Haugen Knights - 2007 Indy League Champions - (Haugen, WI)

The Haugen Knights ended their season one game away from the state title game with a 4-0 loss to the La Crosse Athletics. To check out the details from both games at the state tournament, check out the report in the Rice Lake Chronotype at this link.

A 2008 Haugen Knights Season slideshow will be available sometime in mid-September. Thanks to all Knights fans for tuning in this season, we appreciate all the support you've given us and look to see you again next year.

Any suggestions or features that you think would be good for the site, you can leave on the message board or email to erik-hill@hotmail.com. Any photos or video would also be greatly appreciated.

Remember Rich's 3 P's and Switch to Water!!! (in eight months...)

Thanks again, and GO KNIGHTS!!!

They're Ba-aack....

Knights Return to State Tournament

The Haugen Knights are heading back to the WAB state tournament. With convincing wins of 9-1 over Bay City and 10-1 over the rival Haugen Hornets, the Knights are one of eight teams that will compete for the state title in Ashland the coming weekend. The Knights first game will be at 1:30pm on Saturday, August 16th, against the La Crescent Cardinals of the Mississippi Valley Baseball League.

In both games the Knights played great baseball all around. The starting pitching was great, when the ball was put into play the defense stepped up and made some great plays behind the pitcher, and when at the plate they hit the ball all over the field; as indicated by the big numbers put up over the weekend. The Knights seem to be hitting their stride at the right time, and we'll find out what happens this weekend.

Check out the updated state bracket on the left hand menu! It's got the Elite 8 and game times for the upcoming weekend!

Indy League Regular Season Ends - Knights Finish One Game Back in Second Place

Photo: Preview of August 10th??? Let's make it happen...

Playoffs!?!?!? You want to talk about playoffs!?!?!?!

The Haugen Knights finished their regular season Sunday with an 8-3 victory over visiting Stanberry. The win put the Knights final 2008 regular season record at 14-2, good for second place in the Independent League and a #6 ranking in the WBA.

However, those rankings won't mean a whole lot in a couple weeks as playoffs begin and one loss sends the loser home and ends their 2008 season. The Knights are looking to take the next step as they qualified for state in 2006 and lost in the state qualifying game to Brill last year. With added depth and experience in every position, the 2008 team should be geared up and ready to make a deep playoff run.

But before we get to the playoffs, the annual Independent League tournament will take place in Hayward the coming weekend. It should be a great time, with a lot of baseball at a great ballfield. The Knights took down the title last year, defeating Brill in the championship game, and the two teams should be favorites to make it that far again. But we all know baseball can be a crazy game, so we'll have to see what happens this weekend in the northwoods.

Checklist for Hayward:

Remember all your equipment (including both jerseys, Mau)

Taylor's muzzle

Win a few ballgames (preferably 3)

Visit the Good Knight

Call Clay at 2:00am

Remember Rich's 3 P's and most importantly, after Sunday...... Switch to Water!!!

Knights Slip to 2nd after another 1-1 Weekend

Spooner 14, Knights 11

The Knights were on the short end of a scoring affair on their home field Friday night.

Spooner (9-6) held leads of 7-0 and 10-3 before the Knights fought back to tie the game at 10-10.

But the Knights gave the game away in the top of the ninth, allowing four runs by making a pair of two-out errors after reliever Dan Lindsey had walked the bases loaded.

Trailing 14-10, the Knights could only muster one run in the bottom of the ninth.

Travis Thompson started the game for Haugen, giving way to John Howenstine in the eighth. Lindsey took over in the ninth.

Spooner's four-run ninth nearly mirrored its four-run fourth inning, when three walks, a single and an error fueled the rally.

Spooner added three runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth.

The Knights scored three runs in the seventh when Matt Lundberg doubled and Spooner helped out with two errors.

In the Knights' big seven-run eighth inning to tie the game, Spooner pitchers walked six batters and hit another batter. Singles by Thompson and Lindsey knotted the score at 10-10.

Knights 4, St. Croix 0

Lindsey's shutout got the Knights back on the winning track Sunday over the St. Croix Ravens at Solon Springs.

Lindsey fanned 14 while throwing a five-hitter and walking only one.

Thad Thompson's two-out, bases-loaded single in the first inning gave the Haugen club a 2-0 lead. The Knights tacked on single runs in the fourth and eighth innings on an RBI single by Derc Teschler and a sacrifice fly by Lundberg.

Knights Tied at the Top with Brill After 1-1 Weekend

Photo on Right: Howie chats with play by play man John Roberts during Saturday night's contest vs. the Hornets. (Photo by John Howenstine)

Below articles from the Rice Lake Chronotype Online (www.chronotype.com)

Brill 8, Haugen Knights 0

A nearly flawless game by Brill was highlighted by Jay Musil's three-hit shutout as the Millers won at home in Sunday's showdown for first place.

Musil went the nine-inning distance, striking out four and walking two.

Brill scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth to break up the scoreless pitching duel between Musil and the Knights' Josh O'Rourke.

The Millers loaded the bases without getting the ball out of the infield, taking advantage of a walk and two ground-ball miscues to put Collin Mau on third, Todd Brunclik on second and Kirby Brunclik on first with one out.

Jere Fisk then drove a single to right to score two runs, and Ben Anderson followed with an RBI single. Frank Means capped the rally with a towering three-run homer, giving Brill a sudden 6-0 lead.

The rally chased O'Rourke, who was having shoulder pain. Veteran Rich Lindsey came on to finish the game.

The Knights just missed taking the lead in the top of the sixth when they put runners on first and third with none out. But first baseman Means fielded a suicide squeeze bunt and flipped to catcher Anderson to nail Erik Hill at the plate.

Brill closed out the inning with more defense when left fielder Collin Mau threw out Taylor Soltes attempting to score from second on a two-out single.

More leather was flashed in the eighth when Mau made a spectacular diving catch of Hill's line drive.

Brill added two unearned runs in the bottom of the eighth.

Knights 2, Hornets 0

Dan Lindsey pitched a four-hit gem, outdueling the Hornets' Greg Aune in front of a big Saturday night crowd at Haugen.

Lindsey, who won his 11th straight game, struck out seven and walked four. He also added the game-winning RBI.

The Knights broke up the scoreless game in the bottom of the eighth when Andrew Mau led off with a triple to the right-center field gap. It was the only ball center fielder Brian Waldvogel couldn't get to after making two dazzling catches earlier in the game.

Mau trotted home when Lindsey bounced a single up the middle. Lindsey moved to second on Thad Thompson's bunt and scored when Soltes blooped a two-out single to center.

Lindsey came out for the top of the ninth and set the Hornets down in order to end the game in 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Aune allowed only four hits, including none from the second inning through the seventh inning when he had a string of retiring 12 batters in a row. The big right-hander fanned four and walked two.

Mau had two of the Knights' hits, while Aune had two for the Hornets, including a double. The Hornets stranded seven runners to the Knights' three.

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Knights Slide Past Millers to Claim Top Spot in Indy

The Haugen Knights swept a pair of Independent League games over the weekend.

On Saturday night the Knights defeated the Brill Millers 8-5 in a match up of undefeated Independent league teams. The Millers scored first in the top of the first inning, Collin Mau led off the game with an infield single Todd Brunclik follwed with a bunt single, Jere Fisk walked to load the bases, Frank Means follwed with an RBI single but the inning ended when Andrew Mau cut down Brunclik at home who was trying to score on Mean's single. The Knights quickly tied the game in the bottom of the first, Taylor Soltes was hit by a pitch, moved to second on Matt Lundberg's sacrifice bunt, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Travis Thompson sacrifice fly.

The Knights built their lead to 4-1 scoring a run in the 3rd inning on Soltes's RBI double, they scored 2 more in the 4th inning, Cody Candler singled and scored on Dan Lindsey's double, Lindsey scored on a Rob Berger single. Brill bounced back with 2 runs in the 5th inning - Logan Brunclik singled to lead off the inning, a fielders choice and a walk to Jere Fisk set the stage for a 2 run single by Ben Anderson. With the score 4-3 the Knights tacked on 4 runs in the 6th inning. Andrew Mau tripled and scored on a double from Lindsey, his 2nd of the night, Berger and Carter Crotteau followed with RBI singles to chase Brill Starter Arne Bartes, Thompson drew a bases loaded walk to cap the scoring for the Knights. Brill scored single runs in the 7th and 9th innings.

Lindsey was the winning pitcher throwing a complete game, he allowed 4 earned runs on 7 hits, 4 walks and struck out 7, Anderson and Kirby Brunclik each had 2 hits for Bill. The Knights had 9 hits on the night, Lindsey was 3/4 and Berger was 2/4, each had 2 RBI's.

On Sunday the Knights beat Stanberry 5-3. Josh O'Rourke picked up his 2nd win of the season throwing 7 innings. He allowed only 1 run on 3 hits, 3 walks and struck out 5. Travis Thompon picked up his 4th save of the season pitching 2 innings of relief, he allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 1 and struck out 3. The Knights had 11 hits on the day, Matt Lundberg and Derc Teschler were 2/5, Lindsey had the only extra base hit of the day - a double. Cody Petco was 2/3 for Stanberry. Stephen Olson pitched a complete game and took the loss.

The Knights will be in Cumberland on Saturday for a 3 game tournament. In game 1 the Knights will take on the Islanders at 11:00 a.m. that game will be an Independent League game, the remaining 2 games will be non league 7 inning games. Spooner and Stanberry will be the other teams in the tournament.