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DCTC Places Third in MCCC State Tournament
Blue Knights make dramatic three-win comeback and advance to regional.
05/07/08
The DCTC Baseball team finished third in the Minnesota Community College Conference State Tournament at St. Cloud, Minn., and will advance to the NJCAA Region XIII Baseball Tournament on May 9-11 at Willmar, Minn.
The Blue Knights lost the opening game of the state tourney 1-11 to the Itasca Community College Vikings, but stormed back to win three straight, downing the Rochester Community & Technical College Yellow Jackets 25-14, the St. Cloud Technical College Cyclones 12-2, and the Mesabi Range Community & Technical College Norsemen 10-0.
The Knights are scheduled to take on the Ridgewater College Warriors in their first game of the four-team, double-elimination tournament on Friday, May 9, at 11:00 a.m. The winner of the Region XIII Tournament will advance to the NJCAA Division III World Series played on May 17-23 at Tyler, Texas.
DCTC took on Itasca in game one of the MCCC Tournament. After six very competitive innings, the Vikings blew the game open, posting three runs on one solo and one two-run home run in the top of the seventh. Itasca sent 12 men to the plate in the seventh, scoring eight runs to put the game out of reach.
The Knights managed one run on six hits for the game. Chase Brown led the way with a 2 for 4 effort at the plate, crossing the plate in the first inning to score DCTC's only run.
In game two against Rochester, the Blue Knights opened up offensively, banging out 27 hits on the way to scoring 25 runs. RCTC put 14 runs on the board on 14 hits. Every DCTC starter ended the game with at least two hits. Brown had another solid game, going 4 for 6 with one double and two RBIs, scoring four times and stealing one base.
Spencer Braun was perfect at the plate, going 4 for 4 with one triple and one homer. He also knocked in three runs and scored four times. Will Dahlgren was also perfect at the plate, going 5 for 5 with six RBIs. Pitcher Andy Fitzgerald won his team-leading sixth game of the year.
DCTC ended game three against St. Cloud after five innings via the 10-run rule, winning 12-2. Marcus Fitzgerald belted home runs in the second and third innings, the latter a grand slam that sealed the deal. Brown extended his hot streak, going 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Aaron Kackman went 3 for 3; Braun posted two hits with two RBIs; Evan Lucius swatted two hits; all three hit a double in the game.
Improving to 5-1 on the year, Jeremie Kruse turned in a solid outing, hurling seven strikeouts while allowing two runs—one earned—on six hits and two walks.
In the third-place game, the Knights and Mesabi Range Norsemen both had one last chance to advance to the regional. Justin Kohls took the mound, allowing three hits and two walks in six innings of work. The game ended via the 10-run rule after the sixth innings—with DCTC earning a 10-0 win and third place in the tourney.
Adam Stuessel led the charge with a perfect 4 for 4 effort, scoring twice while driving in two runs. Brown and Dahlgren stayed on fire at the plate, each going 2 for 3. Brown scored three times and notched two RBIs.
The Blue Knights are now 29-14 on the season. Head Coach Tim Huber was very pleased with the way his team fought through the loser's bracket.
"I give the players a ton of credit for getting themselves ready for the last three games," Huber said. "Their intensity was awesome. Their backs were against the wall and they showed that they wanted to play another weekend. They had a lot of fun those last few games—and that's what it's all about."
"We played extremely well when we needed to," added Huber, "and hopefully we can carry that into next weekend."
