Hens classic comeback

​ Paul Larson Memorial

Minneota Mudhen Classic

Opening Round

Mudhens 8, Ruthton Royals 7

Searles Grizzlies 13, Castlewood Monarchs 1 

Third Place

Castlewood Monarchs 12, Ruthon Royals 2 (6)

CHAMPIONSHIP

Mudhens 8, Searles Grizzlies 7

By Byron Higgin

 Mascot Sports Editor

When Nick Dewanz muscled a Peyton Nuy fastball over 360 feet for a grand slam in the first inning, after they’d already scored a run, the air seemed to come out of “The Komp,” the Minneota ballpark.

“It was deflating,” said Mudhen Manager Tyson Sonnenburg, adding, “*It was tough to see them get four of five runs on one swing.”

But the Mudhens were not conceding the Mudhen Classic title to Searles. Instead, they fought back for an 8-5 lead, then held on in the seventh and final inning behind reliever Zach Nuy and won the championship, 8-7.

“I have so much confidence in our lineup. I knew we could do it if we just chipped away,” said the manager.

Assistant Manager Beau Buysse began yelling in the bottom of the first — “Just chip away, chip away!”

He led the charge, leading off with a walk, going to second on a wild pitch and stealing third, then scoring on a groundout by Preston Nuy.

Chipping away … 5-1.

Suddenly Peyton Nuy found his control and would pitch four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits.

In the third Searles came a unraveled, made three errors and Sonnenburg, who had been safe on one of those errors, scored.

Chipping away … 5-2.

“When you’re down 5-0 it’s easy to feel sorry for yourself,” said Beau Buysse. “But we knew we just had to chip away. Peyton Nuy tightened up his pitching and was holding them,” Buysse added.

The theory really began to take form in the fourth when Danny Hennen walked, Buysse again keyed the rally, this time with a single and both scored when Jake Leighton smashed a long fly ball to centerfield — and the Mudhens were back in the game.

Chipping away … 5-4.

“We hadn’t had a lot of hits,” said Leighton. Just four to that point. His answer was, “Just to put the ball in play.

Then in the fifth the game changed completely.

The Mudhens used a leadoff single and two stolen bases by Alex Pohlen, then a walk to Noah Scott, a double that curved into left-center field by Hennen, a single by Austin DeVlaeminck and Leighton’s second straight booming double to the fence in right-center field.

It was a four-run rally that gave the Mudhens their first lead.

Chipping away … 8-5.

In the sixth, Peyton Nuy had completed his night on the mound with 93 pitches and Zach Nuy came on on relief. He gave up three singles, a walk and two runs, but got out of the inning with Minneota leading, 8-7.

In the ninth the Grizzlies got a single and an error by the Mudhens, but Nuy’s mates got a force out at third and Nuy fanned the final two batters and the Mudhens had officially, CHIPPED AWAY!

As for Leighton, his two doubles and four runs batted in plus a hit, run and walk in the first game win over Ruthton, earned him the Most Valuable Player Award.

 Searles relief pitcher Ryley Hansen. “Was throwing my outside fastballs and that’s my favorite thing,” he said. His theory on hitting, “Put the ball in play and good things happen.”

For Manager Sonnenburg, “You just have to keep believing in yourself.”

MUDHENS (AB-R-H-RBI) Beau Buysse, 2b 3 2 1 0; Jake Leighton, rf 2 0 2 4; Tyson Sonnenburg 3 1 0 0; Austin Buysse, 3b 2 0 0 0; Preston Nuy, ss 3 0 0 1; Alex Pohlen, lf 4 1 1 0; Noah Scott, dh 3 0 0 0; Peyton Nuy, p 0 0 0 0; Zach Nuy, p 0 0 0 0; Danny Hennen, 1b 1 2 1 1; Austin DeVlaeminck, c 3 1 1 0. Totals 24 7 6 6.

SEARLES (AB-R-H-RBI) Collin Helget, c 1 2 0 0; Casey Lux, 2b 4 1 2 1; Dan Reinke, 3b 1 0 0 0; Dave Hatle, rf 4 0 1 1; Ryley Hansen, cf-p 3 1 0 1; Steve Kloeckl, dh 2 1 23 0; Ben Schumacher, lf 0 0 0 0; Nick Dewanz, 1b 4 1 1 4; Taylor Ulmen, p, cf 5 1 1 0; Jack Fairbairn, ss 2 0 0 0. Totals 27 7 7 7.

Score by Innings:

Searles                   500 002 0 — 7 7 4

Mudhens                101 240 x — 8 6 1

E-Mudhens; Brock Buysse; Searles: Reinke 2, Fairbairn, Helget. LOB-Mudhens 8; Searles 7. SB-Mudhens: Beau Buysse, Leighton, Pohlen 2, DeVlaeminck 1. SAC-Searles: Helget. DP-Mudhens 9-6-5 (2). 2B-Mudhens: Leighton 2; Hennen 1. HR-Searles: Dewanz.

Pitching                           IP     R    ER     H     BB    K

Mudhens

Peyton Nuy (W)               5       5     5       4      5       2

Zach Nuy (S)                   2       2     2       3      1       3

Searles                            

Ulmen                             3.1    4     3       2       6      3

Hansen (L)                      2.2    4     4       4       2      1

HP-Reinke, Fairbairn (by Peyton Nuy).WP-Peyton Nuy, Ulmen 2.