Legion team gets wins over Farmington, Hastings
New Prague’s Post 45 American Legion Baseball team went to 3-0, 2-0 in league play, with a pair of impressive wins in the past week.
New Prague blasted Farmington 13-3 on Friday, then followed that with a 6-0 rain-shortened win over Hastings Monday. The June 7 game with Faribault was postponed due to rain, with no makeup date set.
New Prague was scheduled to play at St. Peter Tuesday, June 14. On Thursday, June 16, they face Northfield. In a change from the original schedule, that game will be played at Northfield. On Friday, June 17, they are scheduled to host Lakeville, but coach Terry Kalina expects that game to be postponed since the Lakeville High School team is competing in the state tournament Thursday and Friday. No final decision had been made at press time.
On Monday, June 20, New Prague plays at Woodbury White, and on Tuesday, June 21, they host the Apple Valley 76ers, last year’s state runner-up.
New Prague 13, Farmington 3
New Prague had a big seventh inning to defeat host Farmington 13-3 Friday, June 10.
Farmington took control early in this game, scoring three runs in the second inning off starter Josh Simon.
But that was all they would get off Simon, who allowed just five hits and struck out seven. New Prague chipped away at the lead, scoring one in the fourth on an RBI single by Simon, one in the fifth when Kyle Bergstrom and Adam Gill had back-to-back doubles, and one in the sixth on an RBI single by Tony Kubes. That tied the game at 3-3.
Things changed dramatically in the seventh inning, as New Prague silenced a boisterous Farmington crowd by sending 14 batters to the plate and scoring 10 runs. Bergstrom led off with a single and Gill sacrificed him to second. Ben Bartelt walked and Mike Goldsmith doubled to drive in two runs. Kyle Kalina walked and Josh Simon reached on an error, with Goldsmith scoring. Matt Ambroz walked to load the bases, then Kubes grounded to second, scoring a run. Kevin Kalina doubled, driving in a run, and Bergstrom drove in a run with a single, his second hit of the inning. Gill and pinch-hitter Luke Hanzel both walked, then Goldsmith hit a bases-loaded triple, giving him five RBIs on the inning.
New Prague 6, Hastings 0
New Prague beat both the weather and a tough Hastings team Monday evening, in a game shortened by rain and lightning.
New Prague provided some early thunder, with Goldsmith leading off with a single and stealing second. Simon doubled to drive in a run and Kevin Kalina’s single scored the second run.
Eric Bisek led off the third with a base hit, then stole second. He scored on a hit by Goldsmith.
New Prague made it 4-0 in the third, with Simon drawing a leadoff walk and stealing second. Kevin Kalina drove in the run with a base hit.
In the fifth, Kyle Kalina had a leadoff homer, then Matt Ambroz hit a solo homer later in the inning to make it 6-0.
Bergstrom got the win, giving up just two hits. He struck out nine.
Play was halted in the sixth inning due to lightning, but because they completed five innings, the results were official.
