• 7/19   Elrosa             Eric Schoenberg, 1-4, R, 2B & Jamie Terres 1-4, RBI, 2B
• 7/12   Elrosa             Jonathan Nietfeld 2-2, R, RBI, BB, SB & Jeff Schoenberg 2-4, R, 2RBI
• 7/11   New Germany Chris Spanier 2BB, R...9IP, 4R, 2ER, 10H, 3BB
• 7/5     Meire Grove   Jeff Schoenberg 2-4, RBI (GW) & Eric Schoenberg 9IP, 5H, 1R, 1ER, 3BB, 7K, 2HB
• 6/28   St. Martin       Shawn Schoenberg 7IP, 0R, 3H, 2BB, 3K
• 6/21   Greenwald      Shawn Schoenberg 4-4, 4R, 2RBI, 2B, HR, 2SB
• 6/20   Greenwald      Jonathan Nietfeld 3-3, R, 2RBI, SB
• 6/14   New Munich   Jamie Terres 3-5, R, 3RBI, 2B & Corey Schoenberg 3-5, 3R, RBI, HR
• 6/7     Roscoe           Corey Schoenberg 3-4, R, 6RBI & Shawn Schoenberg 3-4, 6R, 4RBI, 2BB, 2SB
• 6/5     Elrosa             Shawn Schoenberg 1-3, R, 2RBI, HR, HB...8IP, 4R, 4ER, 10H, BB, 8K
• 5/31   Farming           Entire offense 24H, 27R, 21RBI, 6-2B, HR, 8BB, 3HB
• 5/29   St. Wendel      Chris Spanier 2-3, 2B, R, BB, SB...7IP, R, ER, BB, 7K
• 5/24   Lake Henry     Aaron Welle 7IP, 0R, 8H, 2BB, HB, 4K & Dave Stalboerger 3-4, R, 2RBI
• 5/23   Meire Grove   Shawn Schoenberg 6IP, 0R, 6H, HB, 5K
• 5/17   Moorhead       Jamie Terres 2-3
• 5/16   Avon               Jamie Terres 2-3, 2R, RBI, HR & Eric Schoenberg 6 1/3IP, 2R, 2ER, 7H, BB, HB, 3K
• 5/16   Jordan             Nathan Terres 1-2, 2R, RBI, HR, BB, SB
• 5/10   New Munich:   Kyle Bertram 1-1 
• 5/3     Richmond:       Jeff Schoenberg 3-4, R, RBI
• 4/19   Lake Henry:    Shawn Schoenberg 1-2, R, RBI...2IP, 0R, 1H, 1K

The Elrosa Saints posted a 6-0 win over Carlos in the opening round of the Class C State Tournament, Sunday, Aug. 23 at Arlington.

Ethan Vogt pitched a complete game shutout victory. It is his third consecutive shutout. Vogt has thrown 27 consecutive scoreless innings. The last team to score on him was New Munich in the Stearns County League North championship.

"I'm in a groove right now," said Vogt following the game in which he allowed only three hits. "Right now Nate (catcher Nate Terres drafted from Spring Hill) and I are on the same page. The defense is also playing well."

As in his previous shutouts, Vogt did not strike out a large number of batters. He recorded eight strikeouts, but with errorless play behind him, he retired batters by keeping them off stride and had them hitting the ball into the dirt or hitting high flies and pop-ups.

"My change-up was working well," he said. "Sometimes it got up a bit, and they got one or two hits off of that."

Carlos' lead off batter had a hit, but the next 15 batters were retired. After the first two batters of the sixth inning had hits, Vogt retired the next 12 batters.

"Ethan doesn't strike out a lot and our defense needs to play well. If we can keep a team to two or three runs, we have a chance to win," said manager Pat Illies.

Defense was the difference in the game. The Saints twice had three-run rallies. All six runs were unearned.

Vogt opened the fourth inning with a single, then stole second. The attempt to put him out went wide and he went to third base. After Illies walked, Steve Mueller grounded back to the pitcher. The throw to home went wide. Kevin Kuefler then reached on an error, allowing Illies to score, and placing Mueller on third. Kuefler stole second and the Saints then elected to use a suicide squeeze play.

Carlos pitcher Neil Jenzen threw high to thwart the bunt attempt, but threw the ball past the catcher, allowing Mueller to score.

In the ninth inning, Kuefler singled, but the next two were retired before an infield error allowed Randy Duevel to reach first and Kuefler to score. A single by Matt Middendorf, a walk to Terres and a two-run single by Vogt followed that error.

The Saints, on the other hand, played flawless defense and sealed the win.

Elrosa next faces Cannon Falls of the Cannon Valley League. It was 8-7 in its league, but is 23-16 over all. Elrosa is 13-11 overall.

Many had suspected it, but unless one was keeping accurate score, they really didn't know there was a no-hitter in progress, Sunday, Aug. 16 in the 3-0 Elrosa win over Norway Lake-Sunburg (NLS) at Spring Hill.

"I kept looking at the scoreboard, but that didn't show anything," said Elrosa shortstop Matt Middendorf. (The scoreboard was malfunctioning, it was believed, because of a lightening strike.) "I thought he had a no-hitter going. The only one that I thought might have been a hit was the one they ruled an error."

Vogt really didn't do too much different that his normal game. He had been in centerfield when Elrosa defeated NLS earlier in the tournament, and had observed something.

"Aaron (Vogt) had a lot of success moving the ball in and out. I did that, and used the curveball a bit, but my change up was the out pitch."

Vogt struck out seven in the game, but he usually had the NLS batters hitting the ball into the dirt. There was only one put out by the outfielders. The Elrosa infield finished the game handling 16 chances. "I wanted the ball," said Middendorf. "I wanted everything hit to me. The infield is nice and smooth and the grass was quick, it kept you on your toes."

The Saints had taken a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Middendorf, who had singled, was on third base when Pat Illies struck out. The catcher did not hold onto the ball. When he threw to first Middendorf broke for home.

"I saw the ball in the dirt, and he didn't check me," said Middendorf. "When he lopped it to first, I broke for home."

His steal off home was the only run in the game until the eighth inning when Weston Wander singled to drive in Jon Olmscheid and Illies.

"We talked about that in the dugout," said Middendorf. "We told him (Wander) that the first pitch would be a fastball. He hit a high one. It was a big hit and gave us insurance runs."

That there were no more runs was a tribute to Vogt, the Elrosa defense, and NLS's Ryan Speltz, drafted from New London-Spicer. Speltz struck out 11 in the game.

As the inning stats were tallied, more and more started to think of a no-hit shut out - and following a baseball tradition, few who wanted to say anything about the possibility.

"We didn't talk about it in the dugout, but I knew he had a no-hitter. I've never been so nervous in the last inning," said catcher Nathan Terres, drafted from Spring Hill. "We used the change up a lot. We would get ahead on the count, they'd throw the change up and they beat it into the dirt."

Some of those balls hit to the infield came close to being hits. Middendorf twice made highlight-film plays to just nip runners at first base.

The game ended with Vogt having the first batter ground out and striking out the next two. It was then when Terres found out that not everyone knew Vogt had thrown a no-hitter.

"Aaron (Vogt) came running in from centerfield and had to ask if that was a no-hitter," said Terres. "We said it was."

Only three NLS batters reached base in the game, and none reached second base.

The win qualified Elrosa for the State tournament. The Saints drafted Darrin Ogdahl of NLS/New London-Spicer for state play.

Ethan Vogt pitched a complete game no-hitter as Elrosa defeated NLS 3-0 in the final playback game.

(Melrose Beacon)

SPRING HILL — Ethan Vogt threw a no-hitter in Elrosa's 3-0 Region 15C win over Norway Lake-Sunburg Sunday afternoon.

The win clinched a trip to the Class C state tournament next weekend in Arlington for Elrosa.

Ryan Spelpz took the loss for Norway Lake-Sunburg. Weston Wander had a two-run single for Elrosa and Nathan Terres doubled.

Elrosa played St. Martin in a seeding game following the win over Norway Lake-Sunburg and lost 12-2. St. Martin claimed the top seed out of the region with the win.

Jake Harrison got the win for St. Martin and Matt Imdieke, a pickup player from Meire Grove, took the loss.

Sam Rothstein and Nathan Schlangen both went 2-for-4 with a home run for St. Martin, Josh Harrison went 2-for-3 and Jake Thelen went 2-for-4.

St. Martin opens the state tournament at 11 a.m. next Sunday in Arlington against an opponent yet to be determined. Elrosa will play the following game in Arlington at 1:30 p.m.

Munich Silverstreaks rallied in the eighth inning to tie the score, but fell 8-7 in 11 innings Saturday, Aug. 15 at New Munich.

The loss, coming in the playback semi-finals, eliminated the Silverstreaks from further play in the tournament.

New Munich had jumped to a 3-0 first inning lead. Doubles by Joe Stangler and Darin Funk highlighted that inning.

The lead, however, did not last an inning, as pitcher Shawn Schoenberg, drafted from Spring Hill, struggled with control and walked three batters and gave up one hit as NLS tied the game.

Walks and hits again played a role as NLS built a 7-3 lead by the fifth inning. Chad Funk and Adam Stangler led off innings in the fourth and seventh when the Silverstreaks rallied for one run. In the eighth, three NLS errors allowed the Silverstreaks to tie the game.

NLS staged a two-out rally to earn the 11th inning win. Pitcher Eric Schoenberg, also drafted from Spring Hill, walked one and hit one batter in that inning.

New Munich loaded the bases in the 10th and had the tying run at second in the 11th inning, but could not get the needed hit.

(Melrose Beacon)

SPRING HILL — The St. Martin Martins made it four in a row and five of six Saturday in the dreary drizzle that enveloped Chargers Field.

And they did it with the help of Brad Mergen, a draftee from Farming who spent most of the summer pitching for the Brainerd Lunkers of the Northwoods League.

Mergen, a 19-year-old left-hander, struck out 12 in six innings to help the Martins beat the Elrosa Saints 8-1 in the Region 15C tournament.

"Brad threw a helluva game," said St. Martin manager Carl Lieser. "And our offense came alive.

"We executed some small-ball stuff early and it seems like when we can do that small staff, our bats come alive."

The Martins (14-12) had 18 hits, including a pair of home runs from Luke Rothstein. Nathan Beier added four hits and Nathan Schlangen, Luke Rothstein and Sam Rothstein all had three.

"It's a big boost getting a guy like Brad Mergen in there," Carl Lieser said. "He's going to give up a few walks. But nobody's going to tee off on him."

St. Martin plays a seedings game at 2:30 p.m. today in Spring Hill before heading off to the state tournament next weekend in Gaylord and Arlington.

Elrosa (13-12) plays Norway Lake-Sunburg in an elimination game at noon today. Norway Lake-Sunburg eliminated New Munich 8-7 in 11 innings in the rain Saturday in Spring Hill. The winner takes on St. Martin.

Mergen, who pitches for Indian Hills Community College in Iowa and is a 2008 Albany High School graduate, set the tone. He allowed one hit in his six innings, walking four and hitting one. He threw 100 pitches.

"I've got to tip my hat," said Elrosa first baseman Pat Illies. "He pitched a helluva game. And Christ, they hit the ball."

The Martins opened the scoring in the third when Jake Thelen drew a bases-loaded walk. They made it 3-0 in the fifth on a suicide squeeze by Kyle Lieser and an Elrosa error.

The Saints got one back in the fifth on Matt Middendorf's RBI single.

Luke Rothstein then led off the sixth with a solo shot and Beier had an RBI single.

Three more scored in the eighth. Luke Rothstein had a two-run homer and Beier smacked an RBI double

While most of the Martins are Albany graduates, most of them also are older and don't know much about Mergen.

Not sure what to expect from Mergen on Sunday, Thelen gave Ryan Nett a call.

Nett, a former pitching coach at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., manages Mergen with Farming Flames.

Thelen, St. Martin's catcher, got the low-down.

Mergen has three pitches, including a plus-fastball, a change-up and a slider.

"Seriously, this is like the first time I've caught him," said Thelen, who caught him in practice Wednesday.

"He's a good pitcher. Eventually, if he finds his pinpoint control, he'll be dangerous. I mean, he one-hit us during the season. It's a nice pick-up for us."

Elrosa now tries to earn its first state-tournament trip since 2006 today. The Saints plan to throw Ethan Vogt, the former University of Minnesota pitcher who like Mergen also pitched in the Northwoods League for the Thunder Bay Border Cats.

"I knew we were going to face good pitching (Saturday) no matter what," Illies said. "We'll see what Ethan can do and go get them (today)."

NORWAY LAKE-SUNBURG 8, NEW MUNICH 7

SPRING HILL — Chris Braaten threw 10 innings to get the win for Norway Lake-Sunburg in this 11-inning Region 15C game.

New Munich was eliminated with the loss. Norway Lake-Sunburg advances to play Elrosa at noon today. The winner of that game moves on to play St. Martin at 2:30 p.m. today in a seeding game.

Erich Schoenberg took the loss in seven innings of relief. The winning run scored on an infield hit in the top of the 11th inning.

Jordan Johnson went 3-for-6 for Norway Lake-Sunburg and James Cortez went 3-for-5. Adam Stangler and Chad Funk had two hits each for New Munich and Darren Funk doubled.

Elrosa's 3-0 win over New Munich, Sunday, Aug. 9, at Spring Hill, kept the Saints unbeaten in the Region 15C Tournament.

They earned their runs on RBI hits by Nate Terres (drafted from Spring Hill), Ethan Vogt and Kevin Kuefler. Vogt, who pitched a complete game, allowed four hits and no walks and was the winning pitcher.

Most fans, however, were talking about the play by Elrosa's Matt Middendorf, and New Munich's Chad Funk, the shortstops in the game. Both played errorless ball and together they finished with 19 chances to make a play.

Middendorf, who played most of the game close to the outfield grass, finished with 10 assists and a put out in the game. His ability to range kept New Munich from getting infield hits or short hits to the outfield. In the last two innings he either started or served as the pivot man on double plays that ended New Munich threats. He also scored the game-winning run on Terres' first inning double.

Funk had seven assists and one put out. More than one of his assists were force-outs and cut down a lead runner. He also was a pivot man on a double play.

Besides the play of the shortstops, the game featured a unique sight when all three Spring Hill draftees were in the game.

Eric Schoenberg pitched to catcher Shawn Schoenberg, while Terres was batting. Terres singled, but a few pitches later was he thrown out by Shawn Schoenberg as he tried to steal second base.

A baseball adage states that the number of hits a player has means less than when the player gets a hit.

Saturday, Aug. 8 at Spring Hill Darin Funk had five hits, and most of them played a role in the Silverstreaks' 14-5 win in the first round of the Region 15C Tournament.

"Paul (manager Paul Sand) puts me in for a reason," he said after the five-for-five, two run, five RBI day. "I have had good days before, but not too often."

Funk started the day drawing a walk in New Munich's six-run first inning. He scored on Karl Funk's bases-loaded double. That hit gave the Silverstreaks a 6-0 lead.

Doubles were pretty much the extent of the power hits in the game. Chad Funk did hit a home run as part of his three-for-the-day. That came as a surprise as there was a strong wind blowing straight to center field for most of the game. That wind made it a bit tricky for the outfielders.

"You play deep and come up on the ball," said Darin Funk, who plays left field. "Anything hit over your head will go out."

Darin Funk's second at bat produced his first hit of the game, a two-out two-run single. In the sixth he connected for an RBI single. In the eighth he singled and scored, and he capped his day with a two-run double in the ninth inning.

Doubles were not uncommon for the Silverstreaks in that game. Adam Stangler finished with three as the New Munich team had one of its best outings in recent games.

"In the past few games we had about five or six hits. It is about time we broke out," said Darin Funk.

The other part of the Silverstreaks' margin of victory was that pitchers Shawn and Eric Schoenberg (both drafted from Spring Hill) held Lake Henry to five hits - all of them singles.

"My arm felt good, but that wind made it tough," said Shawn Schoenberg, who threw the first eight innings of the game. "The wind can make it tough to throw a fast ball, it can push the ball a bit. Today would have been a good day to have a knuckle ball."

New Munich's defense committed one error, which led to a first inning Lake Henry run, otherwise it was pretty solid.

"It really helped getting off to good start," said Schoenberg. "It got our confidence up, and it's much easier to pitch with a 6-0 lead."

The Saints continued a pattern of winning close games in post-season play.

They defeated Norway Lake-Sunburg (NLS) 5-4 in 12 innings Saturday, Aug. 8 in the opening round of the Region 15C Tournament at Spring Hill. On Sunday, Aug. 9 they posted a 3-0 win over New Munich.

Pat Illies, who had three RBIs, including the game winner against NLS, also tripled and scored in the win over New Munich.

"I just wanted to get the ball in play," he said following the NLS win. "I wanted to hit it deep or get a long fly out."

Illies came to bat in the bottom of the 12th with bases loaded and none out. Elrosa had also had the winning run at third in the 11th inning, but could not get the run across.

The Saints had taken a 2-0 led in the first inning on rbi singles by Illies and Steve Mueller. Mueller homered in the sixth inning and Illies hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.

For a time it seemed that would be enough. Aaron Vogt started and retired the first 13 batters he faced. He lost a no-hit bid in the sixth when NLS rallied for two runs. Matt Imdieke, drafted from Meire Grove, finished that inning, and the game. Except for the ninth inning, he was no less effective than Vogt.

NLS rallied to tie the game in the ninth, sending the game into extra-innings.

The 12th inning opened with a single by Matt Middendorf. Nate Terres, drafted from Spring Hill, followed with a sacrifice bunt. The throw to first went wide and Terres reached first and Middendorf went to third.

"We thought about having Terres steal (and remove a force play) but they decided to walk Ethan (Vogt)."

Vogt had already doubled twice in the game. The intentional walk loaded bases.

NLS brought its defenders in, but Illies' hit went into the outfield, allowing Middendorf to score.

NLS pitcher Chris Braaten pitched a complete game in the loss.

Spring Hill is not the first area team to boast a covered grandstand.

It is, however, the first in the area to have retractable covering on its grandstand. The Chargers' grandstand was ready Saturday, Aug. 8 when the Region 15C Tournament opened. It had not been there a week earlier.

"They (the company which set it up), did it in one day," said Randy Schoenberg, Spring Hill manager and Region 15C commissioner. "It's retractable. It works on the same theory as the tarps on a semi."

Then there is lightness about the grandstand not found in others. For one thing the support poles and beams are aluminum. The roof portion is, well more or less a like a tarp. Getting the grandstand covered was something that had been discussed by the Chargers for some time. During those discussions somebody recommended something other than a wood or metal structure.

"We talked about it for few years, then somebody pointed out they make awnings for just about everything else," said Schoenberg. "We talked to a company and they said they could build it."

The grandstand was tested early as there was rain on the first day of the regionals. There were no complaints about the protection it provided from the rain or the sun.

The design may also have started a trend of sorts. Shortly after the final game of the first weekend, one fan asked Schoenberg if he could get information on building a similar grandstand.

SPRING HILL — A week before Sunday's Region 15C amateur baseball playoff matchup with the same two teams, Elrosa defeated New Munich in the Stearns County League Tournament title game.

It helped the Saints get a higher draft pick for the playoffs. And they made full use of the spot as draft pick Nathan Terres of Spring Hill went 2-for-4 to lead Elrosa to a 3-0 win over the Silver Streaks.

Ethan Vogt threw a complete-game shutout to earn the winning decision. Manager/first baseman Pat Illies added a triple to help boost the Saints' offense.

Chad Funk went 2-for-4 to lead New Munich.

Tournament-undefeated Elrosa moves to the semifinals of the double-elimintation format. The Saints will face St. Martin at noon Saturday for a title game berth. The loser will play at noon Sunday for a second chance at a berth in the following 2:30 p.m. title game.

SPRING HILL — Pat Illies drove in the winning run in the 11th inning for Elrosa.

Elrosa takes on New Munich in the next round at 1 p.m. today.

Matt Imdieke got the win and Chris Braaten, who threw all 11 innings, took the loss.

SPRING HILL — Shawn Schoenberg struck out 10 in eight innings of work to lead New Munich to the Region 15C win.

New Munich moves on to play Elrosa at 1 p.m. today.

Aaron Nett took the loss. Chad Funk had two hits with a home run for New Munich, Darren Funk had five hits, Adam Stangler had three hits and Karl Funk had two hits.

Shane Kampsen had two hits for Lake Henry.

The Region 15C Base-ball Tournament kicks off Saturday, Aug. 8 at Spring Hill.

This year the tournament is again a six-team tournament. Teams come from the Stearns County League (SCL)-North (Elrosa, New Munich), SCL-South (Lake Henry, St. Martin) and Corn Belt League (CBL)-North (Norway Lake-Sunburg, Regal).

New Munich (12-7)

The Silverstreaks, SCL-N runner-up, bring a veteran team with some young talent to the Regions. They have played at the level before in recent years and know how to win games on that level. Joe Stangler, Adam Stangler and Chad Funk are all capable of starting an offensive rally. All of them have on base percentages of over .400. Joe Hoppe, Darrin Funk and Joe Stangler, as well as Adam Stangler and Chad Funk, have continuously delivered hits with men in scoring positions.

The Silverstreaks' pitching staff includes Jim Thull (70I 1.81ERA 45 7-1), Adam (2-0) and Joe (2-2) Stangler. They have augmented their pitching staff by drafting Shawn Schoenberg (1.22 ERA) and Eric (4-0) Schoenberg of Spring Hill. Both are also good hitters.

Elrosa (9-9)

The Saints surprised many as they won the SCL-North playoff. Defense and pitching have been hall-marks of it post-season run. The pitching staff is centered on Aaron Vogt (60IP 70K) and Ethan Vogt (2.57ERA). Dustin Breitbach (30IP) and Matt Middendorf also pitch. The team drafted Meire Grove's Matt Imdieke, who finished 6-1 against SCL opponents and gave up about three earned runs in his last four outings.

Offensively Elrosa counts on Pat Illies, Matt Middendorf, and Steve Mueller to keep the offense going. Just about anyone on the team can deliver a key hit. Illies, with 22 RBIs, has rarely failed to deliver when needed. The offense of the team should be helped by the addition of Nathan Terres, drafted from Spring Hill. A good defensive catcher he also hit .309 with 12 RBI during the SCL regular season.

Time and again coaches have told players the little things matter.

That was borne out Sunday, July 26, in Meire Grove's 1-0 win over Spring Hill at Meire Grove in the SCL-North playbacks. Meire Grove successfully executed a sacrifice bunt, then capitalized on that scoring opportunity to take the win. The Grovers twice spoiled Spring Hill's chances of sacrifice bunts with good defensive plays by pitcher Matt Imdieke and catcher Jim Sieben.

"This might be the best defensive team I've ever played with," said Imdieke.

He could appreciate the effort. In the past few weeks, backed up by a strong defense, Imdieke has emerged as one of the better pitchers in the SCL, North or South.

"Matt pitched a heck of a game today," said Sieben. "In the past four games he has given up maybe three or for earned runs."

In the win on July 26 he gave up no runs, and only two hits. In the first four innings no batter reached base and until the sixth Spring Hill did not have a hit.

"I was pretty much mixing a slider, curveball and fastball," said Imdieke. "We were getting the corners and a lot of inside stuff. The wind was also blowing in and that helped. They only hit two balls hard, and both of them right at us."

Meire Grove's defense started the game making two good defensive plays. While they also had hits earlier in the game than did Spring Hill, the Chargers came closer to scoring sooner than the Grovers did.

In the sixth inning Jonathan Nietfeld reached on a fielder's choice that spoiled a sacrifice bunt. A single by Eric Schoenberg moved him to third base. Spring Hill elected to try another sacrifice bunt. The ball went past the catcher and Nietfeld crossed the plate, but the umpire ruled a foul ball and all runners returned to their bases.

It was as close as the Chargers would get to scoring as a double play ended that inning.

Meire Grove did not have that many chances to score in the game as Shawn Schoenberg threw one of his best games of theyear. While the Grovers had seven hits, Schoenberg issued no walks and struck out seven batters.

In the eighth inning Ryan Klaphake became only the fourth Grover batter to reach base in the game. His single was followed by a sacrifice bunt by Josh Meyer. Shawn Meyer followed with a single to center that scored Klaphake. The Grovers threaten to score in the ninth inning, but did not capitalize.

"We knew we'd have to hold them down, but hoped to get a few more runs," said Co-Manager Doug Meyer after the game. "One run was enough because Matt threw a heck of a game."

The win advances Meire Grove to the final playback of the SCL-North double-elimination game Saturday, Aug. 1 at Meire Grove. The winner of that game faces New Munich Sunday, Aug. 2 in a seeding game at New Munich. Both New Munich and the team it plays on Sunday, Aug. 2 qualify for the Region 15C Tournament.

(Melrose Beacon)

MEIRE GROVE — Matt Imdieke pitched a complete-game two-hitter and Shawn Meyer delivered a two-out RBI single in the eighth inning to score Ryan Klaphake and give Meire Grove a 1-0 win over Spring Hill in a Stearns County League amateur baseball playoff game Sunday.

Ryan Meyer was 2-for-4 to help lead Meire Grove, which plays host to Elrosa on Saturday.

Shawn Schoenberg pitched a complete game for Spring Hill, striking out seven.

The Elrosa Saints, number four seed in the Stearns County League-North, topped number one seeded Spring Hill 4-1 in the opening round of the SCL-North double elimination playoff Sunday, July 19 at Spring Hill.

Aaron Vogt struck out 10 batters and held Spring Hill to two hits while pitching a complete game. The Saints had 15 hits. Dustin Breitbach (2-4) drove in two runs. Matt Middendorf (1-4) doubled and scored twice. Eric Schoenberg and Jamie Terres had the Chargers hits.

Spring Hill travels to Meire Grove in the playbacks Sunday, July 26. The Chargers will be the home team.

All the momentum Spring Hill had gained heading into the playoffs came to a screeching halt Sunday as Elrosa silenced the Charger offense with a 4-1 victory.  Aaron Vogt tossed a complete game two hitter, looking sharp as he struck out 10 along the way.  The Chargers mustered only one legitimate threat, scoring one run in the 4^th inning.  They loaded the bases, but failed to push any more runs across as Vogt shut them down for the rest of the day.  The Saints were lead by Dustin Breitbach, Kevin Kueffler, Steve Mueller, and Matt Middendorf, who all had 2 hits apiece.

Shawn Schoenberg looked strong on the mound as well for the Chargers, striking out eight in 6 2/3 innings on Sunday.  Aaron Welle came on in relief, keeping the Chargers within striking distance with a solid relief outing.  The Chargers played solid defense behind Shawn all day, even gunning a potential run out at the plate thanks to a relay from Dave Stalboerger and Jaime Terres. 

The Charger offense was held in check Sunday, mustering only 2 hits off of Vogt.  The Chargers only threat came in the 4^th, thanks to back to back doubles from Eric Schoenberg and Jaime Terres.  Spring Hill threatened to break the 1-1 tie, but ended up settling for their lone run of the game.  Vogt also walked just two batters to go along with the 10 strikeouts, keeping the Chargers off the base paths all afternoon.

SPRING HILL — The No. 4 ranked Saints pulled an upset over the top ranked Chargers in the first round of the Stearns County League South playoffs.

Matt Middendorf, Kevin Kuefler, Steve Mueller and Dustin Brietbach each went 2-for-4 to lead Elrosa in the win.

Eric Schoenberg and Jamie Terres each doubled to lead Spring Hill (14-6).

Elrosa plays at New Munich at 1:30 p.m. next Sunday with the winner advancing to the Region 15C tournament. Spring Hill plays host to Meire Grove in an elimination game.

After defeating the Saints in a tight battle, the Chargers made sure the Keg was brought safely to the bar as Aaron Welle buckled the Keg in his car before escorting it to Extra Innings in downtown Spring Hill. As he drove away, a Charger player (who wished to remain anonymous) said “Good Chance Welle is going to tap that tonight”. The Chargers are 1-1 against the Saints this year; and now lead the all-time series 7-3.   

The Traveling Keg made its way back to Spring Hill on Sunday afternoon as the Chargers knocked off the Saints to earn their 8^th straight victory.  Spring Hill avenged one of only two regular season losses with the triumph, earning a number one seed in the new playoff format starting this week.  It was no easy task, however, as the Saints made a furious comeback after falling behind 7-2.  After the Chargers pulled ahead by three runs in the 7^th inning, the Saints cut the gap to 9-7, loading the bases with one out in the ninth.  A sacrifice fly by Matt Bauer scored one run, but Nate Terres gunned down pinch runner Zach Mages at third to end the game and lift the Chargers to an impressive 11-2 SCL record.

Aaron Welle started on the hill for the Chargers, taking the win after pitching six strong innings.  Welle bounced back from a 2^nd inning blast by Ethan Vogt to hold the Saints in check, striking out five in the process.  Eric Schoenberg came on for the three-inning save, escaping the Elrosa surge in the ninth to preserve the victory.  It just wouldn’t be a Saints-Chargers battle without a little drama at the end.

Eric got the Chargers on the board early, doing his best Rickey Henderson impression with a solo shot to lead off the game.  The blast left Ralph and Jeff as the only two Schoenbergs on the team without a homerun this season, though Ralphs 54 career home runs rank just slightly ahead of Jeff’s career total of zero.  Jonny Nietfeld and Jeff both had 2 hits, and Jaime Terres knocked home two key runs to lead the Chargers.  The hit was Jaime’s 31^st of the season, putting his average at .431 for the year.   Eric’s home run also increased the teams total to 13, most since the juiced-ball era of the late 90's early 2000's.  While we’re on the subject records, Corey leads the team with 23 RBI (18 in SCL play) this season and could finish near the top of the record books by season end.  Shawn, Jaime, and Nathan all have double digit stolen base totals as well.  It’s easy to look this all up when you’re extremely bored at work, and hats off to Shawn for compiling all these records.

With the regular season in the books, the new playoff format kicks off this week as Greenwald and Elrosa battle in the 4-5 game Tuesday evening.  The Chargers will entertain the winner of that game on Sunday in Spring Hill.  Spring Hill is in the proverbial driver seat as the number one seed, they need only to win their first two games to secure a spot in regions.  Fans have been questioning whether the new playoff system is a good idea.  If the Chargers make the Region tournament, best idea in a long time.  If they don’t make it, well, it sucks.  Post season baseball is a whole new ball game; let’s hope the Chargers continue their winning ways the rest of the summer.

The Stearns County League playoffs continue Sunday, July 19 in both the SCL-North and SCL South divisions. In the SCL-North playoffs Spring Hill will play host to Elrosa while New Munich hosts Meire Grove. In the SCL-South, Lake Henry hosts Roscoe, and Richmond hosts St. Martin.

This year the SCL changed its playoff format. It allowed all five teams into the playoffs. In the first round the number four seed faced the number five seed in a single elimination round. In the SCL-South Roscoe defeated Farming 1-0 Monday, July 13 at Farming. In the SCL-North Elrosa defeated Greenwald 9-4 Wednesday, July 15 at Elrosa.

Spring Hill-9 Elrosa-8

Aaron Welle was the winning pitcher as Spring Hill closed out its regular season with a 9-8 win Sunday, July 12 at Spring Hill. Eric Schoenberg earned the save, pitching the final three innings.

Dustin Breitbach was charged with the loss. Matt Middendorf pitched the final two innings.

Spring Hill had multiple hits from Jeff Schoenberg 2-4 and Jon Nietfeld 2-2. Brad Terres (1-1) and Eric Schoenberg (HR) also hit for the Chargers. Middendorf and Matt Bauer were both 2-5 for Elrosa. Weston Wander (2-2) was perfect at the plate and Ethan Vogt hit a two-run home run.

The Chargers finish 11-2 in the league, the best in team history.  They were 9-4 in the league in 2007.

Elrosa finishes 5-8 in the SCL-North, and they will host Greenwald in a division play-in game on Tuesday, July 14 at 7:30pm at Saints Field.  Greenwald fell to New Munich on Sunday 4-3. Meire Grove defeated Farming 7-5 to finish third in the league.

Spring Hill opens playoffs on Sunday at 1:30 against the winner of the Elrosa-Greenwald game.  Meire Grove opens at New Munich the same day and time.

Brad Terres tags Elrosa's Zach Mages to end the game

SPRING HILL — Eric Schoenberg hit a home run in Spring Hill’s victory. Jeff Schoenberg went 2-for-4 for Spring Hill (11-2, 14-5) and Jonathan Nietfeld went 2-for-2. Ethan Vogt homered for Elrosa. 

The recently red hot Chargers offense left the fireworks at home on Sunday but were bailed out by a great pitching performance from Eric Schoenberg that propelled them to a thrilling 2-1 win over the Grovers on Sunday.  Eric and Meire Grove starter Matt Imdieke traded scoreless innings throughout the steamy afternoon in Spring Hill.  The game finally came to a close in the bottom of the ninth inning when Corey Schoenberg slid safely into home following a Jeff Schoenberg single, giving the Chargers their first ever 10 win regular season.

Eric pitched arguably the best game of the season for the Chargers, going the distance and striking out seven.  Spring Hill pitchers have become accustomed to turning around seeing a healthy run cushion in their favor.  Maybe a good ole’ fashion pitcher’s duel is just what the team needed.  The lone Grover run came on a two-out run scoring single by Greg Nathe in the 7^th.  Meire Grove had a potential run erased as Shawn Schoenberg threw out Ryan Meyer at home following a Cory Schneider single in the fifth.  It was a close play at the plate as Nate Terres had to run halfway to third to tag Meyer out.  The Grover scouting report was a bit off; thinking the infection Shawn was dealing with was in his right arm, not his leg. 

The offense was stymied a bit by Imdieke on Sunday, lacking punch all afternoon.  The lone bright spot was Nate Terres’ solo home run in the second inning.  The blast put him in a tie with Shawn and Corey for the team lead with three.  It also proved to be enough to last until the ninth inning rally, giving the Chargers a game and half lead in SCL North. 

SPRING HILL — Jeff Schoenberg's hit in the ninth inning wasn't a blast. But it made its way through the left side of the infield and scored Corey Schoenberg from second to give Spring Hill a walk-off 2-1 win over Meire Grove on Sunday in the Stearns County League.

Eric Schoenberg threw a complete game to earn the win. He struck out seven and scattered five Grovers hits.

Meire Grove starter Matt Imdieke battled evenly through eight innings. But reliever Jeron Klaphake was unable to tame the Chargers in the ninth and took the loss.

Nathan Terres gave the Chargers the first lead in the second inning with a solo homer. The Grovers rallied to tie the game off a seventh-inning RBI single by Greg Nathe.

The Spring Hill Chargers continued their dominance of the SCL-South with a convincing 8-0 victory over the St. Martin Martins Sunday in Spring Hill.  The blustery weather produced some adventures on the field, as the swirling winds wreaked havoc on fly balls all afternoon.  Normally an 8-0 advantage would seem plenty safe, but the high octane Martins offense can never be ignored.  Nevertheless, great pitching and a few miscues courtesy of St.Martin boosted Spring Hill’s SCL record to 9-2 on the season.

Shawn Schoenberg toed the rubber for the first time in a few weeks, but showed no signs of rust by shutting down the powerful Martins lineup with seven solid innings.  Aaron Welle came on in relief to pitch the final two innings and preserve the shutout.  St. Martin had a few small rallies, but solid defense and timely pitching by the Chargers thwarted any Martin scoring opportunity.

Nate Terres led the Charger offense, going 3 for 3 with two runs scored.  Jamie Terres also chipped with a 2-3 a day, scoring 3 runs himself.  His tailing line drives to right field also made it a difficult day for Nathan Beier, who was spun in circles a few times by the swirling wind.  Corey Schoenberg delivered the knockout blow with a two run home run in the 7^th.  Surprisingly there were still bats left over by the end of the game, as the Charger Lumber Company buzzed through about 5 or 6 before and during the game.  Eric Schoenberg even managed to snap a Baum bat, which normally requires some kind of table saw to split in half.  The Chargers showed their versatility by scoring runs in many different ways.  They used an Aaron Welle suicide squeeze bunt to push a run across; a few innings later they took advantage of the long ball on Corey’s home run.  They scored on a few errors by the Martins but also by executing heads up base running as they scored 2 runs on just one passed ball in the third.

The Spring Hill Chargers posted an 8-0 win over St. Martin Sunday, June 28 at Spring Hill.

The Chargers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Shawn Schoenberg, with relief help from Aaron Welle, earned the shutout victory. The two combined to limit St. Martin to three hits. Spring Hill's Nate Terres (3-3) equaled that total himself. Cory Schoenberg had a two-home run.

Nate Schlangen and Ken Arceneau accounted for the Martin's hits. Scott Schlangen took the loss.

SPRING HILL — Spring Hill improved to 9-2 in the Stearns County League and 11-5 overall with the win.

Shawn Schoenberg got the win and Scott Schlangen was saddled with the loss.

Jamie Terres went 2-for-3 for Spring Hill, Nathan Terres went 3-for-3 with a double and Corey Schoenberg had a two-run homer in the seventh.

Nathan Schlangen went 2-for-4 for St. Martin.

Spring Hill continued their offensive surge with two impressive victories over the Greenwald Cubs this weekend.  The home and home series featured a thrilling 11-10 victory by the Chargers on Saturday followed up by a dominant 13-5 win on Sunday in Greenwald to complete the sweep.  After the high scoring weekend, Spring Hill is now averaging a sizzling 9.6 runs per game in league play.  The perfect weekend keeps the Chargers a game and a half ahead of New Munich in the SCL-north with just three to play.

Even after some torrential rain on Friday, the field in Spring Hill was ready to go on Saturday for the first of two ball games between the neighboring rivals.  The back and forth game went down to the wire, as Jonathan Nietfeld delivered a walk-off base hit to score pinch runner Kyle Betram in the bottom of the ninth to lock up an 11-10 victory for the Chargers.  Chris Spanier started on the hill for the Chargers, logging 5 2/3 innings before giving way to Eric Schoenberg.   Aaron Welle came on after that to post 3 solid innings and preserve the much-needed win for the Chargers.  The offense was white-hot throughout again on Saturday, as Jonathan Nietfeld, Dave Stalboerger, and Jamie Terres all banged out three hits apiece.  Eric, Shawn, and Corey Schoenberg all chipped in with 2 hits as well and Nate Terres drove in three runs to lead the offense.  The Chargers surged back from a 7-3 deficit by putting up a seven-spot in the bottom of the sixth.  Greenwald wouldn’t go away however, as they tied the game in the top of the 8^th.   The Chargers thwarted any kind of comeback when J.P. delivered the game-winning single down the third base line.  Bertram was asked how he avoided catcher Dave Lensing’s tag to win the game.  His response: “Didn’t even see ‘em”.  Of course.

Sunday’s game was not near as dramatic, as the Chargers stormed ahead early en route to a comfortable 13-5 win.  Eric Schoenberg went the distance on the mound, giving up just one earned run and striking out 5.  Shawn Schoenberg powered the offense going 4-4, including his third HR of the year that landed somewhere around center ice in the hockey rink out in left field.  Jamie Terres was 2-4 and Nate Terres drove in four more runs to lead the offense.  The weather looked bleak at the beginning of the game, but cleared up just long enough to get the entire game in the books. The Cubbies cut the gap to 9-5 in the 4^th, but never got any closer as the Chargers prevailed once again. 

For the most part it was a well-played weekend for the Chargers, except for a few mental errors.  Let’s all hope Jeff Schoenberg never goes deaf one day—something tells me he would never be able to grasp the concept of sign language.  The Chargers head home to take on St.Martin this Sunday, as they try to make it a perfect 5-0 vs. the SCL-South this year and inch even closer to a division title.  Anything under 90 degrees would be just fantastic.

The Spring Hill Chargers won one nail biter and one runaway over the June 21 weekend.

Hosting Greenwald Saturday, June 20, the Chargers scored in the bottom of the ninth to break a 10-10 tie and end a seesaw game.

Jonathon Nietfeld finished the day going 3-3 for Spring Hill. Dave Stalboerger was 3-4 and Jamie Terres was 3-5. Greenwald's Dave Lensing finished 3-4. Brandon Worms (1-4) and Dave Lensing all homered for Greenwald. Worms hit a grand slam.

The following day at Greenwald, led by a 4-for-4 day by Shawn Schoenberg, Spring Hill posted a 13-5 win; Schoenberg scored four of the runs. Terres scored three times and finished 2-4. Schoenberg homered in the game.

Cody Imdieke led the Cubs going 4-5 and Doug Imdieke was 2-4 in the game.

GREENWALD — Shawn Schoenberg was 4-for-4 with a solo home run in the third inning to lead Spring Hill past Greenwald. Eric Schoenberg went all nine innings and struck out four for the win.

Cody Imdieke was 4-for-5 to lead the Cubs. Doug Imdieke was 2-for-4 with a double.

NEW MUNICH — In a game filled with Schoenbergs and Stanglers and Terres, Funks and Welles, it took a Stalboerger to settle the issue Sunday afternoon.

That would be Spring Hill outfielder Dave Stalboerger, whose one-out single in the top of the ninth inning scored the game-winning run as the Chargers topped New Munich 9-8 in Stearns County League amateur baseball action.

The victory means Spring Hill (6-2, 8-5) pulled in front of New Munich (6-3, 8-5) by a half-game atop the Stearns County League North Division standings and earned a regular-season split with the Silver Streaks.

"This win means a lot," Stalboerger said. "A loss would have meant we dropped both games to these guys this year and that affects tiebreakers and all that. So this was a big one for us."

Family connections are, of course, nothing new in amateur baseball. But even by town ball standards, Sunday's matchup was not so much a game as it was a full-fledged family reunion.

Spring Hill started four Schoenbergs (brothers Shawn, Eric and Corey and first cousin Jeff) and a pair of Terres (brothers Jamie and Nathan).

New Munich countered with three Stanglers (brothers Joe, Nick and Adam) and three Funks (brothers Darin and Chad and third cousin Karl). Each team started a Welle (first cousins Aaron of Spring Hill and Craig of New Munich).

"We all just love it," said Jamie Terres, whose three-run double in the top of the eighth inning erased a three-run deficit and tied the game 8-8.

"Most of us grew up watching it and we love playing the game. We get a lot of family out to watch. Before the game today, we had a baptism for Nate's boy — Edmund Floyd. So we were a little late getting here. He's named after our grandfather Floyd Edmund, who passed away from cancer last fall. It's still strange to look up at the stands and not see him there."

The Chargers took a 4-0 lead with two runs each in both the second and third innings. Spring Hill starter Chris Spanier held the Silver Streaks scoreless and to just one hit over the first three innings.

But New Munich got on track offensively in the fourth, belting four hits and sending 11 batters to the plate to score five runs — all of them coming with two outs.

Darin Funk had an RBI double, Adam Stangler had a two-run single and Joe Hoppe added an RBI single to lead the charge.

"We finally started seeing the ball," said Adam Stangler, who finished 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI. "All year long, we've been putting together four or five run innings. It never seems to be just one or two. They all come together in bunches."

The Silver Streaks added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to increase their lead to 8-4. The Chargers walked a total of seven batters in the fourth and fifth innings alone.

"We had a few walks and that really hurt us," said Stalboerger, who does have a first cousin Mike who plays for Lake Henry. "But we're a resilient team. We never give up."

Spring Hill cut the gap to 8-4 when Corey Schoenberg led off the sixth inning with a solo home run. The Chargers then left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh without scoring a run. But in the eighth, Jamie Terres came through with his bases-loaded, two-out double to tie the score.

"We got up early and then we seemed to get flat," Terres said. "We kind of got into relax mode and we needed something to get us going again. Corey's home run was big because that got us thinking we could get back into it."

Corey Schoenberg again came through with a lead-off single to start the top of the ninth. An Aaron Welle sacrifice bunt moved him to second. Then Stalboerger — who was 0-for-4 up to that point — singled to score him and put Spring Hill on top to stay.

New Munich had runners at first and second with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. But Eric Schoenberg — who started at second base, but came on to pitch 5 1/3 innings in relief to pick up the win — got Hoppe to pop up to end the game.

"That's what we need," said Jamie Terres of Stalboerger's game-winning single. "We need everybody to hit if we're going to win. We're not a team that's going to hit a lot of balls out of the park. We have to string hits together and play small ball. We did that in the ninth and that's what made the difference."

(St. Cloud Times)

New Munich's Karl Funk (18) slides home safely
as the ball flies past Spring Hill catcher Nathan Terres (7)
in the fourth inning. New Munich scored five runs in the
inning, putting them ahead of Spring Hill 5-4.
Spring Hill went on to win the game, 9-8.
(Kimm Anderson, kanderson@stcloudtimes.com)

Spring Hill rallied in the eighth and ninth innings to top New Munich 9-8 Sunday, June 14 at New Munich.

The win enabled Spring Hill to take over the lead in the SCL-North.

In other SCL games on Sunday, June 14, Lake Henry shut out Greenwald 7-0 at Lake Henry, Farming upset Richmond 5-2 at Richmond, St. Martin won 18-4 at Roscoe, and Meire Grove came out on top of a pitchers' duel with a 2-1 win over Elrosa at Meire Grove.

Spring Hill-9 New Munich-8

Spring Hill trailed 8-5 going into the eighth inning before staging a three-run rally to tie the game and a one-run rally to win. Dave Stalboerger (1-5) singled to drive in Corey Schoenberg with the go-ahead run in the ninth inning.

The Chargers were led offensively by Cory Schoenberg (3-5) who homered in the sixth inning. Jamie Terres (3-5) hit a bases loaded double in the eighth inning to tie the game.

The Chargers had led 4-0 after the third inning. The Silverstreaks posted two rallies to take the 8-4 lead. In the fourth inning, they sent 11 men to the plate and scored five runs. Darrin Funk (1-2), Adam Stangler (3-4) and Joe Hoppe (2-5) all had RBIs that inning. In the fifth inning, the Silverstreaks rallied for three more runs.

(Melrose Beacon)

Nate Terres successfully blocked the plate,

caught the ball, and tagged out Sacred Heart's

Taylor Kleinhuizen to end the first inning in

The Spring Hill Chargers proved this past weekend they are capable of competing in any type of game they are involved in.  They showed Friday night that they can play a down-to-the-wire pitchers duel, hanging with Elrosa until the final out before eventually dropping their second game of the year, 4-3.  Less than 48 hours later in Roscoe, Spring Hill proved it can win a shootout as they outslugged the Rangers 21-12 to keep them within a half game of New Munich for first place.

The Chargers kicked off the weekend versus the arch-rival Saints on Friday night in Elrosa.  The Saints got off to a quick start against Spring Hill starter Shawn Schoenberg, jumping out to 4-0 lead by the 3^rd inning.   The Chargers were stymied by Aaron Vogt early on, but put together a rally in the 6^th to get them right back in the game.  Jamie Terres followed up a leadoff double by Eric Schoenberg with an RBI single to put the Chargers on the board.  Shawn Schoenberg then blasted a two-run homer to cut the gap to 4-3 and push the Saints back on their heels. The Chargers would go on to squander numerous opportunities the rest of the way, as they fell just short in the end.  Shawn ended up pitching a complete game, finishing with eight strikeouts.  Besides Shawn’s homerun, Nate Terres sparked the offense going 2-3 with three stolen bases.  Tempers flared later in the game, as the two teams had their usual high intensity grudge match, making it arguably the most exciting game of the season.  Playing for a traveling keg tends to bring out the best in players, that’s for sure.

With no time to dwell on the heart breaking loss Friday night, the Chargers traveled to Roscoe to take on the Rangers.  The teams were greeted Sunday morning with temperatures that would have been considered warm by mid-November standards.  Aaron Welle started on the hill for the Chargers, but was greeted harshly by the Rangers as they tagged him for 7 earned runs in just two innings of work.  Spring Hill’s offense came to the rescue though, catching fire and proceeded to score 20+ runs for the second time this season.  Eric Schoenberg came on to pitch the final seven innings, allowing 5 earned runs and striking out 4 to pick up the W as the Chargers went on to prevail, 21-12.  Shawn and Corey Schoenberg led the offense, both going 3-4 with Shawn driving in four runs and Corey knocking home six.  Nate Terres and Chris Spanier each launched home runs as well, and Eric Schoenberg went 2-4 with 2RBI to add to the onslaught.  Once again emotions ran high near the end of the game, but nothing serious ensued.  A collision at home plate caused some controversy along with some pitches thrown behind batters.  Nate Terres was involved in all the altercations over the weekend, hard to believe considering he’s such a friendly and courteous person on the field.

The Chargers travel to New Munich next Sunday for a showdown against the Silverstreaks with first place on the line.  Check out the All-Star game Friday night in Elrosa if you get the chance as well, as Spring Hill will be well-represented once again. 

Spring Hill continued their Sunday offensive onslaught in the Stearns County League. A week after scoring 27 runs, the Chargers scored 21 runs to beat Roscoe 21-12.

Spring Hill scored in every inning except the ninth in beating the Ranger in Roscoe. They got multiple hits from Corey Schoenberg, Eric Schoenberg, Shawn Schoenberg, and Nathan Terres and homeruns from Chris Spanier and Terres in the win.

Roscoe was lead by Brent Heinen, who doubled, tripled, and homered, driving in six runs for the Rangers.

The Rangers led 8-7 after four innings, but Spring Hill outscored them 14-4 over the next five innings.

Spring Hill lost to Elrosa on Friday night in Elrosa 4-3.

ROSCOE — Spring Hill won the slugfest with Corey Schoenberg leading the way with a 3-for-4 effort and six RBI.

Shawn Schoenberg went 3-for-4 with six runs for Spring Hill, Nathan Terres went 2-for-4 with a home run, Chris Spanier homered and Eric Schoenberg went 2-for-4 with a double.

Eric Schoenberg got the win and Dustin Mackdanz took the loss.

Brent Heinen went 3-for-5 with a home run, triple and double and six RBI for Roscoe.

Brett Savelkoul went 3-for-5 with two doubles, Chris Vanderbeek went 2-for-5 with a home run and Chuck Mackdanz went 2-for-5.

ELROSA — Aaron Vogt got the win and his brother, Ethan, got the save for Elrosa.

Corey Schoenberg (OF), Nathan Terres (C), Jamie Terres (2B), and Shawn Schoenberg (P) will represent the Chargers on June 12^th in the All-Star game. The Stearns County League All-Stars will take on the Corn Belt League All-Stars at 8:15 p.m. in Elrosa.

2009 SCL All-Star Team Roster

1st Basemen:    Chris Wehseler (Farming) and Mike Stalboerger (Lake Henry)

2nd Basemen:   Nathan Schlangen (St. Martin) and Jamie Terres (Spring Hill)

3rd Basemen:   Scott Ruegemer (Richmond) and Josh Harrison (St. Martin)

Shortstops:       Matt Middendorf (Elrosa) and Luke Rothstein (St. Martin)

Outfielders:       Corey Schoenberg (Spring Hill), Adam Stangler (New Munich), Sam Rothstein (St. Martin), Craig Klein (Farming), Shawn Meyer (Meire Grove), and Brandon Worms (Greenwald).

DH’s:               Matt Imdieke (Meire Grove) and Brett Savelkoul (Roscoe)

Catchers:          Nathan Terres (Spring Hill) and Jon Lieser (Lake Henry)

Spring Hill scored ten runs in the first inning and 11 in the third on their way to a 27-2 victory over Farming in the Stearns County League on Sunday in Spring Hill.

The Chargers took a 10-0 lead in the first inning and 23-2 lead after three innings. They added four runs in the bottom of the sixth to make the final score 27-2.

The two teams combined for 34 hits (24 by Spring Hill) and for 12 errors (seven by Farming).

Corey Schoenberg lead Spring Hill with five hits and four runs. He added three RBIs. Dave Stalboerger led the Chargers with four RBIs, adding three hits and scoring three runs.

Spring Hill celebrated its return to their home field with a 27-2 thumping of the Farming Flames on Sunday.  The Chargers hadn’t played a Stearns County League home game since May 10^th, erasing any bad memories from that debacle by pounding out 24 hits in their most recent victory. Considering the Chargers had scored 32 runs in their previous nine games combined, the 27 run outburst was quite impressive.  Team skipper Randy Schoenberg claims the Chargers have scored 25+ runs “a couple of times” in their history; you can be the judge of that one.  The win keeps the Chargers within a half game of division leading New Munich and also puts the home team on a three game winning streak in the SCL.

Everyone knew the offensive highlights were plentiful when Randy Rothstein had to take a deep breath before rattling them off Sunday night.  Corey Schoenberg went a career-best 5-6 with 4 runs scored and 3 RBI.  Jamie Terres, Chris Spanier, and Aaron Welle all had 3 hits on the windy afternoon as well.  Nate Terres and Shawn Schoenberg also chipped in 2 hits, with Shawn driving in 3 more runs to give him 8 RBI for the year.  Dave Stalboerger provided the final blow with a 3 run home run in the 6^th, finishing off a 3-4 day at the plate and giving the Chargers a 24-run cushion.  Dave is batting a scintillating .636 in his last three league games, couple that with his first home run since 2001, and I think someone has earned the right to push his curfew back a little later on Sundays.

Shawn Schoenberg picked up the victory on the mound, going five strong while striking out four.  Couldn’t imagine how stressful it must be to be pitch with a 10 run lead after the first inning, but he got the job done as usual.  Brad Terres came on for the save, striking out six in just four innings of work. 

The Chargers take on Elrosa Friday night before coming home again to face Roscoe this weekend.  Congrats to Nate, Jamie, Shawn and Corey for making the All-Star team; and everyone is looking forward to meeting Nate and Amy’s new addition, young Edmund Floyd Terres.  See ya Friday.

Only one-run wins or blowouts showed up in recent games played in the Stearns County League (SCL)

On Sunday, May 31, the Spring Hill Chargers slammed out 24 hits in a 27-10 win over Farming at Spring Hill. Lake Henry posted a 19-5 win at Meire Grove. New Munich edged Richmond 4-3 at New Munich and Greenwald scored in the bottom of the ninth for a 10-9 win over Roscoe. On Friday, May 29 Elrosa defeated St. Martin 5-4 in a ninth inning win at Elrosa.

Spring Hill-27 Farming-2

Spring Hill scored 10 runs in the first inning and added 11 more in the third. While there were 34 hits in the game, but only one player, Dave Stalboerger (3-3), had a homer. His three-run home run came early in the game. Corey Schoenberg finished 5-6 in the game and Jamie Terres, who doubled twice, and Chris Spanier both finished 3-4. Also hitting for the Chargers were: Aaron Welle (2-3), Shawn Schoenberg (2-5) and Nathan Terres (2-4). Shawn Schoenberg was the winning pitcher. Brad Terres pitched the final four innings.

John Theis, who was charged with the loss, was 2-4 in the game and Craig Klein 1-1.

SPRING HILL — The Chargers put up 10 runs in the first inning and added 11 in the third inning as they stormed past the Flames.

Dave Stalboerger capped the third inning with a three-run homer and collected three hits in the game. Jamie Terres, Chris Spanier and Aaron Welle also each had three hits.

Spring Hill bounced back from a rough weekend (1-2) at the Black Sox Tournament by turning in an impressive showing over the holiday weekend.  The Chargers blanked Meire Grove 3-0 on Saturday and followed that up with a 6-0 shutout of the Lake Henry Lakers the following day.  The successful weekend improved the teams’ record to 3-1 and pulled the Chargers into second place, just a half game behind division leading New Munich.

Spring Hill kicked off the weekend with a 3-0 triumph over the Grovers on Saturday in Meire Grove.  Shawn Schoenberg shook off the effects of Lasik eye surgery early in the week and tossed six strong innings.  He got out of a huge jam in the third.  After the Grovers loaded the bases with nobody out, Shawn proceeded to get a strikeout, pop out, and another strikeout to thwart the Grovers’ rally.  Eric Schoenberg came on in the 7^th and finished the game out.  Meire Grove had numerous opportunities throughout the game but never did push a run across thanks to strong defense and clutch pitching by the Chargers.

Corey Schoenberg got the Chargers on the board in the third with his first home run of the year.  Corey gave us a glimpse of his power surge on Friday night at practice, repeatedly sending balls off the house in right field and forcing the children to play inside for 15 minutes, only to come outside when #9 was up next, realizing they were in no immediate danger then.  Wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a for sale sign in the front yard come next weekend.  Aaron Welle and Chris Spanier also collected two hits apiece to the lead the offense. 

The Chargers capped off the weekend by defeating the Lakers 6-0 Sunday in Lake Henry.  Aaron Welle pitched 7 shutout innings and Eric Schoenberg came on to close out the impressive victory for Spring Hill.  Dave Stalboerger led the offense, going 3-4 with two RBI.  Corey Schoenberg and Nate Terres each chipped in with two hits as well.  Shawn Schoenberg buried the Lakers with a two run bomb in the 8^th, visible proof it’s easier to hit when your bat is in one piece.  Everyone knows a good craftsman never blames his tools. 

Spring Hill welcomes St.Wendel to town for a exhibition game Friday night before returning home to entertain the Farming Flames on Sunday. 

The Spring Hill Chargers threw two shutouts in sweeping two games over the Memorial Day weekend. Spring Hill beat Meire Grove 3-0 on Saturday and Lake Henry 6-0 on Sunday.

Shawn Schoenberg and Eric Schoenberg pitched an eight hitter on Saturday against Meire Grove, with Shawn throwing six innings for the win and Eric throwing three for the save.

Aaron Welle scattered eight hits over seven innings on Sunday in Lake Henry, handing the Lakers their first league loss. Eric Schoenberg pitched two innings in relief to complete the shutout.

Spring Hill improved to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in the Stearns County league with the wins.

Lake Henry (6-1 overall and 5-1 in league) pounded Roscoe 18-0 on Saturday behind 22-hit attack and seven shutout innings by Roger Wuertz.

Roscoe (2-4 in league) rebounded to beat Elrosa 5-4 on Sunday.

This week, Spring Hill will host St. Wendel in an exhibition game on Fridy, My 29, at 6 p.m. and will host Farming on Sunday, May 31, at 1:30 p.m.

Lake Henry will play at Meire Grove on Sunday, May 31, at 1:30 p.m.

And Roscoe will play at Greenwald on Sunday, May 31, at 1:30 p.m.

LAKE HENRY — Aaron Welle and Eric Schoenberg combined on a 10-hit shutout as Spring Hill beat Lake Henry. Dave Stalboerger had three hits for the Chargers, while Nathan Terres and Corey Schoenberg each had two hits and Shawn Schoenberg hit a two-run homer.

Ryan Wuertz had three hits for Lake Henry.

MEIRE GROVE — Three Schoenberg brothers combined to lead Spring Hill (2-1) past Meire Grove (2-2).

Shawn Schoenberg earned the victory, pitching six scoreless innings and striking out four. Eric Schoenberg got the save, finishing the shutout with three scoreless innings. And Corey Schoenberg hit a solo homer in the second inning.

Aaron Welle and Chris Spanier added two hits apiece for the Chargers.

Jaron Klaphake had two hits for Meire Grove. Ryan Klaphake took the loss despite allowing just two earned runs in eight innings.

Belle Plaine posted a 1-0 win over Jordan to win the third annual Black Sox Tournament at Freeport.

Other medal round games results were: (third place) Freeport-4 Upsala-1; (consolation) Moorhead-3 Spring Hill-0.

The results of other games were:

Quarter finals: Upsala-7 Avon-1, Jordan-8 Spring Hill-3, Freeport-6 Opole-3 and Belle Plaine-4 Moorhead-0.

Semi-Finals: Jordan-5 Upsala-1, Belle Plaine-3 Freeport-2.

Consolation semi-Finals: Spring Hill-5 Avon-2, Moorhead-6 Opole-1.

Spring Hill took a break from Stearns County League play by participating in a tournament at fields in both Freeport and Avon this weekend.  It helped to give the Chargers a chance to play some unfamiliar teams and also to get extra cuts against some high quality pitching.   Spring Hill kicked off the tournament Saturday morning in Avon against Class B power Jordan.  Despite unseasonably cold weather and gale force winds, the Brewers managed to hold off the Chargers 9-3.  Chris Spanier went the distance on the mound, striking out 4 and allowing just 4 earned runs.  Spanier was hurt by a couple of Charger mishaps in the 3^rd, as the Brewers capitalized and ended up taking an early 5-1 lead.  Nate Terres belted the team’s first homerun of the year to lead the offense.  Terres, Shawn Schoenberg, and Aaron Welle all produced two hits in the game as well.

Spring Hill wasted no time bouncing back after the opening round loss by jumping out to an early lead and hanging on to beat the Avon Lakers 5-2.  Most teams would have trouble with back to back games, but not all teams are in top physical shape like this bunch.  Eric Schoenberg pitched a gem for the Chargers, going six and one-third strong before giving way to Aaron Welle in the 7^th.  Avon filled the bases with two outs before Welle got out the jam and earned the save, charging the two earned runs to Eric.  You have to make sacrifices to get a save sometimes.  Jamie Terres smacked Spring Hill’s second home run in as many games to pace the offense.  Corey Schoenberg added a two-run single to put the Chargers up for good and advance them to the consolation championship on Sunday morning.

In the final game of the weekend, the Chargers awoke on a beautiful Sunday morning only to fall to Moorhead 3-0.  Corey Schoenberg started for Spring Hill, going five and one-third innings before Brad Terres closed the game out.  The Chargers produced a few threats during the game but could not push a run across.  Jamie Terres went 2-3 in the game to finish off a solid weekend at the plate.  The most positive outcome of the weekend is that team finished relatively healthy.  The only threat to anyones health was Saturday night, but that’s a whole different story.  The Chargers return to Stearns County League action with a tilt against North division foe Meire Grove on Saturday before taking on Lake Henry Sunday.  Here’s to hoping it’s a safe and successful Memorial Day Weekend.

Some of the best area and state Class C Amateur Baseball teams will be in Freeport this weekend at the third annual Black Sox Tournament.

Besides Freeport, currently unbeaten in the Lakewood League, Avon and Opole, both unbeaten in the Victory League South, are entered, as is Spring Hill, a regional entry from the Stearns County League last year. Freeport recently defeated Avon 2-1 in an exhibition game.

Others coming are: Jordan (Class B), Belle Plaine and Moorhead; all are very often State contenders.

New Munich's ball club turned opportunity into runs as it posted a 7-0 win Sunday, May 10 at Spring Hill.

"Did they have two earned runs?" asked one Spring Hill fan following the game.

That was all the earned runs New Munich had. The other five, which came in a five-run rally in the fourth inning, were unearned.

"We took advantage of their mistakes and had some hits in the right spots. That pretty much was the game," said New Munich Manager Paul Sand, following the win. New Munich is now 2-0 in the Stearns County League (SCL)-North.

Until the fourth inning the game was 0-0 with both defenses making plays that stopped potential rallies. The fourth inning started with a walk to Darin Funk and a single by Joe Stangler. The Silverstreaks elected to sacrifice bunt. Spring Hill saw an opportunity to put a runner out at third, but the throw was off the mark. After a pop-up out, Joe Hoppe walked to force across the first run. Craig Welle then reached on a fielder's choice, he retired no one. Spring Hill attempted to put out the runner at home, but the throw went wide allowing two runs to score and put two men on. Chad Funk then doubled to drive in those two runners..

Even without that inning, Spring Hill would have found it hard to win. In six of the nine innings the Chargers were retired in order. The home team was never able to string together hits off of New Munich pitchers Jim Thull and Adam Stangler. Thull pitched seven complete innings before leaving the game.

"I might have been able to go more, but only if I would have had to," said Thull.

Stangler came in and was just about as effective as Thull, allowing only two hits across two innings.

"It helped that he (Thull) could go seven innings," said Sand. "We didn't really have a lot of defensive options to move people around."

Spring Hill did have scoring changes in the first, third and ninth innings, the only innings in which it put at least two men on. In the ninth inning the Chargers loaded the bases, but Stangler struck out the final batter to end the game.

One bad inning.  That’s all it took for the New Munich Silverstreaks to gain enough early momentum to pull away from Spring Hill as they stole the home opener from the Chargers, 7-0.  New Munich used an error-filled 4^th inning to push five runs across and jump out to a quick 5-0 lead.  A bevy of throwing errors by the Chargers enabled the ‘Streaks to score these runs despite only connecting on five hits for the game. The Chargers never got up off the mat after an early knockout punch by New Munich.   A two run single by Joe Stangler in the 7^th made the score 7-0 and sealed the game. (On a side note the 2001 Melrose Dutchmen, who featured four Spring Hill starters, once beat Cathedral despite committing 11 errors; not the case this time).  Jimmy Thull pitched seven shutout innings and Adam Stangler came on to finish out the victory. 

Highlights for the Chargers included a strong relief pitching performance by Chris Spanier. Eighter pitched 4 strong innings after taking over for starter Shawn Schoenberg.  After a rough start the defense settled down and played better but the offense lacked any kind of punch all day.  The Chargers mustered a few rallies early on but failed to get any runs across this week.  After coming up with three runs against Richmond, it means the hometown team is averaging only 1.5 runs per game.  You’re welcome for doing the math.

Other highlights from the game: It was Mothers day and the sun peeked out a few times.  That’s about it.  The Chargers will try to erase Sunday from their memories with a weekend tournament in Freeport/Avon this weekend.  Spring Hill faces Class B power Jordan in the opener at 11am and will try to advance on through to Sunday. 

SPRING HILL — The Silver Streaks scored five unearned runs in the fourth inning and cruised to a shutout win over the Chargers.

Spring Hill broke out of the gates with a well played 3-0 victory over the Richmond Royals on Sunday.  Shawn Schoenberg (1-0) picked up the victory, going six strong innings.  Aaron Welle came on to close the door and lock down the first win of the season.  The offense used a few breaks and some questionable calls to push three runs across early on.  The Chargers squandered scoring opportunities throughout the game leaving sixteen men on base, but great pitching and solid defense made sure that three runs would be enough.

Jamie Terres and Jeff Schoenberg led the offense with three hits apiece.  Blustery weather conditions also played a key factor in the game.  Shawn Schoenberg had two deep fly outs that were kept from leaving the park thanks to the wind.  The gusts also wrecked havoc on the fielders as well, making numerous routine outs an adventure to say the least.  Some pop-ups even made it to the ground without hitting any glove—ask the first baseman about that one.  Stay hot kid.

The Royals had no real legitimate offensive threat all afternoon.  They scattered a few hit and walks throughout but couldn’t manage to push a run across.  A couple of close calls also aided and changing the outcome of the game.  The majority of the calls favored Spring Hill---whether it was balls and strikes or close calls on the basepaths.

Jamie Terres and Jeff Schoenberg each had three hits for Spring Hill.

Some think that team could very well be the Spring Hill Chargers. The Chargers have a lot going for them, primarily experience at almost every position.

As for the actual practice, few would argue how great it felt to be back on the field.  The grass was a healthy brown and there was ice in the dugout, but after a record 11 month winter nobody is complaining.  The ball was definitely flying out the park Saturday, prompting some guys to second guess their team home run predictions.  Yes I know it was only B.P., but it was still pretty impressive.   The sun was shining but as usual the wind howled most of the day.  It wasn’t the standard 40 MPH gusts we have on game days, but it was still noticeable.

Batting practice was followed by an inter squad scrimmage that gave pitchers and hitters a good feel for game situations.  The new batting helmets were shining bright and also we got our first look at the new catchers gear, unless of course you drove through Freeport and saw Terres wearing it around the house.  There were many highlights during the game.   Brad Terres did his best Carlos Silva impression by giving up a moonshot to Eric Schoenberg that landed sometime early Sunday.  Reports are saying it ended up in Stiggy’s back yard, and I’m talking about the bar, not his house.  Others that got a few innings off the mound include Shawn, Eric, Cory, Welle, and Hemmy. 

Rookie Kyle Bertram put on a show as well, sending a few fastballs over the fence.  He saw his first career curveball during the scrimmage game as well.  Put it this way, we found out the kid can dance.  He also got his initition the night before at Horseshoe thanks to Welle and Shawn.  Welcome to the club b*tch, its only just begun.