Crow River Review CR Review - Region 7C Program 8/4/16 | Page 2

Page 2 Crow River Revie Review www.CRVLbaseball.com Bluejays poised for another run at state title REGION PREVIEW PREVIEW, from 1 their ticket to the Region 7C Tournament. The Bruins were the only low seed to win their series as they knocked off the No. 8 seed Watertown. The Carver and Cologne series also had some drama down the stretch. After the Black Sox cruised to a 12-0 win in game one, the Hollanders gave the Black Sox everything they could handle and more in game two. The Hollanders picked up three runs in the first inning to take an early lead, but the Black Sox chipped away with single runs in the first, fifth, and seventh innings to tie things up. With the game tied heading to the ninth inning, the Hollanders pushed the go-ahead run across in the top of the ninth to take a 4-3 lead. The Black Sox were able to answer back in the bottom of the ninth and forced the third extra inning game of the first round of the playoffs. After both teams went scoreless in the 10th, once again the Hollanders pushed the go-ahead run across in the top of the 11th thanks to an RBI double by Travis Peterson. After the Hollanders settled for one, the Black Sox rallied once again and pushed two runs, the winning run coming via a sac fly by Adam Fredericks in the bottom of the 11th, to complete the comeback and series sweep and advance to the Region 7C Tournament. The top four finishers in this year’s Region 7C Tournament will secure a spot in the Class C state tournament, held this year in Dassel, Hutchinson, and Litchfield. The following is a look at all eight teams in the tournament. #1 Plato (22-3 overall, 17-1 in CRVL) There’s no doubt the Bluejays are a contender once again for the Class C state tournament. After winning the state title in 2015, the Bluejays have the arms and bats to make a run as repeat champs once agian. The Bluejays, as a team, led the way in the CRVL this year with a team batting average of .354. Matt Odegaard, who should be an easy choice for Player of The Year, led the league in average, doubles, triples, home runs, runs scored, and RBI this season. The Bluejays also have five of the top 10 leaders in batting average, including Matt Odegaard with a .493 average, Nolan Lepel with a .469 average, Tyler Lang with a .383 Furnace and Air Conditions Systems for Your Home MADE IN THE USA Rest Assured. It’s an Amana® brand. average, and Chris Odegaard and Kyle Panning with .375 averages. Pitching for the Bluejays has also been a huge part to their success this season. Chris Odegaard led the league in wins with seven, and Cody Hallahan was third in ERA with an earned run average of 1.00 in 27 innings. The Bluejays won the CRVL regular season title with a 17-1 record. Their lone loss came to Green Isle back on May 22. Since the loss, the Bluejays have been red hot, picking up 18 straight wins, including a win at Green Isle. The Bluejays come into the Region 7C Tournament hot, and look to be a favorite. Plato opens its tournament run against the No. 8 seed Brownton. The Bluejays went 2-0 against the Bruins this past season, and hold a 9-1 record against tournament teams. #2 Waconia (15-5 overall, 15-2 in CRVL) The Waconia Lakers come into the Region 7C Tournament as the No. 2 seed. After beating Green Isle 9-4 July 14, the Lakers won the tie breaker with Irish to earn the No. 2 seed and get a bye into the tournament. The Lakers also have a great chance to make a run in the tournament. With a great balance of pitching and hitting, the Lakers will make it tough on opponents. The Lakers have multiple pitchers who can throw quality innings. Kodey Simon leads the charge. He thew 40 innings and posted a 2.03 ERA while picking up five wins this season. Ryan Naughton and Eric Olson also will be looked on to provide solid innings for the Lakers. Offensively, the Lakers have a nice balance. They have seven players hitting over .300 on the season. Ronnie Olson has been the RBI guy so far this season for the Lakers and he also leads the team in runs scored. Chris Bullis is the power threat for the Lakers and as has hit two home runs this season. The Lakers get the No. 7 seed Glencoe Brewers in their first round matchup. The Lakers defeated the Brewers 11-3 in their only meeting during the regular season. The Lakers hold a 5-2 record against teams in the tournament. #3 Green Isle (21-6 overall, 16-2 in CRVL) REGION PREVIEW page 14 MBA Class C Rankings No. 1 - Plato Bluejays No. 2 Sartell Muskies No. 3 Nisswa Lightning No. 4 Blue Earth Pirates No. 5 Jordan Brewers No. 6 Green Isle Irish No. 7 New Marker Muskies No. 8 Morris Eagles No. 9 Fort Ripley Rebels 10. Lamberton Long Sox Others receiving votes: Milroy Yankees, Raymond Rockets, Sobiesky Skis, Waconia Lakers. Upcoming Class C state tourney sites Buy Now and Take Advantage of Tax Credits & Utility Rebates* Plus Instant Cash Back on qualifying systems! Hutchinson (320) 587-7437 Waconia (952) 442-8252 Glencoe (320) 864-1991 Cokato (320) 286-5119 www.phcraig.com * tax credits and utility rebates may not be available to all customers. Other restrictions may apply, see Plumbing and Heating by Craig for details. Amana is a registered trademark of Maytag Corporation or its related companies and is used under license to Goodman Company, L.P., Houston, TX, USA. All rights reserved. • 2016 – Hutchinson, Dassel, Litchfield • 2017 – Norwood, Green Isle, Hamburg • 2018 – Shakopee, New Prague • 2019 – Delano, Maple Lake • 2020 – New Ulm Upcoming Region 7C tourney sites • 2017 – New Germany • 2018 – Waconia • 2019 – Carver