Legion team ends season
New Prague's Post 45 American Legion Baseball team won its first round game at the Sub-State Tournament in Burnsville Thursday, July 25, but then lost its next two to end their season with a 11-8 record. New Prague opened with a 2-1 win over Lakeville South, then lost to Burnsville and Apple Valley. Burnsville went on to win the tournament and will compete in the State Tournament Friday, Aug. 2, facing Alexandria.
Post 45 2, Lakeville South 1 Dan Feneis pitched a complete nine-inning game, allowing just five hits and one unearned run. He struck out six and walked just two. New Prague scored both its runs in the fifth inning. Dan Beckius opened with a single and Nathan Olson sacrificed him to second. Ben Miller singled, then Peter Lim and Austin Isaacson followed with RBI singles. New Prague had other chances, stranding runners on third in both the seventh and eighth innings. Lakeville South threatened in the ninth, getting a one-out double, but Feneis closed the door, getting the final two outs on grounders. Isaacson and Paul Hentges and Dan Beckius had two hits each for New Prague. Post 45 had 10 hits as a team, all singles.
Burnsville 12, Post 45 2 When these teams met in June, New Prague defeated the Cobras, who were ranked No. 1 in the state at the time. Burnsville got its revenge in a second round playoff game Tuesday, scoring in every inning on their way to a 12-2 seven-inning win. New Prague scored first, with Cody Shimota scoring on a throwing error in the first. They got another run in the second, also on an error. Post 45 had just four hits, by Isaacson, Shimota, Brok Schwartzkopf and Beckius. Ben Miller started and took the loss, with Schwartzkopf and Joe Schouviller pitching in relief.
Apple Valley 8, Post 45 3 Nathan Olson went 4-for-4 for New Prague and Post 45 had 13 hits, but they couldn't group them together to overcome an early 6-0 Apple Valley lead. New Prague scored all three of its runs in the fourth inning. Olson led off with a double, Schouviller singled and Lim reached on an error to bring in a run. Isaacson grounded out to bring in the second run, then Shimota singled to bring in the final run. Besides Olson’s four hits, Shimota had three and Isaacson and Hentges had two each. Hunter Piehl started and took the loss, with Hentges pitching in relief.
