Cloquet Into First State Baseball Tournament Since 1975

Wes Vork-NSO

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June 10

Jake Kachinske

DULUTH-Peter LaCourse drove in Corbin Morse with the winning run on a single to centerfield to cap a three-run rally in the bottom of the 8th and take the Sectioln 7AA baseball championship. The Cloquet Lumberjacks soared past the Hermantown Hawks 7-6 at Wade Stadium on Thursday afternoon to bring sectional play to a close.

“These kids battled and battled and never quit,” Cloquet Lumberjacks head coach Rick Stowell commented after the game. “It was a total team effort.”

The Hawks had scored two runs in the top half of the 8th inning to take a 6-4 advantage heading into the bottom of the inning.

Hermantown struck first in the ball game, scoring a single run on a one-out grounder off of Cloquet starter Connor Stowell in the top of the third. Two more runs gave the Hawks a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning.

After pitching a 3-hit complete game shutout against Proctor less than 24 hours earlier, Adam Hanson was called on to pitch again, this time in relief. Hanson turned in another strong performance, closing out the game and picking up the biggest win of his young career. “They called on me and I felt fine [after pitching the day before]. This game was to go to state so you really want to give it your all,” Hanson commented after the game.

Then Cloquet started the first of its two rallies in the bottom of the fifth inning. Peter LaCourse delivered a two-run single and Joey Singpiel came through with a run-scoring triple. Another run scored on an error and Cloquet led it 4-3 after five innings.

That score held up until Hermantown tied the game in the top of the seventh inning on a Cody Baker single.

As the game went into extra innings, Hermantown came through with a two-run outburst on a Mike Robertson RBI single and a bases-loaded walk.

Then Cloquet’s second rally in the bottom of the eighth inning started with a Joey Singpiel single, then August Reynolds reached on an error. Adam Hanson singled to load the bases. Singpiel was then caught off third base in a run-down to record the opening out. A walk loaded the bases. Horn popped out for out number two. The number nine batter in the order, Kyle Becker, then delivered the biggest hit of his career–a two-out two-strike single that drove in two runs to tie the game 6-6. LaCourse then quickly swung at the first pitch and won the game for the Lumberjacks with his game-winning single.

If Lacourse, who also had the game winning base hit in the first game of the day, had needed any advice on what to do in that position he would have had to look no further than Cloquet assistant coach Steve Johnson, who was on the last Cloquet state tournament team.
As a player, Johnson hit a ball in the 10th inning to nearly the exact same spot in left center field at Wade Stadium, scoring a base runner from second base and sending the Jacks to state in 1975.

Earlier in the day, Cloquet won 2-0 over Hermantown to send it to a second and deciding game against the Hawks at Wade.

The wins put Cloquet (20-7) into its first state baseball tournament since 1975. They also had another baseball state tourney appearance in 1972. The Lumberjacks will take on the Section 2AA champions in a 10 a.m. quarterfinal game next Thursday, June 17th at Dick Putz Field in St. Cloud.

Hermantown ends its season at 18-8.

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