Legion team is 4-7 after split at Woodbury

After losing both ends of a bizarre doubleheader to Red Wing Tuesday, June 23, the New Prague Post 45 American Legion baseball team bounced back with a decisive win over Northfield the next day. Post 45 also split a doubleheader at Woodbury Saturday, June 27.

Post 45 has a 4-7 record and was scheduled to host Lonsdale Tuesday, June 30. After a week off, the team will travel to Dundas to face Northfield at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 7.

Red Wing 17, Post 45 5

Just nine days after beating Red Wing 20-1, New Prague lost a 17-5 game at New Prague's Memorial Park in the first game of a doubleheader.

New Prague starter Cody Sampson had some early problems, but settled down after the first inning. What hurt New Prague was a series of scratch hits, some of which never made it out of the infield, along with a couple of ill-timed errors as they built a 7-2 lead.

Sampson allowed nine hits in four innings and Bryan Schmitz gave up eight hits in three innings.

New Prague, meanwhile, couldn't get the timely hit, as they left the bases loaded four times during the game. Zack Dubanoski and Chase Buthe both had two hits. Dubanoski launched a towering home run over the left field fence in the fifth.

Red Wing 9, Post 45 8

New Prague took an early 7-2 lead and led 8-6 going into the bottom of the seventh. Red Wing tied it with two runs in the seventh, and won it in the eighth.

Post 45 scored three runs in the first inning. Buthe, Austin Bachman and Connor Smisek drove in runs.

New Prague scored four runs in the second, with Dubanoski getting a two-run single.

Red Wing closed to within 7-6, but New Prague got an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Mitch Lunder reached on an error and scored on a base hit by Tyler Beuning. But the extra run wasn't enough, as the Wingers scored twice in the bottom of the seventh before winning in the eighth.

Novak and Beuning both had three hits and Buthe had two for New Prague. Buthe started and went six-plus innings, but had no decision. Lunder went 1-1/3 innings and took the loss.

Post 45 16, Northfield 5

New Prague's offense unloaded on Northfield Wednesday, June 24, taking a 16-5 win over the River Rats.

Post 45 scored one in the first when Justin Novak had a one-out double and scored on a base hit by Dubanoski.

They added seven runs in the third. With five singles, a double by Lunder, and a hit batter all contributing to the offense. They had six more in the fourth, with six different players getting RBIs, and two more in the fifth on a two-run homer by Lunder.

Buthe had three this, including a double, while Justin Novak, Dubanoski, Lunder and Brett Novak had two hits apiece.

Smisek got the complete game win. He allowed no runs and three hits through four innings before allowing five runs and two hits in the fifth. None of the runs were earned due to three errors. Smisek had five strikeouts and walked just one.

Woodbury White 11, Post 45 10

In the first game of a doubleheader at Woodbury, Woodbury White scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to take an 11-10 win over New Prague.

New Prague led 6-1, but Woodbury scored eight runs in the fourth to take a 9-6 lead. Trailing 10-6, New Prague tied it with four runs in the sixth.

New Prague had 16 hits, with Justin Novak, Buthe, Travis Vikla and Brett Kriha each getting three hits and Thomas Fadden and Lunder getting two each.

Bryan Schmitz started and went three innings. Curt Brezina pitched one inning and Beuning pitched the final 2-2/3 innings and took the loss.

Post 45 13, Woodbury White 3

After taking the loss in Game 1, Beuning came back to be the winning pitcher in a 13-3 win in the nightcap Saturday.

Beuning started and went 3-1/3 innings as the Trojans won via the 10-run rule.

After allowing a run in the top of the first, New Prague scored 10 runs in the bottom half of the innings. Big hits included a RBI doubles by Beuning and Smisek, two-run singles by Lunder and Justin Novak and RBI singles by Brett Novak, Buthe, and Dubanoski.

New Prague had 15 hits with Smisek getting three and Lunder and Brett Novak two.

Bachman pitched the final 1-2/3 innings and did not give up a run.