Return to Sports Archives

Paynesville came a couple plays away from a better finish, losing in extra innings to Eastview and to Maple Grove. In both losses, errors cost Paynesville, as they committed five against Eastview and six against Maple Grove.

Paynesville - with only nine players - showed they could compete with the best teams in the state, said coach Dan Stanger. Against the larger schools in the tourney, Paynesville should have won the two games it lost and came within two games of a top three finish, which would have qualified the team for a national tourney berth, added Stanger.

Paynesville opened the tourney by losing 9-7 to Apple Valley Eastview in eight innings, as they yielded two unearned runs in the seventh inning to allow Eastview to tie the game and two more in the eighth inning to lose on Wednesday, July 21.

Paynesville had taken a 7-5 lead in the fifth inning, as Alex Naujokas walked, stole two bases, and scored on a passed ball, and then John Hemingson singled to score Jamie Paul for a two-run lead.

Eastview had scored three runs on a three-run homer in the first inning to take the early lead, but Paynesville responded with four runs in the bottom of the first. Derek Stanger delivered an RBI single in that rally, and Mark Andrie cleared the bases with a three-run double.

In the second, Paynesville added to their lead when Max Lahr doubled and scored on a single by Naujokas. On Thursday, July 22, Paynesville routed Hector-Buffalo Lake, the only other small school team at the tourney, winning 11-0 in five innings by the ten-run rule.

Paynesville opened the game with back-to-back doubles by Trent Hansen and Naujokas. Paul and Andrie added run-scoring hits in the first inning, as Paynesville took a 4-0 lead.

They added five runs in the third inning, highlighted by Paul's two-run double. And they scored two runs in the fifth inning on Stanger's two-run single.

Stanger pitched all five innings for Paynesville, allowing only two hits and no runs.

Later on Thursday afternoon, Paynesville outslugged Osseo 15-10. All nine Paynesville players had a hit (as the team combined for 15 hits), and everyone either scored or knocked in a run.

Paynesville went down 1-2-3 in their first two at bats, trailing Osseo 2-0 before scoring four runs in the third inning. Sam Bayer started that rally with a double, coming around to score, and Stanger ended that rally with a two-run double.

In their final five at bats, Paynesville scored 14 runs. They added four runs in the fourth, one in the fifth, four in the sixth, and two in the seventh.

Bayer hit a two-run homer, his first of the season in Junior Legion, to start the fourth inning. Stanger hit a solo homer in the fifth. Paul, Hemingson, and Andrie had RBI singles in the sixth inning, and Hemingson added a two-run double in the seventh.

Against Maple Grove on Friday, Paynesville scored two runs in the top of the seventh to force extra innings, but Maple Grove scored an unearned run in the eighth to win.

Trailing 7-5, Paul led off the seventh for Paynesville with a walk and stole second. He scored on a double by Stanger, who in turn scored on a two-out single by Bayer.

Maple Grove used a two-out walk, a passed ball, and a throwing error to score an unearned run and win in the eighth inning.

Paynesville scored five runs in their first three at bats to take a 5-2 lead against Maple Grove. In their three-run first, Hemingson and Andrie had RBI singles. In the second, Paul singled home a run. And in the third, Andrie singled to score Hemingson, who had doubled.

But Maple Grove rallied to take the lead with three runs in the fifth and added another run in the sixth to build their 7-5 lead.

Had Paynesville beaten Maple Grove, they would have only needed to win one more game to finish in the top three and advance to a national tournament.

Eastview 9, Paynesville 7

Eastview--	301	100	22	- 9	10	0
Paynesville--	410	020	00	- 7	11	5

Paynesville - Batting: Mark Andrie 2-3 2B RBI-3; Max Lahr 2-3 2B R; Alex Naujokas 2-3 R-2 RBI BB-2; John Hemingson 1-3 RBI R; Jamie Paul 1-3 R-2; Steve Gerding 1-4; Derek Stanger 1-5 R RBI; Trent Hansen 1-5; Pitching: (ip) Paul (L) (8).

Paynesville 11, Hector-BL 0

Paynesville--	405	02x	x	- 11	9	2
Hector-BL--	000	00x	x	- 0	2	1

Paynesville - Batting: Paul 3-4 2B R RBI-3 SB; Naujokas 2-2 2B R-3 RBI SB-2; Hansen 1-2 2B R-3 BB-2 SB-2; Stanger 1-3 RBI-2 SB; Andrie 1-3 R RBI; Lahr 1-3; Pitching: (ip-h-r-er-bb-k) Stanger (W) (5-2-0-0-0-1).

Paynesville 15, Osseo 10

Paynesville--	004	414	2	- 15	15	2
Osseo--	111	123	1	- 10	15	3

Paynesville - Batting: John Hemingson 3-5 2B RBI-3 R; Sam Bayer 2-4 HR 2B RBI-2 R-2; Stanger 2-4 HR 2B RBI-4 R; Naujokas 2-4 2B R-3; Paul 2-5 R-3 RBI; Steve Gerding 1-3 R; Andrie 1-3 R RBI; Hansen 1-4 R-2; Lahr 1-4 R RBI; ; Pitching: (ip) Stanger (2.1); Paul (W) (3.2); Hemingson (1).

Maple Grove 8, Paynesville 7

Paynesville--	311	000	20	- 7	8	6
Maple Grove--	201	031	01	- 8	7	1

Paynesville - Batting: Hemingson 2-4 2B RBI R-2; Stanger 2-4 2B RBI-2 R-2 SB-2; Andrie 2-3 RBI-2; Paul 1-3 R RBI SB; Bayer 1-4 RBI; Pitching: (ip) Hemingson (L) (8).