Town team starts 2021 season 7-4 after first month

The St. Peter amateur baseball team started its season on May 21 and after one month of play it holds a 7-4 overall record and is 2-1 in the River Valley League.

The Saints started the 2021 campaign on May 21 with a 9-0 loss at Class B Chaska. Two days later, the Saints kicked off RVL play with a 4-3 win at Arlington. On May 28, the local nine lost 4-2 at Class B Shakopee, but bounced back with a decisive 15-6 win at Class B Prior Lake on June 4. The Saints then completed the series sweep over Arlington on June 6 with a 9-3 win in the home opener at Veterans Field. The locals won their third consecutive game on June 9 with a 5-3 win over Class B Victoria. The annual Arlington High Life Invite was held June 12-13 with the Saints losing the opening round 9-2 to Prior Lake and rebounding with a 7-4 win over Class A Twin Cities Black Sox. The Saints were set to play Owatonna in the consolation championship on June 13 but Owatonna forfeited because it was not able to field a team that day. The Saints traveled to New Ulm on June 17 and erased a late-inning deficit to win 5-3 in 12 innings. And on Sunday, the town team lost a close 8-7 game at Gaylord.

This year’s team features the same core of players from the past couple seasons with the addition of a few newcomers. Tyson Sowder, in his third season, leads regular starters at the plate with a .394 batting average (13-33) and eight runs. Jeff Menk, an 11-year veteran, has also started the season well at the plate, batting .306 (11-36) with a couple doubles. Jovan Rodriguez, playing his sixth season with the Saints, is hitting .286 (10-35) and leads the team with eight RBIs. Josh Robb, in his second season with the team, has found a role at shortstop and is hitting .273. Other veterans in the field and at the plate include Sam Wenner (7th season), Ryan Kapsner (8th season), Chet Olsen (2nd season), Billy Hanson (16th season), CJ Siewert (16th season), Sam Carlson (3rd season), and Walker Froehling (3rd season). Veterans Austin Pinke (4th season) and Andy Regner (5th season) have started the season on the injured list and expect to make their return to the field later this season.

Newcomers who have made an early impact this year include Cody Booker, who is batting .261 in seven games, and Dylan Graft, who is 2-0 with four appearances (two starts) and leads the team with a 1.59 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 17 innings. Other newcomers include David Youngs, Connor Bjorling, and Carson Kennedy.

Luke Regner, now in his second season, has seen a team-high 25.2 innings on the mound with a 3-1 record and one save. Jesse Anderson, a 24-year veteran, has transitioned from a starter to more of a reliever and is 1-0 in five appearances and 17 innings.

This week the Saints travel to Jordan on Thursday night and then host Le Sueur at 6 p.m. June 27. The remaining home games this season are July 9 against Belle Plaine, July 16 against Jordan, and July 18 against Gaylord. Region 6 playoffs begin Aug. 1 at the high seed.