Upcoming Games: April 2010 2009 Record: 29-13 Overall; 13-5 Lakewood League; 5-4 Postseason National Division Regular Season (c) Champs!! 2009 MUSKIES SEASON IN REVIEW Record breaking year ends 1 game short of state Monday, September 21 The Sartell Muskies entered the 2009 season concerned about the loss of two college pitchers, and unsure of its prospects in the competitive Lakewood League. The concerns were unfounded, as the mix of a deep roster, excellent defense, and outstanding seasons by the team's best players produced 29 victories, a division title, numerous team and individual records, and nearly got the team to the state tournament. The Muskies won the Lakewood National Division in the regular season with a 13-5 record. The team took 2nd in league playoffs, and then won their opening game of the region 10C tournament. The team needed 1 more win to reach the state tournament, and held a 6-2 8th inning lead in their 2nd region game. That game ended in an agonizing 7-6 loss, and then the season ended with a 4-1 loss to the eventual state champion Orthopedic Sports Center. Despite that lost opportunity, the team had an excellent season and broke many records from the wood bat era (which began in 2002). Among the team records broken were games played (42), wins (29), win percentage (.690), ERA (2.79), WHIP (1.27), runs scored (271), hits (405), doubles (76), triples (10), home runs (24), stolen bases (69), and fewest errors per game (1.51). The complete record book can be found here. The 2009 stat leaderboard can be found here. The Muskies have long counted on Tim Burns to power the offense and Dave Schlangen to lead the pitching staff. The two stars surpassed their excellent standards in 2009, as both put together their best Muskies seasons to date. Burns led the team in every offensive category and demolished many of his own team records. He led the team in batting average (.414) and on base average (.462) and played in all 42 games. He broke season records for the following categories: slugging % (.781), OPS (1.243), hits (70), doubles (14), triples (6), home runs (12), at bats (169), runs scored (50), RBI (59), and stolen Bases (32). Schlangen also took excellence to a new level. He posted a 1.07 ERA while breaking his own team records for innings pitched (101), wins (10), and WHIP (0.87). Travis Weaver found relief from years of shoulder pain and was another key member of the pitching staff which set records for ERA and WHIP. Weaver won 7 games while posting a 2.69 ERA in 77 innings as the teams #2 starter. Other members of the pitching staff were Rob Gabrielson (4-2, 2 saves), Pete Johnson (6 saves), Randy Beckstrom (4-1), David Deminsky, Steven Fish, and Shawn Schoen. First baseman Jake Sweeter posted an excellent season, his 2nd with the Muskies. He was second on the team in a host of categories, including batting average (.344), on base average (.391), slugging % (.539), OPS (.930), doubles (13), and home runs (4). Jake's brother Luke Sweeter was 3rd on the team in OPS (.821), and 2nd on the team in hits (48), RBI (32), stolen bases (8) and games played (40). Luke was also a defensive stalwart at catcher in his first amateur season. Other members of the Muskies this season were outfielders Dan Gaughan (.293 average), Adam Schellinger (3 homers), and Nate Strenge; infielders Josh Rathbun (.297 average), Brian Schellinger, Mike Carlson, Tyler Zelinski, Adam Wenker, Joe Wenzel, Ryan Bottini, and Jim Gabrielson. The team was managed by Randy Beckstrom for the 4th consecutive season. Beckstrom has compiled a 96-53 record in his 2nd stint as Muskies Manager. OSC, DEMINSKY WIN STATE TITLE Friday, September 11 The St. Cloud Orthopedic Sports Center Ice -- with the help of Muskies draftee David Deminsky -- won the state class 'C' state tournament on Labor Day. Congrats to David and the Ice. Deminsky made 2 quality starts for the Ice as they navigated the tournament 6-0. Last Saturday Deminsky pitched a 3 hit shutout over Cannon Falls, propelling the Ice into the title game. The state tournament performance capped an excellent baseball year for Deminsky. In the spring, David earned All-Conference honors for the St. Cloud State Huskies. In May he played 7 games with the Muskies before joining the St. Cloud River Bats in the college wood bat Northwoods League. With the River Bats Deminsky was named to the midseason All-Star game and the postseason All-Star team. David returned to the Muskies in time to make one appearance in the region tournament. He was then drafted by the OSC Ice for the state tournament. SEASON ENDS WITH 4-1 LOSS Friday, August 14 OSC Ice 000 200 200 - 4 10 0 Muskies 000 100 000 - 1 5 2 Loss - Schlangen (10-3) The Muskies were eliminated from postseason play with a 4-1 loss to the Orthopedic Sports Center. An excellent season ends 1 game short of the state tournament. Ice pitcher Scott Geiger struck out 14 Muskies and held Sartell to 6 hits and 1 earned run. Sartell scored its only run when Tim Burns led off the 4th inning with a leadoff triple and scored on Jake Sweeter's groundout. Burns led Sartell with 2 hits in the game. The Ice batters finally broke through against Muskies ace Dave Schlangen. Schlangen threw a 2-hitter against the Ice in July, but lost the game 1-0 on an unearned run. In the region opener last Saturday night Schlangen defeated the Ice 4-1 in another complete game masterpiece. Schlangen took the loss in this game but still threw well. He allowed 7 hits and 3 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. "DOUBLE D" RETURNS AFTER STELLAR BATS SEASON Wednesday, August 12 Sartell Muskie David Deminsky completed a full season with the St. Cloud River Bats Monday. He is now able to pitch for the Muskies as the team tries to make the state tournament Friday night. Despite being a "small-school player" in a league that features a lot of NCAA Division I talent, Deminsky had a very successful campaign. He led the Bats in ERA (1.65), wins (6), and starts (11) while tossing 71 1/3 innings. He was also selected for both the midseason Northwoods All-Star game and the postseason All-Star team. Congrats to David on a great season! ...and welcome back. BIG INNING PUTS STATE BERTH ON ICE Sunday, August 9 Muskies- 000 005 100 - 6 11 1 Snappers 002 000 05x - 7 15 2 Loss - Sand (0-1); HR - Rathbun (2) Needing 6 outs to preserve a 6-2 lead and qualify for state, the Muskies allowed a 5-run rally and lost to the St. Cloud Snappers. The team gets 1 more chance to make state when it plays Friday night in a rematch against the Orthopedic Sports Center. That game begins at 7:00 PM at Putz Field. The Muskies had their own 5-run rally in the top of the 6th, getting an RBI single from Tim Burns, a 2-run single from Luke Sweeter, and a 2-run homer from Josh Rathbun. Sweeter finished with 3 hits and Rathbun had 2. Adam Wenker added 2 hits. The St. Cloud Times feature story on the game can be found here. MUSKIES WIN REGION OPENER, 4-1 Schlangen hurls another gem Saturday, August 8 Muskies 000 200 002 - 4 9 0 OSC Ice 001 000 000 - 1 6 0 Win - Schlangen (10-2); HR - Burns (12) After a long day of draining puddles and hosting regions on short notice, the Muskies prevailed 4-1 in an intense, well-played ballgame. Region 10C moves back to Faber Field in St. Cloud on Sunday. The Muskies will play the St. Cloud Snappers at 4:00 PM with a state tournament berth going to the winner. Ace starter Dave Schlangen tossed his 6th complete game of the year and earned his 10th win. He allowed 6 singles and 1 walk while striking out 7. After yielding a leadoff single in the 5th inning, he retired 15 of the final 16 batters, allowing only a 9th inning walk. Orthopedic Sports scored first, getting 3 hits and their lone run in the third inning. The Muskies answered in the next half inning with a 2-run homer from Tim Burns. Schlangen protected the 2-1 lead for the next 5 innings and the Muskie offense added 2 insurance runs in the 9th. Burns finished 2-for-4 in the game with a stolen base. Adam Wenker added 2 hits and an RBI, and Mike Carlson had 2 hits. ANOTHER SPLIT ON SUNDAY Muskies take 2nd place in Division playoffs Tuesday, August 4 Snappers 000 100 010 - 2 7 1 Muskies- 130 000 00x - 4 5 0 Win - Gabrielson (4-2); Save - Johnson (6) Snappers 300 000 000 - 3 10 2 Muskies- 000 110 000 - 2 9 0 Loss - Johnson (1-1) Needing 2 wins to take top honors in the National Division playoffs, the Muskies came up just a bit short. After winning 4-2 in the first Sunday game behind a strong outing from Rob Gabrielson, the Muskies left 12 men on base - including 1 in every inning - to lose 3-2 in the deciding game. With the win, the St. Cloud Snappers win the National Division playoffs and enter the region 10C tournament (bracket) as the top seed in game 1. The Muskies qualify for the same tournament and will play the Orthopedic Sports Center Ice at 7:00 PM Saturday. The Ice won the Lakewood League American Division in both the regular season and playoffs, and therefore are the top seed in game 2. Gabrielson tossed 7 2/3 effective innings in the Muskies win. He yielded 7 hits, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs. The Sartell offense capitilized on 5 walks in the first 2 innings to take an early 4-0 lead. Luke Sweeter's 2-run, 2-out single in the 2nd inning was the big blow. Tim Burns added an RBI in that inning and 3 hits in the game. Reliever Pete Johnson recorded the last 4 outs of the win and earned the save. To conserve on pitching in the 4th game of the weekend, Johnson also started game 2 hoping to complete 1 or 2 innings. That plan didn't work, as Johnson was tagged with the loss while giving up 5 hits in 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning. Rookie Adam Wenker relieved Johnson, and was very impressive in his first pitching appearance as a Muskie. Wenker allowed 5 hits and no walks while posting 8 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out 5, and retired 13 straight batters in the middle innings. That streak was aided by a highlight reel catch from center fielder Dan Gaughan, who robbed a sure double with a diving catch. Mike Carlson, Jake Sweeter, Luke Sweeter, and Josh Rathbun all had 2 hits in the loss. The Muskies have drafted 2 St. Joseph Saints players for the region tournament. Pitcher Scott Sand and catcher Luke Schumer. MUSKIES MAKE REGIONS Team splits pair of playoff games Saturday, August 1 St. Joe 000 000 000 - 0 4 1 Muskies 300 000 12x - 6 9 1 Win - Schlangen (9-2); HR - Tim Burns (11) Snappers 131 050 2xx - 12 13 1 Muskies- 001 010 0xx - 2 9 3 Loss - Weaver (7-2) The Muskies qualified for the region 10C tournament by defeating the St. Joseph Saints, 6-0. Sartell later dropped a 12-2 game to the St. Cloud Snappers. It is the 4th consecutive season the Muskies have made the region tournament. Dave Schlangen threw a 4-hit shutout against St. Joe, winning his 9th game of the year. He struck out 5 and walked zero. Tim Burns led the Muskies offensively, getting 3 hits including a 2-run homer. Catcher Luke Sweeter added 2 doubles and 2 RBI. The Muskies didn't play as well in their 2nd game; they played sloppy early en route to a 7 inning loss. Dan Gaughan led the Muskies with 3 hits in 3 trips to the plate. The Muskies and Snappers play again at 11:00 AM Sunday. The Muskies must beat the Snappers twice to earn a #1 seed to regions. MUSKIES SWEEP PESKY BANDITS Home Runs propel team to 2nd round of League Playoffs Monday, July 27 Saturday: Bandits 121 001 201 - 8 16 2 Muskies 102 313 00x - 10 8 3 Win - Weaver (7-1); Save - Johnson (5) HR - Adam Schellinger 2 (3); Brian Schellinger (2) Sunday: Muskies 200 000 011 - 5 10 2 Bandits 200 022 031 - 3 10 1 Win - Schlangen (8-2); Save - Fish (1) HR - Jake Sweeter (4) The #6 seed Becker Bandits, 0-18 in Lakewood League play this season, gave the top seeded Muskies two good battles over the weekend. The Muskies prevailed 10-8 on Saturday and 5-3 on Sunday to win the best-of-3 series. In both games, the Bandits matched or surpased the Muskies hit total, but Sartell held the advantage in extra-base hits. Rightfielder Adam Schellinger hit 2 homers on Saturday, driving in 4 runs, to lead the Muskies back from a 4-1 deficit. His brother Brian Schellinger also homered. Jake Sweeter powered the offense on Sunday, hitting a 2-run homer in the first inning and finishing with 3 hits and 3 RBI. Luke Sweeter, his brother, added 2 hits and 2 runs scored. Dave Schlangen got the win on Sunday. After allowing 5 hits and 2 runs in the first inning, he faced just 22 batters over the next 7 innings. The righty allowed 8 hits, zero walks, and struck out 10. The Muskies will play two games this Saturday, August 1, in the 2nd round of the National Division playoffs. Both games will be at home, as the Muskies host the 3 remaining teams in a 5 game tournament. The team must win 1 game Saturday to qualify for the region 10C tournament. If they do, they'll play 1 or 2 seeding games on Sunday, August 2. The Muskies will play either Clear Lake or St. Joseph at 4:00 Saturday, then play the St. Cloud Snappers at 6:30. The Muskies will also host a game at 1:30 Saturday; the Snappers vs. the winner of Clear Lake/St. Joseph series, which will conclude Tuesday night. REGULAR SEASON ENDS WITH 3-0 WEEK Monday, July 20 Grays--- 001 031 010 - 6 14 2 Muskies 000 600 020 - 8 7 2 Win - Fish (2-1) Waconia 000 000 01x - 1 7 2 Muskies- 400 022 03x - 11 13 0 Win - Gabrielson (3-2); HR - Burns (10) The Muskies concluded the regular season with a pair of wins over the weekend. On Friday night Sartell won an exhibition game 11-1 over the Waconia Lakers, and on Sunday they defeated the Granite City Grays 8-6. Both games were at home. The Muskies finished the regular season 24-9 overall and 13-5 in the Lakewood League, earning the #1 seed in the National Division playoffs. The team opens the playoffs with a best-of-3 series against the Becker Bandits, the #6 seed. The teams will play at Sartell Saturday (1:30 PM), at Becker Sunday, and at Sartell on Tuesday if necessary. On Friday, The Muskies used 13 hits and 8 stolen bases to defeat Waconia in 8 innings. Tim Burns led the way with 3 hits, a homer, 2 stolen bases, and 3 RBI. Jake Sweeter and Brian Schellinger each added 2 hits and 2 RBI, while Luke Sweeter had 2 hits and 3 stolen bases. Winning pitcher Rob Gabrielson threw 6 scoreless innings. On Sunday, the Muskies were outhit 14-7 by the Grays, but prevailed by taking advantage of 6 walks, 2 hit batters, and 2 Granite City errors. Steven Fish allowed 3 earned runs in 5 innings and got the win. Tim Burns and Dan Gaughan each had 2 hits. WEAVER ROLLS ON, BEATS SAINTS Wednesday, July 15 Saints-- 000 010 000 - 1 9 1 Muskies 001 110 000 - 3 5 2 Win - Weaver (6-1) Travis Weaver pitched a complete game for his 6th win of the year. Weaver scattered 9 hits and walked zero while striking out 4. He benefitted from 3 double play grounders in the first 4 innings, and retired the final 9 batters of the game in order. Five different Muskies collected 1 hit for Sartell. Rob Gabrielson and Josh Rathbun had RBI singles. The win clinched an uncontested division title for the Muskies. The team begins league playoffs on Saturday, July 25, hosting the Becker Bandits at 1:30 PM. SCHLANGEN GEM WASTED Tuesday, July 14 Ice------ 000 100 000 - 1 2 1 Muskies 000 000 000 - 0 5 1 Loss - Schlangen (7-2) A showdown of Lakewood League Division leaders turned into a pitcher's duel, with Sartell losing 1-0 to St. Cloud Orthopedic Sports. Muskies ace Dave Schlangen took the loss despite throwing a 2-hit complete game and allowing only an unearned run. Schlangen retired the side 1-2-3 seven times in the game, striking out 7 and walking 1. The game's lone run scored in the Ice 4th inning. Scott Gieger hit a 2-out double, then scored on a Muskies error. MUSKIES WIN AT LITCHFIELD, 17-2 Wednesday, July 8 Muskies 103 116 5xx - 17 15 1 Blues--- 000 020 0xx - 2 6 4 Win - Weaver (5-1) Offensive outbursts in the 6th and 7th innings turned a 6-2 ballgame into a laugher, as the Muskies defeated Litchfield in 7 innings. Travis Weaver pitched all 7 for the Muskies, yielding 6 hits and 2 earned runs. The offense banged out 15 hits, including 7 doubles. Leadoff hitter Adam Schellinger had 2 doubles, 3 hits total, and 3 RBI. Centerfielder Dan Gaughan also had 3 hits and 3 RBI, while Josh Rathbun had 2 doubles. Adam Wenker added 2 hits and reach base in all 5 plate appearances. The win secures the Muskies a #1 seed in the National Division playoffs. The team has guaranteed at least a tie for first (among class 'C' teams), and holds the tiebreaker over the St. Cloud Snappers (division record). Sartell has 3 chances to win the title outright, with 3 league games remaining. The Muskies begin League playoffs on Saturday, July 25 at home. They will most likely host the Becker Bandits at 1:30 PM, then travel to Becker on Sunday. The Muskies need to beat Becker in a 3-game series to advance to the second weekend of playoffs. ERRORS COST MUSKIES Thursday, June 25 Muskies 100 110 101 - 5 12 5 Titans- 330 000 02x - 8 10 1 Loss - Gabrielson (2-2) HR - J. Sweeter (3), A. Schellinger (1) Five Muskie errors led to 5 unearned runs as the Muskies dropped a league game to the Sauk Centre Titans. Sartell battled back from a 6-1 deficit, closing it to 6-4 before the Titans tacked on 2 insurance runs in the 8th inning. Catcher Luke Sweeter had 4 hits in the game, while his brother Jake had a homer and 2 hits. Adam Schellinger also had a homer and 2 hits. The Muskies recharge their batteries by taking a week off for the July 4th holiday. They return to action next Wednesday when they travel to Litchfield. After Litchfield, the Muskies finish the regular season with 4 straight home games and begin playoffs on July 25th. PITCHING GEMS EXPAND DIVISION LEAD Weaver, Schlangen combine for 2 complete games, 0 earned runs Monday, June 29 Pitchers Travis Weaver and Dave Schlangen led the Muskies to 2 victories over the weekend. Weaver helped defeat the St. Cloud Snappers 3-1 on Saturday for an important win over a division rival. On Sunday, Schlangen hurled a shutout in a 5-0 win over the Brainerd Bees. The Muskies entered Saturday with a 1 game lead over the Snappers in the Lakewood National Division. The Snappers lost again Sunday, so the Muskies now lead the division by 3 games with 5 league games remaining. On Saturday, the Muskies got a solo homer from Brian Schellinger and 3 hits from Jake Sweeter. Weaver entered the 9th inning with a 1-hit shutout and finished with a 3-hitter. The Snappers scored an unearned run on the final play of the game with a bases loaded single. The game ended on that play because centerfielder Dan Gaughan threw out the runner from 2nd base as he tried to score. Schlangen needed just 76 pitches to complete Sunday's shutout. He yielded 6 hits in the game. Tim Burns led the offense with 3 hits, including a double and a triple. Jake Sweeter and Josh Rathbun contributed 2 hits each. DEMINSKY IN THE NEWS Thursday, June 25 Muskies pitcher David Deminsky has been in the news this week. Deminsky made 3 short pitching appearances for the Muskies earlier this season. Those outings were sandwiched between his SCSU college season and the beginning of the St. Cloud River Bats season. On Tuesday the St. Cloud Times featured this story about David's battle back from serious health problems. Then last night, David threw a 2-hit shutout for the Bats, extending his streak to 27 innings without an earned run. David is now 4-1 for the River Bats with a 0.73 ERA. Congrats David! Keep it going. MUSKIES LOSE IN THE VALLEY Thursday, June 25 Muskies 012 011 000 - 5 8 2 Hawks-- 002 000 06x - 8 9 3 Loss - Schoen (1-2), HR - Burns (9) The Eden Valley Hawks strung together 5 hits in the 8th inning and benefitted from 2 hit batters to mount a late comeback. The Muskies wasted a solid outing from Steven Fish (6 innings, 2 runs, 1 earned) and a Tim Burns homer. Ryan Bottini chipped in 2 hits. LOSS TO SNAPPERS TIGHTENS DIVISION RACE Tuesday, June 23 Snappers 105 300 03x - 12 13 0 Muskies- 110 000 00x - 2 5 2 Loss - Gabrielson (2-1) The Muskies dropped an important division game on Sunday, losing to the St. Cloud Snappers 12-2. The Muskies now lead the Snappers by 1 game in the Lakewood League National Division. The teams play again this Saturday at St. Cloud's Putz Field (1:30 PM). The winner will take the lead in the race for a #1 playoff seed. The Muskies led early against the Snappers, taking a 2-1 lead in the 2nd inning on Tyler Zelinski's broken bat RBI single. The Snappers answered with 5 runs in the top of the 3rd, with Dan O'Connell's 3-run homer capping the rally. After that it was all Snappers, as pitcher Ryan Schneider limited the Muskies to 5 hits on the day. O'Connell later added an RBI single and another homer. WEAVER, DOUBLES DEFEAT LAKERS Saturday, June 18 Lakers- 000 000 10x - 1 9 5 Muskies 011 021 33x - 11 12 0 Win - Weaver (3-1) Seven solid innings by Travis Weaver lead the Muskies to an 11-1 win over Clear Lake Friday night. Weaver held the Lakers scoreless until the 7th inning while allowing 7 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 4. Offensively, the Muskies used 6 doubles and 5 Laker errors to end the game after 8 innings by the 10-run rule. Shortstop Mike Carlson hit 2 of those doubles. Tyler Zelinski, Jake Sweeter, Brian Schellinger, and Tim Burns also had 2 hits in the game. The Muskies lead the Lakewood National Division by 2 games (excluding the class B Cyclones) heading into 2 key games against the St. Cloud Snappers. The Snappers trail the Muskies by 2 games after their 15 inning 3-2 win over St. Joseph today. SCHLANGEN, OFFENSE BEAT BLACK SOX Thursday, June 18 Black Sox 001 000 0xx - 1 4 1 Muskies-- 001 223 3xx - 11 17 2 Win - Schlangen (6-1) Pitcher Dave Schlangen led the Muskies to an 11-1 Lakewood League win over the Freeport Black Sox. Schlangen allowed just 4 hits and 1 unearned run in the 7 inning complete game. Schlangen had plenty of support, as the bats produced 17 hits in the game. The 3-4-5 heart of the batting order combined to hit 10-for-13 in the game. Three-hole hitter Tim Burns had 3 hits, 3 runs scored, and 3 stolen bases. Cleanup hitter Josh Rathbun was also 3-for-4, while fifth hitter Brian Schellinger had 4 hits, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBI. Tyler Zelinski added 2 hits each, and catcher Luke Sweeter had 2 hits and 2 RBI. Sartell Baseball Fest - Little Leaguers and the Muskies on the same night MUSKIES WIN WOLF LAKE TOURNAMENT Monday, June 15 With a 3-2 win over the host team, the Muskies won the 4 team Wolf Lake tournament. Sartell defeated the Moorhead Expos 12-10 on Saturday to advance to Sundays final against the Wolf Pack. Rob Gabrielson threw 7 scoreless innings in the title game, earning MVP honors. Randy Beckstrom recorded a 2 inning save, while Brian Schellinger paced the offense with 2 hits and 2 runs scored. The Muskies pounded out 19 hits and had 6 stolen bases in Saturdays win. Luke Sweeter lead the team with 4 hits, 3 RBI, and 2 stolen bases. Tim Burns, Brian Schellinger, and Jake Sweeter -- batting 3-4-5 in the order -- each had 3 hits in the game. Travis Weaver earned win, working 5 1/3 innings of relief and allowing 2 runs. Pete Johnson worked a scoreless 9th to earn a save. TIME TO SAY "THANKS" Friday, June 12 The Muskies travel to the Wolf Lake tournament this weekend for 2 games and some camping. But first, we need to thank the many volunteers who made the Omann Insurance Invitational possible. So, thank you to... Our sponsor, Omann Insurance, for their continued support of Sartell baseball. Dean Schellinger, Sarah Schellinger (and Cody), Laura Burns, and Shanna Rogers; regular volunteers contributing as always. "Super" Chuck Hedein, for his great work on the grill. Ken Daley, for announcing Saturday night. The St. Stephen Steves, for hosting their half of the tournament, and to all the teams who entered the tournament. Great baseball, great times! INTERESTING STATS Friday, June 12 The North Star League Spectator on-line magazine compares the stats of wood bats vs. aluminum. Minnesota amatuer baseball switched (back) to wood in 2002, and the Spectator compares the 7 years with wood to the last 7 years of aluminum. See the article and stats here. MUSKIES DEFEAT PEARL LAKE Thursday, June 11 Lakers- 100 011 000 - 3 3 1 Muskies 100 031 32x - 10 13 3 Win - Schlangen (5-1), HR - J. Sweeter (2) The Muskies used 13 hits and 5 innings of strong relief work to defeat the Pearl Lake Lakers 10-3 Wednesday night. Josh Rathbun's 2-out, 2-run single broke a 2-2 tie in the 5th inning. Joe Wenzel added an RBI single in the 6th, then the Muskies scored 3 more in the 7th. Jake Sweeter led off the inning with a solo homer, and Tyler Zelinski added a 2-run double. Rathbun and Zelinski both finished with 2 hits and 3 RBI on the night. Luke Sweeter added 2 hits and an RBI. Dave Schlangen got the win with 2 innings of strong relief. He entered a bases loaded-no outs jam in the 5th inning and escaped with help from centerfielder Dan Gaughan. The first batter Schlangen faced lifted a medium deep fly to center. It appeared more than adequate for a sacrifice fly, but Gaughan's throw was very strong and on target to nab the runner. Starter Shawn Schoen allowed only 1 hit in 4 innings, but lost his command in the 5th inning when he walked 3. After Schlangen's 2 inning stint, Pete Johnson pitched 2 scoreless innings and Manager Randy Beckstrom threw a perfect 9th inning. The 4 pitchers combined to allow only 3 hits in the game SCHEDULE CHANGES Tuesday, June 9 Two changes have been made to the schedule. 1) This Wednesday's home game will be against the Pearl Lake Lakers. Opole had to cancel. 2) A game has been added on Wednesday, June 24. The Muskies will play the Eden Valley Hawks in Eden Valley at 7:30 PM. ISANTI WINS OMANN INSURANCE INVITE MUSKIES WALK OFF WITH 3RD PLACE SARTELL'S TIM BURNS CLAIMS MVP HONORS Sunday, June 7 The Isanti Redbirds won the 2009 Omann Insurance Invitational, beating the Bloomington Bandits 4-1. Isanti pitcher Adam West allowed 4 hits in the complete game (7 inning) win. Tony Samuelson had 3 hits, including a triple and a double. A persistent rain was the theme of the tournament on Saturday, which forced 1 game to be postponed and a revised Sunday schedule. On Sunday, the theme was extra innings (3 games) and walk off victories (2 games). The two host teams met up in the 3rd place game. Sartell traveled to St. Stephen but was the home team by coin flip. The Muskies trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the 7th but rallied to force extra innings. First baseman Jake Sweeter doubled and was singled home by his brother, catcher Luke Sweeter. Mike Carlson led off the bottom of the 8th with a single, then Tim Burns hit a walk off homer for a 4-2 victory. Pitcher Rob Gabrielson went the distance for Sartell, scattering 9 hits and a walk while striking out 4. Neil Theisen, Dusty Upgren, Dan Wainwright and Aaron Tschumperlin all had 2 hits for St. Stephen. Burns was named tournament MVP. He was 5-for-10 in the tournament with 3 homers, 8 RBI, and 3 stolen bases. The Lastrup Lakers took 5th place in the tournament with a 7th inning comeback and a walk off win over Springfield. The Lakers scored 2 in the 7th inning to win 5-4. Pitcher Dan Saehr outdueled Jake Miesen for the win. At 10:00 AM Sunday Springfield defeated St. Martin in a rain suspended game from Saturday. Springfield scored 7 times in the 8th inning to win 14-7. Nate Schlangen had a homer and 2 doubles for the Martins. Winsted took 7th in the tournament with a 10-8 win over St. Martin. OMANN INSURANCE INVITE REVISES SUNDAY SCHEDULE Sunday, June 7 The third annual Omann Insurance Invite is 1 game behind schedule after Saturday play. Rain forced the teams to play through a persistent drizzle and postponed the final game in St. Stephen. The Muskies were 1-1 on the day, winning their first game over Lastrup 6-1 and losing to Bloomington 6-3. The complete results for Saturday and the Sunday schedule are: First round: St. Stephen 7, St. Martin 3 Isanti 12, Springfield 5 Sartell 6, Lastrup 1 Bloomington 9, Winsted 3 2nd round: winners: Isanti def St. Stephen Bloomington 6, Sartell 3 losers bracket: Lastrup 4, Winsted 3 St. Martin and Springfield ppd. REVISED SUNDAY SCHEDULE: in St. Stephen 10:00 - St. Martin/Springfield 2nd round game 12:30 - 7th place game: Winsted vs. St. Martin/Springfield loser 3:00 - 3rd place: St. Stephen vs. Sartell in Sartell 12:30 - 5th place game: Lastrup vs. St. Martin/Springfield winner 3:00 - Championship game: Isanti vs. Bloomington STEVES & MUSKIES SET TO HOST OMANN INSURANCE INVITE Friday, June 5 The third annual Omann Insurance Invite starts this evening. St. Stephen will play St. Martin at 7:30 under the lights in Sartell. The Muskies open play on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM. They'll host the Lastrup Lakers. The complete tournament bracket/schedule can be found here. AVON BEATS MUSKIES Friday, May 29 Muskies 101 000 0 - 2 6 0 Lakers- 040 000 x - 4 6 4 Loss - Schoen (1-1) Free passes led to a 4 run inning for Avon, and contributed to a Muskies defeat. Tim Burns was the sole Muskie with 2 hits. He also stole a base and scored both Sartell runs. SCHEDULE UPDATES Tuesday, June 2 The Muskies have added a game to their schedule. They will host the Opole Bears on Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00 PM. The team also has tentative plans to add a game on Wednesday, June 24. Details will follow soon. In another update, the June 17 game versus Freeport will start at 7:30 PM, not 7:00. The start time was moved to accommodate the 4th annual Muskies Little League night. The team will host two teams from the Sartell Little League 3rd/4th grade division. Those youth will play at Champion Field at 6:00 PM that night, with the Muskies/Freeport game to follow. SCHLANGEN PITCHES MUSKIES PAST LAKERS Monday, June 1 Muskies 011 010 114 - 9 14 2 Lakers- 000 000 010 - 1 7 2 Win - Schlangen (3-1) Dave Schlangen picked up his 3rd win of the year, as the Muskies defeated the Clear Lake Lakers 9-1 Sunday afternoon in Clear Lake. Schlangen tossed 8 innings while allowing 6 hits and 1 run, striking out 7. Shortstop Mike Carlson racked up 3 hits and 4 RBI in the game. Centerfielder Dan Gaughan had 3 hits and 4 runs scored, while Brian Schellinger also had 3 hits. The win improves the Muskies Lakewood League record to 6-2. The Muskies now take a 2 week break from league play to host a tournament and travel to another in Wolf Lake. 10 league games remain when league play restarts on June 17. MUSKIES WIN IN EXTRA INNINGS Friday, May 29 Steves- 000 000 002 0 - 2 3 2 Muskies 100 000 010 1 - 3 12 3 Win - Johnson (1-0); HR - Burns (5) Starter Travis Weaver was 1 out from a 3-hit shutout but settled for a no decision and a Muskies victory in extra innings. Two 9th inning errors allowed St. Stephen to tie the game and and send it to extra innings. Weaver allowed 3 hits, 1 walk and had 4 hit-by-pitches in the game. The Muskies bunched 3 singles in the 1st inning to take a 1-0 lead. Brian Schellinger delivered that RBI. Leftfielder Tim Burns hit a solo homer in the 8th inning, extending the lead to 2-0. In the 10th inning Burns lead off with a single, stole second base, and scored on Josh Rathbun's RBI single. Burns was 4-for-5 in the game, while Rathbun for 3-for-5. Reliever Pete Johnson picked up the win, getting the last 4 outs. MUSKIE PITCHERS WIN BIG GAMES FOR OTHER TEAMS Friday, May 29 Two Muskies pitched and won notable games this week. On Wednesday, Adam Wenker pitched the Sartell Sabres to a 7-1 win over St. Cloud Tech in the 8-3A sub-section final. Adam pitched a complete game, striking out 4 while allowing 3 hits and 3 walks. Wenker was also recently selected to participate in the Lion's High School All-Star baseball tournament. Last night David Deminsky won the season opener for the St. Cloud River Bats. David allowed 2 runs in 5 innings during the Bats 10-8 victory over Brainerd. Deminsky recently left the Muskies to play for the River Bats, but can return for Muskie postseason games when the Bats season is complete. Congrats Adam and David, and good luck to the Sabres in Section playoffs this Saturday. MUSKIES SURVIVE BLUES COMEBACK Thursday, May 28 Blues-- 000 701 000 - 8 12 3 Muskies 061 215 00x - 15 20 1 Win - Beckstrom (4-1) The Muskies used 20 hits, solid defense, and strong relief pitching to beat the Litchfield Blues Wednesday night at Champion Field. The win improved the team's Lakewood League record to 5-2, tops among class 'C' teams in the National Division. Sartell strung together 7 hits in the 2nd inning to take an early 6-0 lead, then stretched the lead to 7-0 with a single run in the 3rd inning. The Blues stormed back in the 4th inning, getting 6 hits and taking advantage of 2 walks and 1 Sartell error. Dan Estrada's grand slam tied the game at 7-7. Two batters later, Player-Manager Randy Beckstrom took the hill and worked out of the jam. Beckstrom worked 2 1/3 innings and earned his 4th win in 6 relief appearances. Beckstrom allowed 1 run and 2 hits in his outing. Catcher Luke Sweeter stroked an RBI double in the bottom of the 4th, quickly getting the lead back. Luke finished with 4 hits and 2 doubles in the game. Rob Gabrielson finished the game on the hill with 3 scoreless innings. Rob walked 2, struck out 1, and yielded no hits while earning his 2nd save. He also had 2 hits and 3 RBI in the game. Several other Muskies were also productive with the bats: Tim Burns, 4 hits, 2 triples, 4 RBI Adam Schellinger, 2 hits, 3 RBI Tyler Zelinski, 3 hits, 2 RBI Micheal Carlson, 2 hits MUSKIES COMPLETE WEEKEND SWEEP Saturday, May 23 Bandits 000 100 000 - 1 4 3 Muskies 102 030 11x - 8 6 1 Win - Weaver (1-0), HR - Burns (4) Muskies 300 020 313 - 15 17 1 Saints-- 001 100 000 - 2 6 3 Win - Schlangen (2-1) The Muskies won a pair Lakewood League games this weekend, defeating Becker 8-1 on Friday night and beating St. Joseph 15-2 on Saturday. Travis Weaver pitched the Muskies past Becker. He allowed just 4 hits and 1 run in 7 innings; striking out 6. Tim Burns led the offense, clubbing a 2-run homer and finishing with 2 hits and 3 RBI. Dan Gaughan also had 2 hits. Sartell jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead against St. Joe, taking advantage of 2 Saints errors in the top of the first inning. The Muskies broke open a 5-2 game in the 7th inning when Josh Rathbun, Luke Sweeter, and Joe Wenzel each hit RBI singles after there were 2 outs. The Muskies totaled 17 hits in the game, getting 4 from Gaughan and 3 from Rathbun (3 RBI). Five different Muskies had 2 hits; Adam Schellinger, Burns, Brian Schellinger (3 RBI), Luke Sweeter (2 RBI), and Wenzel. All that was more than enough run support for Dave Schlangen, who pitched 7 efficient innings on just 72 pitches. Schlangen allowed 5 hits and 2 runs while striking out 5. MUSKIES DEFEAT DASSEL-COKATO SAINTS Wednesday, May 20 Muskies 302 001 110 - 8 8 3 Saints-- 000 300 100 - 4 5 2 Win - Beckstrom (3-1), Save - Johnson (2), HR - Burns (3), Luke Sweeter (1) The Muskies opened the game with 2 walks and a Tim Burns homer to take an early 3-run lead. Josh Rathbun's RBI triple keyed a 2-run third inning, giving the Muskies a 5-0 lead. Starting pitcher Rob Gabrielson threw well in his first Muskie start. He allowed only a walk through 3 innings, then lost his control in the 3-run 4th inning. Player-Manager Randy Beckstrom relieved Gabrielson and wiggled out of a bases loaded, 1 out jam with no further damage. Beckstrom earned the win with 4 1/3 innings of work, allowing 3 hits and 1 unearned run. Pete Johnson got the last 4 outs, earning the save. Catcher Luke Sweeter extended a 5-3 lead with a leadoff homer in the sixth inning. Sweeter finished 1-for-3 with 2 RBI. Burns was the only Muskie with 2 hits in the game. MUSKIES LOSE PITCHER'S DUEL Sunday, May 17 Muskies- 000 000 000 - 0 4 2 Cyclones 001 000 000 - 1 6 0 Loss - Schlangen (1-1) Muskies ace Dave Schlangen threw 6 strong innings in a 1-0 loss to the Sauk Rapids Cyclones. David Deminsky added 2 scoreless innings. Schlangen and Deminsky were outdueled by the Cyclones Nick Anderson and Mitch Staley. The Muskies had chances to score, twice getting leadoff doubles without scoring. In the 9th inning Mike Carlson hit a leadoff double before Staley retired Sartell's 3-4-5 hitters. MUSKIES SQUEEK BY BANDITS Saturday, May 16 Muskies 000 002 000 - 2 7 0 Bandits 000 000 100 - 1 6 4 Win - Fish (1-1), Save - Johnson (1) Lefthander Steven Fish pitched the Muskies to victory. Fish held the Becker Bandits scoreless until a 7th inning double broke up the shutout. He struck out 9 in 7 innings, yielding only 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 earned run. Pete Johnson relieved Fish and pitched 2 scoreless innings, earning the save. Jake Sweeter got the big hit for the Muskies, driving in both runs with a 6th inning single. Tyler Zelinski and Josh Rathbun both collected 2 hits for Sartell. A COMEBACK WIN Thursday, May 14 Rebels- 101 030 000 - 5 9 4 Muskies 100 040 01x - 6 6 2 Win - Schoen (1-0), Save - Rob Gabrielson (1) Trailing 5-1 after 4 1/2 innings, the Muskies rallied for 6-5 victory over the Ft. Ripley Rebels on Wednesday night. Tim Burns hit a bases loaded triple in the bottom of the 5th, then tied the game by scoring on Brian Schellinger's RBI groundout. Tyler Zelinski reached base on a dropped third strike in the bottom of the 8th, then advanced to third base on a pinch hit single by Dave Schlangen. Zelinski scored the go ahead run on a slow groundout to second base. Rookie Rob Gabrielson nailed down the win, earning a 1 inning save in his first pitching appearance for the Muskies. Gabrielson was also 2-for-4 at the plate. Shawn Schoen pitched 2 scoreless relief innings and got the win. MUSKIES WIN BIG, 16-0 Saturday, May 9 Muskies 024 406 0xx - 16 18 0 Jimmy's 000 000 0xx - 0 5 2 Win - Schlangen (1-0) HR - J. Sweeter (1), Burns (2) Jake Sweeter's second inning 2-run homer sparked an offensive outburst. The Muskies knocked out 18 hits while winning 16-0 over Sauk Rapids Jimmy's Hurricanes. Tim Burns ended the scoring with a 6th inning grand slam homer. Burns was 4-for-5 in the game with 5 RBI. Sweeter finished his perfect day 3-for-3 with 3 RBI and 2 walks. Dan Gaughan added 3 hits, while rookies Luke Sweeter and Adam Wenker each had 2 hits. Dave Schlangen was the winning pitcher. He hurled 5 scoreless innings, allowing 4 hits and no walks while striking out 6. David Deminsky pitched the final 2 innings, striking out 5 and allowing 1 hit. MUSKIES BEAT BLUE JAYS Friday, May 8 Upsala- 110 101 000 - 4 8 0 Muskies 000 042 40x - 10 14 2 Win - Beckstrom (2-1) Tim Burns and Dan Gaughan each tallied 4 RBIs in an exhibition win over Upsala. Gaughan's bases loaded, 3-run double in the 7th inning broke open a 6-4 game. Burns finished 4-for-5 with 2 doubles. Josh Rathbun and Jake Sweeter both added 2 hits. Player-Manager Randy Beckstrom earned the win, allowing 1 run in 3 innings of relief. MUSKIE NOTES: IN THE NEWS AND BACK FROM SCHOOL Wednesday, May 6 Several Muskies have been in the news and recently completed their college season. Muskies infielder Adam Wenker was featured in a St. Cloud Times article last week. The article is about the Sartell Sabres High School team. Muskies pitcher David Deminsky just finished his Junior season at SCSU. He last outing of the year, a clutch shutout, was featured here. David was honored as NSIC Pitcher of the week for the shutout, the second time this season he has earned that honor. For the season, Deminsky compiled a 7-1 record, a 3.12 ERA over 66 innings, and struck out a team record 88 batters. David will play for the Muskies for the next 3 weekends, then begin playing for the St. Cloud River Bats. Infielder Michael Carlson just completed his sophomore season for the Concordia College Cobbers. Michael batted .318 this season with an impressive .929 OPS. He slugged 3 homers while playing both infield and outfield. Carlson will begin playing for the Muskies next week. Catcher Luke Sweeter saw limited duty for the St. Johns Johnnies in his freshman season. He played in 4 games and notched 1 hit in 5 at bats. Luke made his Muskies debut last Sunday. MUSKIES BLANKED BY SPRINGERS Monday, May 4 Muskies-- 000 000 000 - 0 4 1 Springers 000 004 10x - 5 4 1 Loss - Fish (0-1) The Muskies dropped their league opener to the Cold Spring Springers, leaving 10 men on base in the game. Three Springer pitchers held the Muskies to 4 hits and no runs. The Muskie pitchers also yielded just 4 hits, but were done in by bases on balls. Three relievers combined to walk 9 Springers in 3 innings, and 4 of those walked batters went on to score. The Muskies got an excellent start from Dave Schlangen. He threw 5 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and 1 walk. Schlangen struck out 1. Schlangen also hit a single in the 2nd inning. Catcher Luke Sweeter and Shortstop Adam Wenker also collected hits for Sartell. Both players are rookies who recorded their first hits in amateur ball. MUSKIES NOTCH FIRST WIN; SIGN WENKER Monday, April 27 Red Devils 200 100 00x - 3 2 2 Muskies--- 010 024 42x - 13 12 3 Win - Beckstrom (1-1) The Muskies earned their first win of the season, defeating the Watertown Red Devils 13-3. The Muskies home opener was shortened to 8 innings by the mercy rule. Sartell started slowly, committing 2 errors in the top of the first inning that lead to 2 Watertown runs. The Muskies broke a 3-3 tie with a four run 6th inning and pulled away with 4 more runs in the 7th. 5 Muskie pitchers combined to allow just 3 hits, walk 2, and strike out 4. Starter Steven Fish worked 3 efficient innings, retiring the last 8 men he faced. Randy Beckstrom earned the win with a 1-2-3 6th inning. Sartell totaled 12 hits in the game, getting 2 each from Adam Schellinger, Dan Gaughan, Brian Schellinger, Tim Burns and Travis Weaver. Brian Schellinger drove in 3 runs and Burns drove in 4. Before the game the Muskies added infielder Adam Wenker to the team. Wenker is a high school senior and a top player for the Sartell Sabres squad that leads the Central Lakes Conference with a 4-1 record. Wenker will play part time for the Muskies this season while he plays high school and legion baseball. Adam will play college baseball at St. John's University next year. MUSKIES FALL IN OPENER, 4-3 Monday, April 20 The Muskies lost their 2009 opener, losing 4-3 to the Kimball Express in Kimball. The Muskies threatened in the final inning, leaving the bases loaded as a flyout ended the game. 5 Muskie pitchers combined to allow just 2 hits over 6 innings. The Muskies also walked 6, hit 1 batter, and struck out 6. The game was scheduled for only 7 innings. Kimball's Adam Beyer hit a 3-run homer in the 5th inning to break a 1-1 tie. Sartell scored their first run on a 4th inning double by Tyler Zelinski. Tim Burns hit a solo homer in the 6th inning, and the Muskies scored 1 in the 7th inning on a Kimball error. Zelinski finished 2-for-4 on the day to lead the offense. TEAMS, SCHEDULE SET FOR 2009 OMANN INSURANCE INVITATIONAL Wednesday, April 8 The Muskies and the St. Stephen Steves will again host a highly competitive tournament in June. Eight teams will compete in the Omann Insurance Invite June 5-7 at St. Stephen's Trobec Field and Sartell's Champion Field. The St. Martin Martins, Winsted Wildcats, and Springfield Tigers will return to the tournament this year. The Isanti Redbirds, Lastrup Lakers, and the Bloomington Bandits are new teams this year. The tournament will again feature excellent teams. St. Stephen, Lastrup, St. Martin, and Isanti all made the 2008 state tournement, while Springfield and Winsted qualified in 2007. Bloomington is a class 'A' team who finished 6th in the 11 team Riverview League last year. The tournament begins on Friday night in Sartell. St. Stephen will battle St. Martin at 7:30 PM. Sartell opens Saturday morning at 10:00 AM against Lastrup. The complete tournament bracket/schedule can be found here. MUSKIES ADD LITTLE BROTHERS FOR '09 SEASON Tuesday, March 31 The Muskies will add two 2008 Sartell High School grads for the 2009 season. Catcher Luke Sweeter and Outfielder/Pitcher Rob Gabrielson will join the team. Both are freshman at St. John's University, where they both play football and baseball. Both players also have brothers on the team. Luke is the brother of first baseman Jake Sweeter, and Rob is the brother of Catcher/DH Jim Gabrielson. Another 2008 Sartell High School grad, third baseman Joe Wenzel, will also play for the Muskies this summer. Wenzel played 13 games for the Muskies in 2008 while also playing high school and legion baseball. This season, Wenzel will play exclusively for the Muskies. The Muskies will suffer two notable losses to the pitching staff. Hard throwing lefthander David Deminsky, pitching for SCSU this spring, has agreed to play for the St. Cloud River Bats this summer. Deminsky can pitch for the Muskies between the SCSU and River Bats seasons, but won't have the same impact for the Muskies this season. The Muskies will also lose pitcher Casey Allar. A shoulder injury has prevented him from playing his senior season at Bemidji State University. Returning players this season are: Pitchers: Randy Beckstrom, Steven Fish, Pete Johnson, Dave Schlangen, Shawn Schoen, and Travis Weaver. Catcher: Jim Gabrielson Infielders: Micheal Carlson, Mickey Knettel, Josh Rathbun, Brian Schellinger, Jake Sweeter, Joe Wenzel, and Tyler Zelinski. Outfielders: Tim Burns, Dan Gaughan, Adam Schellinger, and Nate Strenge. Randy Beckstrom will manage the team for the 4th consecutive season. General Manager Pete Johnson will assist Beckstrom. 2009 SCHEDULE ONLINE Wednesday, February 11 The 2009 Muskies schedule is complete and online. Find it here. WEBSITE UPDATES Thursday, December 11 2008 stats have been added to each player's webpage. In many cases biographies and pictures have also been updated or added. The Muskies record book has also been updated with 2008 stats. CHANGE HITS THE LAKEWOOD LEAGUE Monday, December 1 A realigned division and an expanded league schedule are in store for the 2009 Sartell Muskies. At a November 23 Lakewood League meeting, the league was forced to realign from three divisions to two, since it no longer has four class 'C' teams per division. Because the Sauk Rapids Cyclones finished 2nd at the 2008 Class 'C' state tournament, they have been moved up to class 'B' by the board of the Minnesota Baseball Association. In addition to 11 class 'C' teams and the Cyclones, the Lakewood League also includes the class 'B' Brainerd Bees and Cold Spring Springers. The divisions were aligned using combined league records from the last 3 seasons. The teams were ranked as follows: 1. Granite City Grays (30-10) 2. St. Joseph Saints (27-13) 3. Sartell Muskies (25-15) 4. Freeport Black Sox (24-16) 5. Orthopedic Sports Ice (22-18) 6. Clear Lake Lakers (17-23) 7. Waite Park Snappers (16-24) 8. Sauk Centre Titans (16-24) 9. Sauk Rapids Jimmy's Hurricanes (12-28) 10. Litchfield Blues (11-29) 11. Becker Bandits (6-34) ...and arranged into these new divisions: American Division Granite City Grays Freeport Black Sox Orthopedic Sports Ice Sauk Centre Titans Sauk Rapids Jimmy's National Division St. Joseph Saints Sartell Muskies Clear Lake Lakers Waite Park Snappers Litchfield Blues Becker Bandits The Lakewood League also decided to add games within divisions. The Muskies will play each of their division rivals home and away in 2009, which will increase the number of league games from 13 to 18. At the January league meeting, the new divisions will seperately decide their format for the 2009 league playoffs. FINALLY, 2008 STATS ARE POSTED. Friday, September 5 See the complete stats here, and the stats leaderboard here. The updated record book will be posted at a later date.