Jacks Fall to Top Seed

NSO – NEWS RELEASE

It was a tough situation for the Cloquet Lumberjacks to come into the state tournament facing the top seed and undefeated Crusaders, although at times struggled used an overpowering performance from the plate to stop Cloquet by a score of 12-4.

Twice St. Cloud Cathedral saw the Lumberjacks load the bases but Crusaders pitchers pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fist and fifth innings, helping St. Cloud Cathedral to a 12-4 win over Cloquet.

Cathedral plays Marshall at noon Friday at Dick Putz Field. Marshall beat Glencoe-Silver Lake 5-4 on Thursday right after the Crusaders’ victory at Putz.

The winner Friday advances to the state championship game, which has been moved to 3 p.m. Monday at Target Field in Minneapolis.

The Class A and 3A tournaments were postponed Thursday because of rain, which avoided St. Cloud’s Municipal Athletic Complex.

Cathedral used its pitching depth and its offense to overcome a first-inning 2-0 deficit to the unseeded Lumberjacks (16-5).

For Cathedral, the unexpected was the usually dominating Austing struggling. The senior right-hander, who is headed to St. Cloud State on a baseball scholarship, gave up two runs in the top of the first.

He pitched into the fifth but walked two and hit another to load the bases. After Gavin Takkunen’s RBI single, Crusaders head coach Bob Karn made the switch to Auger.

Cathedral scored five runs in the second and fourth innings and getting 14 hits off three Lumberjack pitchers.

Nine Crusaders had hits, led by Nathan Giambruno. The senior second baseman was 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Schramel and first baseman Jake Spaniol, the No. 9 hitter, each had two hits.

Gavin Takkunen went 3-for-3 for Cloquet, and Brandon Conklin added two hits in the loss. Nate Weets scored two runs, while Mason Brenner get the game closer then it could have been if not for several stellar defensive plays at third base.