The Brewers are statebound after eliminating the Crookston Reds in Region 12C playoff action Saturday afternoon. The Brewers secured their 4th straight state berth, but came up short in their goal to take the top seed out of the region, losing to EGF Heaters in game 2.
Facing elimination, the Brewers came out strong against Crookston starter Brandon Wolf, putting up 4 runs in the first inning which was highlighted by a 2-run HR by Chris Clemenson. Dale Dingmann tacked on another run with a solo shot in the 4th inning to support Brock Gnadt on the mound...Gnadt pitched a complete game in the win. Crookston clawed their way back into the game, scoring 2 runs in the 5th and then threatening again in the 7th with bases loaded, but Gnadt beared down to get big outs and squash the potential rally...
With the win against Crookston, the Brewers earned a rematch with East Grand Forks to decide 1st & 2nd place, and the all-important seeding for the state tournament.
The Brewers were looking forward to the rematch, after losing a 6 run lead in the 7th in ugly fashion the previous week (the first regional playoff loss in 4 years).
Unfortunately for the Brewers, EGF jumped out to a big lead in the first inning off starter Andy Leraas. The dependable Leraas just didn't have his A game. Ryan Olson's HR gave the Brew crew some life, but the team squandered multiple opportunities throughout the rest of the game, stranding a lot of runners. What was even more frustrating were multiple errors which resulted in more runs for EGF...
The Brewers take an overall record of 27-14 to the 2007 Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament held at Hamburg, MN and Norwood, MN. The #2 seed puts the Brewers in a very tough bracket, which includes defending state champion Blue Earth. The Brewers match up with a tough Plato team, the #1 seed from Region 7A in the opening round on Saturday, August 18th at 5pm in Hamburg.
