursday, July 11 at the B-B-E elementary school in Brooten. All other details are still being worked out, including whether or not it will have a girls/women division included. For now, please spread the word that this will take place on July 11. I hope we can get a nice response of teams.
In amateur baseball news...
In a Stearns County League North division game today in Elrosa, the Saints enjoyed the return of Payton VanBeck to the lineup after his collegiate career concluded this spring with the St. Cloud State Huskies. VanBeck, a B-B-E Class of 2019 graduate, no-hit New Munich in a stellar 16-strikeout complete game performance. Final score: Elrosa 11, New Munich 0 in seven innings. The Silverstreaks slipped to 3-4 in the SCL-North standings, while Elrosa is 1-5. Next: the Saints (2-5) travel to St. Martin on Friday, June 7 for an 8:30 p.m. game at Ray Weber Stadium.
