Elko splits in two games in state tourney; plays Granite Falls Friday
The Elko Express split two state Class C baseball tournament games last weekend, as they defeated St. Cloud Orthopedic of the Lakewood Central League on Saturday and lost to Wolf Lake of the Lakes & Pines League on Sunday.
The results put the Express into the losers' bracket in double elimination play.
Their next opponent is Granite Falls from the Western Minny League in a Friday game at Belle Plaine at 5:00 p.m. The Kilowatts were state Class C champions two years ago and this is their 26th state tournament appearance.
The loser will be eliminated and the winner goes against the Moorhead Brewers vs. Blue Earth loser at Jordan on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
Blue Earth plays the Moorhead Brewers in a winners bracket game on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Jordan.
Concluding games will be played Sunday and Monday (Labor Day).
The weekend's results:
Saturday, Aug. 28, at Belle Plaine
Elko 3, St. Cloud Orthopedic 0
The Express led from the first inning on as Mike Shromoff doubled in a run for a 1-0 lead.
Ash Larsen, Elko's designated hitter, led off the fourth inning with a home run to left and in the sixth a run came across with the help of an error for the final 3-0 score.
Lefthander Keith Meyers, draftee from Cannon Falls, pitched for Elko, giving up but four hits, walking only one and striking out 13 batters.
The line score: R H E
Elko Express...............100 101 000 - 3 5 1
St. Cloud Orthopedic ..000 000 000 - 0 4 1
Keith Meyers and Josh Thom. Jason Fischer, Andy Auger (7) and Brian Mathiason.
Sunday, Aug. 29, at Belle Plaine
Wolf Lake 4, Elko 2
Second baseman Luther Kangas hit an inside-the-park grand slam home run in the last of the eighth inning to send Wolf Lake into the winners' bracket of double elimination play in the tournament.
Kangas' long hit to the deepest part of the park with two outs and the bases full decided the game as Elko had held a 2-0 lead after seven innings.
Mike Shromoff had hit a two-out, bases empty homer for the Express in the fourth inning, and in the seventh Tres Humerickhouse doubled with one out and scored after two were out on Nick Davis' single.
Shromoff and Tony Gabriel had two hits apiece for Elko.
Relief pitcher Rob Brick took the loss after coming on with two out in the eighth and the winner for Wolf Lake was draftee and relief pitcher Pete Marjama of Midway.
The line score: R H E
Elko Express................000 100 100 - 2 7 0
Wolf Lake Wolfpack....000 000 04x - 4 9 2
Andrew Lyke, Rob Brick (72/3) and Josh Thom. Greg Schmid, Jake Stoll (61/3), Pete Marjama (62/3) and Chris Baso.
Second Round Class C Tourney Scores
Wolf Lake 8, St. Charles 0
Elko 3, St. Cloud Orthopedic 0
Granite Falls 6, Maple Plain 4
Sobieski 3, Pipestone 2
Moorhead Brewers 6, Fergus Falls 5
Melrose 12, Hampton 4
Blue Earth 15, New Munich 5 (8 inn.)
Raymond 4, Wilmont 0
Third Round Class C Tourney Scores
Wolf Lake 4, Elko 2
Sobieski 1, Granite Falls 0 (11 inn.)
Moorhead Brewers 11, Melrose 4
Blue Earth 4, Raymond 2
