Cloquet, Esko Advance In 7AA Baseball Playoffs

Wes Vork-NSO

For Photos Of the Cloquet-Hermantown Game Click Here

For Photos Of The Esko – I/Falls Game Click Here

For Photos Of The Cloquet – Esko Game Click Here

May 28

Kerry Rodd-NSO

The Section 7AA boys baseball tournament turned into something resembling a thrill ride at an amusement park yesterday afternoon and evening in Nashwauk. Both Cloquet and Esko felt extreme highs after first game wins, but the Lumberjacks took that feeling to new heights by beating the Eskomos handily in the nightcap.

Esko
provided the upset on
their side of the tournament with an amazing pitching performance by Matt Tengesdal, who led the #5 seeded Eskomos to a 7-1 win over top seeded International Falls. Tengesdal allowed only six hits, while Steve Lewis, Jamie Stokes, Brett Johnson, Ryan Vang and Mitch Reuer all led the hit parade for the Eskomos.

In the opening game, the Cloquet Lumberjacks made things extremely difficult when they fell behind the Hermantown Hawks 5-0 before mounting a huge comeback victory.

“That was as an emotional win as any I’ve ever been a part of,” said Cloquet coach Steve Jezierski. “To be honest our starting pitcher struggled, but we got some relief help and the guys just started making plays and hitting the ball.”

Cloquet starting pitcher Thomas Rogers struggled early and the Hawks took advantage and put a strangle hold of sorts on the Jacks. Jezierski lifted his ace Rogers for another pitcher–Thomas Jezierski in the third inning. The play of the game then came
with the first batter Jezierski faced. With runners on first and second and nobody out, Jezierski got the Hawk batter at the plate to hit a ball to straight away centerfield where Dedric Clark ran the ball down and threw to cutoff man Dennis Conklin, who threw out the runner trying to score from second. That play kept the score at five; and eventually the Jacks got out of the inning with no more damage, keeping
their hopes alive.

Conklin bashed out a 3-for-3 effort with a pair of RBIs for the Jacks and August Reynolds also had a pair of RBIs to go along with a pair of hits.

Thomas Jezierski picked up the pitching win by allowing just four hits and no runs after taking over for Rogers.

“Thomas Rogers has been our best pitcher all year and he has been incredible,” said coach Jezierski. “It was just one of those things and we needed to pick him up and that is exactly what happened.”

Cloquet rallied for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to go ahead of the Hawks 8-5 and then Jezierski slammed the door giving the Jacks the win.

*Against Esko in the final game of the night, the Lumberjacks came right back with their ace, Rogers, on the mound and he handled his pitching chores nicely. “Other than one pitch that he got up in the zone, Thomas pitched a very good game and we needed that for his confidence,” explained Jezierski. “Rogers is a great pitcher and he bounced back against Esko very well.”

Unfortunately, for the Eskomos their depth on the pitching staff ran dry and the Lumberjacks pounded out a 19-3 win as Thomas Jezierski went 4-for-4, Tyler Tollerud added three hits and four RBIs and August Reynolds and Rogers both drove in three runs in the win.

Mitch Reuer provided the Esko highlight with a 3-run homer in the second inning. That was the only time Rogers was in trouble in the five inning win for the Jacks.

Cloquet will now move on to play Mora as the two undefeated teams remaining in the double-elimination tournament, while the Eskomos will take on Two Harbors. The games, originally scheduled to be played in Hibbing have been moved to Hermantown because the remaining four teams are all from the South Sub-Section.

Kerry Rodd can be reached at Kerry@northlandsportsonline.com