Crow River Review www. CRVLbaseball. com Page 3
CRVL teams make deep runs at state tournament once again
KIP KOVAR Herald Journal Sports Editor
The Crow River Vallley League has earned quiet a reputation at the state tournment over the past few years. After last year saw two CRVL teams in Plato and Green Isle playing in the Class C title game, the four CRVL teams this year followed that up with another impressive performance.
The CRVL had three of its four teams make it to the final 16, while Winsted and Plato ultimately had their seasons end in the final eight.
Brownton Bruins
The Brownton Bruins, a team that posted a regular season league record of 9-9, was a surpise state tournament team after knocking off defending champs Plato in the first round of the Region 7C tournament. The Bruins didn’ t stop there though. After qualifying for the state tourmanent, the Bruins proved doubters wrong once again as they knocked off Jordan by a scored of 3-1 in the opening round.
The Bruins later had its season come to an end in the second round, after a 13-6 loss to Sartell.
Winsted Wildcats
The Winsted Wildcats, along with the Plato Bluejays, made it the farthest of the four CRVL teams this year.
The Wildcats, who finished the regular season with a league 13-5 record, opened its state tournament run with a 6-0 win over Roseau.
In its second game of the tournament, the Wildcats came out on top in one of its most exciting games of the season. With the game tied at one in the top of the 10th inning, firstbaseman Joe Kley delivered in the clutch a bases-clearing double to give the Wildcats a 4-1 win in 10 innings and keep its state tournament run alive.
Following the exciting win over Gaylord in the second round, the Wildcats came through again. After taking a big lead early, the Wildcats were forced to hold off a late rally by the Watkins Clippers. The Clippers scored four runs in the final four innings, but it wasn’ t enough as the Wildcats held on for a 7-5 win, advancing to the final eight and staying alive in the final weekend.
In their final eight matchup against Sobiesky, the Wildcats had their defense make too many mistakes. The Wildcats had five errors as they fell to Sobieski 15-12, just one game short of reaching the final four.
Tony Kley and Joey Kley were selected to the All-Tournament team for the Wildcats.
Plato Bluejays
The Bluejays rolled through the first two weekends of the state tournament with an 11-1 win over Springfield and a 12-1 win over Fergus Falls. After winning the Class C state tournament a season ago, the Bluejays issued a statement in their first two games.
In their third game of the tournament, the Bluejays were forced to earn it. Taking an early 4-0 lead, the Bluejays were able to hold off the Elrosa Saints for a 5-2 win and advance to the final eight along with the Winsted Wildcats.
In their final eight matchup, the Bluejays faced one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament. The Hutchinson Huskies rallied back after falling behind 2-0 for a 4- 2 win over the defending champs, advancing to the final four.
Chris Odefaard was selected to the All- Tournament team for the Bluejays.
Waconia Lakers
Things didn’ t come easy for the Waconia Lakers in their state tournament run. The Lakers, who came into the state tournament as Region 7C champions, snuck by the Cold Spring Rockies with a 2-1 win in their opening round.
Following the exciting game in the first round, the Lakers, who have one of the most explosive offensive teams, were shut-out by the Maple Lake Lakers as their season came to an end with a 3-0 loss.
Brownton’ s Dylan McCormick was the ace for the Bruins all season long. He led the league in strikeouts with 85. McCormick helped the Bruins punch a ticket to state tournament with wins over Plato and Glencoe in the Region 7C Tournament.
PHOTO BY KIP KOVAR
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