Waterville, Cannon Falls, Advance to State

The Cannon Falls Bears are the Region 5C MBA Tournament champions.  Waterville is the #3 seed for Region 6C in State Amateur Baseball.

That means both teams will participate in the 100th State Amateur Baseball Tournament beginning next weekend in Delano, Dassel and Litchfield.

The Bears will not play opening weekend because they are a Region Champion.

In Region 3C Veseli punched their ticket to State as the #3 seed with a 8-4 victory over Lonsdale Saturday in the Aces ballpark.

I was in Mankato Saturday and frankly watched two ugly games before Waterville got a great pitching performance from Luke Sellner.

Morristown had their season end with a 16-6 8-inning loss to Belle Plaine.

There were 9 total walks in the game and 5 hit batters.  Morries pitchers walked 8 and hit 2.

Morristown had a chance to take the lead in the second inning when Landon Harmon opened with a 1-1 count double at ISG Field in Mankato.

Following a ground out there was an error placing runners at first and second before a double play ended the opportunity.

Belle Paine scored 5 runs in the bottom of the second when ten batters stepped to the plate.  The Tigers collected 4 hits including two doubles and took advantage of two hit batters in the onslaught.

Morristown responded with 3 runs in the top of the third inning.  With one out #9 batter in the order Tucker Rients hit a single following a seven pitch at bat.

A second out was recorded before the Morries Brent Vollbrecht walked, Ben Lamont hit a 0-1 count single and Landon Harmon hammered a 1-2 count bases clearing double.

Belle Plaine scored two runs in the bottom of the third on one hit.  A error and walk opened the inning.  #7 batter Derek Hoffman executed a bunt to advance Jared Miller and Josh Terrio.

Jac Campbell got a full count single to plate two runs.

In the top of the 4th inning Brian Lamont opened the Morries offense with a single followed by a Rich Rients 0-1 count single.  Kolin Rients hit an RBI single before a strikeout and double play ended the threat.

Bottom of the fourth inning the Tigers sent ten men to the plate, scoring four more runs with the benefit of one hit.

Morristown starting pitcher Tate Harmon threw to the first four batters of the inning with 3 walks.  Rich Rients entered on the mound with the bases loaded and walked Terrio to score a run.

Derek Hoffman clubbed a 2-run single before a strikeout.  Two more walks allowed another run to be scored before the end of the inning.

I will say, in my opinion, the strike zone in this game did not appear to have any corners which is again, in my opinion, why fans were given a walk infested game.

A couple of the hit batters clearly leaned into the ball to get hit which also takes away the inside corner.  As long as it's allowed players will keep doing it,

Minnesota baseball legend Tink Larson was sitting near me and agreed it should not be allowed.  Larson says rules clearly state moving into a pitch is not be allowed.

Per baseball official rule 5.05(b), a batter becomes a baserunner and is awarded first base when he or his equipment (except for his bat):

• is touched by a pitched ball outside the strike zone, 
• and he attempts to avoid it (or had no opportunity to avoid it),
• and he did not swing at the pitch.^[1]

If all these conditions are met, the ball is dead, and other baserunners advance if they are forced to vacate their base by the batter taking first. Rule 5.09(a) further clarifies that a hit by pitch is also called when a pitch touches a batter's clothing.^[2]

In the case where a batter swings and the pitch hits him anyway, the ball is dead and a strike is called.^[3] If the batter does not attempt to avoid the pitch, he is not awarded first base, and the pitch is ruled either a strike if in the strike zone or a ball if out of the strike zone. 

A hit-by-pitch can also be called on a pitch that has first touched the ground before hitting the batter. Such a bouncing pitch is like any other, and if a batter is hit by such a pitch, he will be awarded first unless he made no attempt to avoid it (and he had an opportunity to avoid it).

Over the last number of years I have rarely seen the official rule enforced.  Is the rule different for high school or amateur baseball?

Morristown scored their last run in the 6th inning with two outs.  Brian Lamont was hit by a 0-1 count pitch and was erased from the bases by a double play.

Kolin Rients was hit by a pitch followed by an RBI 1-0 count double off the bat of Tucvker Rients.

Belle Plaine scored a run in the 7th inning when Jared Miller hit a 3-1 count RBI double scored Brody Curtiss who opened the inning with a 2-1 count double.

The Tigers ended the game with 4 runs in the 8th inning off 5 hits including a pair of doubles.

Belle Plaine lead-off hitter Tyler O'Brien had a great day at the plate, with 3 singles, a double and bases loaded walk.

Carson Ladd walked twice, was hit by a pitch and stroked an RBI single.

Curtiss hit two doubles and a single.  Tigers starting pitcher Jared Miller was on base all six times at the plate with a RBI double, single, twice on errors and hit by a pitch.

Josh Terrio had 2 of the 19 Belle Plaine hits.  The Morries had 8 hits in the game.

The Tigers played Waterville for the #3 seed out of Region 6C.

The Indians defeated Gaylord 16-6 in seven innings.

Another game that had 13 total walks and a couple of hit batters.

The Islanders opened the game against Waterville pitcher Dalton Grose with 3 runs on 1 hit in the first inning.  Two walks were issued with 7 batters going to the plate.

The Indians answered with 5 runs in the bottom of the inning on 5 hits when 10 batters went to the plate.

Shane Sellner had a 1-1 count RBI single.  Dalton Grose hammered a 2-run double and Isaac Turner hit a 0-1 count RBI single.

Watervile added a run in the second inning when Blake Bartelt opened with a single to right field.  He stole second base during a Luke Sellner at bat that ended with a fly out.  After a strike out Shane Sellner hammered a RBI double.

The  Islanders scored two runs in the third after back-to-back singles opened the inning and a walk loaded the bases.  A sacrifice fly led to one run and the other scored on a ground out.

Dalton Grose had a RBI single in the fifth inning that scored Josh Cook who reached base on an error.

A Gaylord walk scored in the 6th inning before Waterville ended the game with nine hitters entering the batter's box and three achieving hits.

Shane Sellner drew a walk to start the inning.  Following a ground out Nolan Grose clubbed a RBI single.

Turner reached on a fielder's choice followed by Tom Gannon being plunked by a 0-1 count pitch.  They would score on a Max Werk 2-RBI single.  He would advance to second on a throw home.

A new pitcher was brought in and he hit Bartelt with the first pitch.  Luke Sellner was walked.,  Josh Cook cracked a 2-RBI single to end the game by the ten run rule in the 7th inninng.

Waterville had 16 runs on 18 hits with 8 walks and two hit batters.  They committed no errors. Left 13 runners on base, 8 in scoring position.

Gaylord scored 6 runs on 9 hits with 5 walks.  The Islanders committed 3 errors and left 8 runners on the bases with 4 in scoring position.

Waterville went on to win against Belle Plaine 8-0 with Luke Sellner throwing a 4-hitter.  Sellner had 11 strikeouts in the game, 2 walks, 3 hit batters.

Brody Curtiss had a no-hitter for the Tigers going into the 6th inning when the Indians broke through for 5 hits in the inning and scored 4 runs.

Following a strike out looking, Max Werk hit a double to right field on a 0-1 count.  Bartelt followed with a double to left scoring the first run of the game.  Bartelt advanced to third base on a wild pitch before coming home on a Luke Sellner perfectly executed suicide squeeze.

Remember this game was being played on an artificial surface.  Josh Cook was hit by a pitch.  Following the second out Dalton Grose clubbed a 2-RBI single ending Curtiss's day on the mound.  Colton Kerkow replaced him.

Waterville scored two runs in the seventh after a strikeout to start the inning Werk walked, Bartelt singled and ended up at third again on a wild pitch. Luke Sellner executed another suicide squeeze bunt scoring Bartelt. Brody Boran went in to run for Sellner.

Cook stroked a RBI single with Boran thrown out at the plate trying to score on a Shane Sellner single.

Dalton Grose opened the bottom of the 8th inning with a 1-1 count single.  Following a strikeout Turner hammered a RBI double ending Kerkow's day pitching.

Terrio came in to pitch and recorded the final two outs on a ground out and pop up to the pitcher.

Jordan defeated Blue Earth 11-0 in seven innings in the Region 6C Championship game so the Brewers are off opening weekend and Blue Earth is #2 seed from the region.

Waterville drafted Nick Werk of Eagle Lake, T.J. Nowak of Minnesota Lake and Sam Carlson from St. Peter.

Kelvin Nelson of Waseca was drafted by Jordan.