Winning MACA boys to face New Ulm next

MACA baseball fans got to see lots of innings Saturday at our Chizek Field.

Their Tigers were in the winning groove twice. They turned back Montevideo by a score of 9-6 and toppled Redwood Valley 4-1.

These were post-season games and they lifted coach Lyle Rambow's crew to the semi-finals of 3AA-North. Action will resume tomorrow (Wednesday, June 1) in Marshall.

The next foe will be New Ulm. Game-time is 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The other semis contest will match Lac qui Parle Valley and Fairmont at 7 p.m. The big day of the finals is June 9.

Montevideo gave the Tigers a strong challenge and took the lead at 5-4 when Brett Bergeson stole home.

MACA seized the lead in the fourth when Tyler Hansen socked an RBI extra-base hit and Ryan Beyer lofted a sacrifice fly.

Beyer came through again in the sixth when he singled, advanced to second on a steal and came home on an error.

The Tigers scored two runs in the sixth which gave a little cushion. Monte's fielding miscues were the story of that rally. Eric Riley scored the other Tiger run, after reaching on a single.

Eric was the pitcher of record. He and Alex Erickson shared the pitching load.

Riley got the win with his stint of three and a third innings, in which he fanned three batters and walked none. He allowed one hit and one run (earned).

Erickson pitched the other three and two-third innings. It was a rough outing for him as Montevideo got to him for eleven hits and six runs, all earned. He struck out three batters and walked two.

Colton Vien took the loss for Monte.

Both teams pounded out 12 hits.

Cole Riley went on the attack with three hits in four at-bats, and he drove in two runs. Erickson's bat was productive: two-for-four and two runs scored.

Also fueling the attack were: Tyler Hansen (a triple, two runs scored and an RBI), Ryan Beyer (a hit and two ribbies), Brody Bahr (a hit and two runs), Eric Riley (a double and an RBI), Taylor Hufford (a double) and Ethan Bruer (one-for-three).

Kyle TeBeest had the hottest bat for Monte: three-for-four.

The line scores tell a story because even though the teams were even in hits, there was a disparity in errors - four by Monte and two by Morris Area Chokio Alberta. Three of the MACA runs were unearned.

The Tigers scored three runs in the first inning and two each in the third, fourth and sixth.

The Tigers got re-focused to play Redwood Falls in Saturday's finale. Fans again lined the bleacher seats or got assembled in their own chairs near the first or third base lines.

All too soon, it seemed, the cry of "play ball" could have been heard.

The MACA baseball boys were up to the challenge and got enough mileage from their five hits to emerge the winner.

Eric Riley had plenty of mileage left in his reliable pitching arm after the Monte game. Eric pitched all seven innings as the Tigers beat Redwood Valley 4-1.

He tossed a three-hitter. He struck out two batters and walked two. The one run he allowed was earned.

The losing pitcher was Logan Swann.

Eric Riley entertained with his bat as well as his pitching arm. He hit the ball over the fence in the second inning. Mitch Kill was another hitting standout at two-for-two with an RBI.

Ryan Beyer went one-for-three with a run-batted-in. Cole Riley also had a one-for-three showing.

The MACA line score was four runs, five hits and one error. The Redwood Valley numbers were 1-3-2.

This was a tight game until the sixth when MACA got a little breathing room with two runs thanks to a wild pitch and Kill's RBI base rap.

Three players went one-for-three for Redwood Valley: Logan Swann, Beau Stongh and Jeremy Hester.

Lac qui Parle Valley surged Saturday on the strength of successive shutouts by Joey Schreck and Brandon Bornhoest. The Eagles soared with 10-0 and 5-0 wins.
Those outcomes certainly put a smile on the face of Morris native Bart Hill, who coaches the Eagles. Yours truly remembers writing about Bart when he was a talented Tiger.

Coach Rambow's Tigers sit at the lofty 20-win plateau on the season. Their mark going into tomorrow: 20-2.

Quite the memorable campaign. Congratulations to the orange and black crew.

And good luck on the first day of June.

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

MACA girls debut in playoffs with two wins

The MACA softball girls got to the 20-win plateau on Tuesday, May 24, and it wasn't easy.

The post-season had begun. The Tigers were owner of the No. 1 seed in 3AA-North. That certainly made sense because the Tigers had only two losses on the season.

But nothing can be guaranteed once the handkerchief drops for the post-season.

The Tigers got through their two games on Tuesday unscathed but it was hardly routine. Specifically, it was Benson-Hancock that gave tense moments with a very strong challenge.

This hasn't been one of B-H's better seasons, but the Brave Owls can always be counted on to be scrappy and competitive. One can suggest they're especially competitive when playing a geographic rival like Morris Area Chokio Alberta.

The Tigers played B-H in their second Tuesday game, after their suspense-free game against Lac qui Parle Valley.

The battle vs. Benson-Hancock was low-scoring. There was no scoring until the sixth when the Brave Owls seized the lead with a solo home run off the bat of Kayla Jones.

The Tigers finally got going with a run in the bottom of that inning. A sacrifice fly off Mackenzie Weatherly's bat got the score tied.

Then in the seventh it was Weatherly again excelling with the bat as she drove in the game-winner. Weatherly waved her bat at the plate with the bases loaded. There were two outs.

She came through with a single up the middle that allowed a jubilant Sadie Fischer to cross home plate.
The Tigers ended up winning 2-1.

Weatherly is normally at centerstage with her pitching talent. On this day, her arm was tested for all but one of her team's innings in the two games.

She pitched for all seven in the B-H game. She was in command the vast majority of the time. She struck out ten Brave Owl batters and walked one. It was a two-hitter gem. The one run she allowed was earned.

Sara Rajewsky was the hard-luck loser for B-H.

MACA fans actually cheer for Rajewsky in the winter as she's a premier hockey player with Morris Benson Area (MBA). She pitched the complete game vs. MACA Tuesday - 6 2/3 innings - and had some control difficulty, walking six. She allowed six hits and fanned none.

Four Tigers went one-for-three in the boxscore: Sadie Fischer, Katie Holzheimer, Weatherly and Beth Holland. Weatherly had two RBIs. Dani Schultz had two hits in three at-bats.

The two teams fielded cleanly - one error by each.

Kayla Jones with her homer was one of two Benson-Hancock batters hitting safely. The other was Kelsey Hammerschmidt.

The Tigers began their day with a 17-0 win over LQPV in which Weatherly was relieved for one inning by McKenzie VanBatavia. Weatherly struck out eight batters and VanBatavia fanned two in her brief stint.

In fact, the two combined to achieve a perfect game.

The ten-run rule held the game to five innings.

The Morris Area Chokio Alberta line score was 17 runs, 12 hits and no errors.

Coach Mary Holmberg's squad wasted no time going on the attack. They rallied for ten runs in the first inning. A progression of 16 Tiger batters fueled that rally.

Offensively, VanBatavia had a hit in her only official at-bat. So did Weatherly. Sadie Fischer attacked LQPV pitching for three hits in four at-bats and she drove in two runs.

Katie Holzheimer was a perfect two-for-two and this Tiger drove in three runs. Dani Schultz was one-for-two and picked up two ribbies.

Kelsey DeCamp had three RBIs as part of going three-for-four. Haley Scheldorf had one hit in two at-bats.

Kenzie Long took the pitching loss for Lac qui Parle Valley. Rachel Schlieman also pitched for the Eagles.

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Busy Tigers gain WCC-South baseball title

Another day, another game.
That might have been the theme for the MACA baseball Tigers as they charged into this past week. The regular season ended in a flurry. Four games in as many days made for a challenge.

That skein of contests spanned Monday through Thursday. When it was all done, the Tigers could feel the satisfaction of being No. 1 in conference. Their dramatic 9-8 win at Minnewaska Area gave them sole possesion of first.

Now, presumably after taking a deep breath, they'll get re-focused for the post-season which begins tomorrow (Saturday, May 28). They'll be at the friendly home diamond on a day that could include rain.

Tigers 9, Minnewaska Area 8

The conference championship is ours! The end of the 2011 conference race came dramatically Thursday with an extra innings battle. Our orange and black Tigers were at Minnewaska Area.

With the panoramic view of Lake Minnewaska as the backdrop, the Tigers came out the victor 9-8. Their bats were productive to the tune of 15 hits vs. the Laker pitching.

They fended off the competitive Lakers who had a chance to share the WCC-South title.

The Tigers put a decisive exclamation point on this win with a double play. They had just crept out in front by one run in the top of the eighth. So, the Tigers had to polish off this game by just keeping 'Waska scoreless in the bottom half.

There was a small threat as Shane Bosek singled. Then, with one out, the Tigers performed the twin-killing which went from pitcher to second to first. Pitcher Matt Lembcke, on in relief, started that bang-bang play.

The Tigers and their fans could celebrate.

The game started out with little optimism for Tiger fans, as 'Waska gained a 3-0 lead in the first.

The Tigers got going in the third with a four-run outburst. That momentum carried over into the fourth which featured a similar type of MACA rally, with emphasis on power bats - becoming an MACA trademark. Scouts for opposing teams might be awestruck.

In the third, Ryan Beyer tripled, Eric Riley socked a two-run home run, and back-to-back doubles resonated off the bats of Tyler Hansen and Alex Erickson.

Then in the fourth, Hansen and Erickson again connected for doubles. Cole Riley drove in two runs with his two-bagger.

The Lakers were able to stay close with a four-run rally in their half of the fourth. Blake Helmick and Bosek delivered RBI hits.

The Lakers caught up completely with a run in the sixth, when Bosek singled to drive in Helmick.

So the stage was set for extra innings!

Ryan Beyer led off in the top of the eighth and he singled. He pulled into second on a fielder's choice.

Cole Riley singled to drive in Beyer with the game-winner.

Matt Lembcke got the pitching win in relief. He struck out one batter and walked one in his three-inning stint. He gave up four hits and one run (earned).

"Matt was solid out of the bullpen to nail down this win for us,” coach Rambow told Pheasant Country Sports.

He added: "We have had a great regular season, and it’s a compliment to our boys to win a very tough conference. Now, the first season is over and everyone is 0-0 to start the second season."

Sam Mattson was starting pitcher and he worked five innings, getting roughed up a little. He gave up nine hits and seven runs (six earned) while striking out six batters and walking four.

Two pitchers worked for 'Waska: Patrick Stumpf and Eric Elbe.

The MACA line score was nine runs, 15 hits and three errors. The 'Waska numbers were 8-13-4.

Hansen had two doubles in his three-for-five boxscore numbers. He scored two runs and drove in one.

Erickson doubled twice as part of going three-for-five, and this Tiger scored two runs and drove in two.

Ryan Beyer's triple highlighted his two-for-five day, and he scored two runs and drove in one.

Eric Riley went two-for-four with his two-run dinger standing out. Eric scored two runs and drove in two.

Cole Riley racked up three RBIs as part of going two-for-five. Brady Valnes had a double and finished at two-for-four.

Brody Bahr had a hit in his only official at-bat.

The Tigers finished regular season play with an 18-2 overall record and 14-2 numbers in league - superlative.

Take me out to the ballgame! Cross your fingers for no rain.

Tigers 11, Paynesville 10

There was no shortage of entertainment in this offense-dominated game played in Paynesville.
For a while it seemed the Tigers might win handily. They seized a 9-2 lead. The objective after that was to simply "hang on."
It was mission accomplished as the orange and black crew got past the green-clad Bulldogs 11-10.

The game grew into a showcase for the MACA power bats. The Tigers, who faced three Bulldog pitchers on the day, homered four times. They came at the Bulldogs with 13 total hits.
It was a memorable afternoon for Alex Erickson who socked two of the home runs. He connected for a two-run shot in the third. He zeroed in on another pitch in the seventh and this solo shot ended up being essential in the Tigers carving out their one-run margin.
The Bulldogs rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh.
The winning outcome allowed the Tigers to put aside their three errors, compared to one by Paynesville.
Errors might have been costly, as one learns when looking at the pitching statistics. Tyler Hansen, who got the win, allowed nine runs but only two were earned. He struck out seven batters, walked four and allowed nine hits.
Eric Riley got the save with his brief outing of a third of an inning, and the one run he allowed was unearned. Eric struck out a batter.
The three Paynesville pitchers were Jordan Schleper, Weston Brinkman and Josh Bungum (the loser).
Eric Riley made big noise with his bat, doubling to drive in two runs in the first, and sending the ball over the fence in the sixth.
Brody Bahr delivered a home run.
Bulldog Jon Solum gave the Tigers some nervous moments in the seventh, as he connected for a three-run double.
Tyler Hansen finished with a double and two runs scored. Erickson was "in the zone" with his four-for-five day including the two homers and a double. Alex drove in three runs and scored four.
Eric Riley went three-for-four with his homer and double and drove in four runs. Cole Riley doubled and picked up two RBIs.
Mitch Kill had a hit and drove in a run. Brody Bahr's homer and RBI made him an important contributor. Ethan Bruer had a two-for-four line.
The Morris Area Chokio Alberta line score was eleven runs, 13 hits and three errors.

Tigers 10, Lac qui Parle Valley 4

Alex Erickson had the assignment to pitch in the Tuesday, May 24, game that had Lac qui Parle Valley as the foe.
Erickson handled the job the whole way. He looked poised on the mound in Madison, as he struck out eleven Eagle batters in this 10-4 Tiger triumph. He gave up four hits and walked six.
The win was another important step in the Tigers' quest for No. 1 in conference.
Erickson had a lapse in the fifth when he threw a gopher ball to Zach Moen who connected for a grand slam homer, accounting for all four of the LQPV runs.
Erickson started out this game "firing seeds," as they say, as he got strikeouts for the first six outs. He had a no-hitter going until that dip in his fortunes in the fifth.
Erickson was one of several Tigers putting on a power clinic with their bats. He hit a homer with a man on in the third.
Ryan Beyer hit a round-tripper with a man on in the fourth. Eric Riley leaned into three doubles.
Cole Riley had multiple hits and drove in two runs. Brady Valnes had a one-for-three day.
MACA surged in the middle innings, plating three runs in the third frame and four in the fourth.
Their line score was ten runs, eight hits and zero errors.
Three pitchers worked for the host Eagles: Sam Haas (the loser), Joey Schreck and Blair Tostenson.

Tigers 8, BOLD 0

The highlight-filled week had its start with MACA blanking the BOLD Warriors 8-0 at home.
It was a pleasant night at our local Chizek Field, with fans enjoying the shutout pitching form of Eric Riley and Ethan Bruer. Together they gave up just four hits.
Fans were also thrilled to see Ryan Beyer's homer shot.
The Tigers charged out of the starting gate with four runs in the first inning, three in the second and one in the third. Their final line score was eight runs, nine hits and one error.
BOLD was hurt by three fielding miscues.
Tyler Hansen's bat was sizzling as this Tiger went three-for-three, drove in two runs and scored two. Beyer's home run highlighted a two-for-four day by this Tiger. He had two ribbies.
Ethan Bruer scored two runs as part of going one-for-three. Brady Valnes had a hit in two at-bats and drove in a run.
Cole Riley went one-for-three with a ribbie. Eric Riley finished at one-for-three.
In pitching, Eric got the win with his six innings of work. He fanned five batters, walked one and gave up three hits.
Ethan Bruer's stat line included one strikeout, zero walks and one hit. Ethan's stint on the hill was one inning.
Kyle Krause pitched the whole way for BOLD.
The four BOLD hits were by Kyle Athmann, Andrew Brooks, Nick Steffel and Alex Steffel.

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Liquor store's not-so-excellent adventure

I remember when Lee Swanson was Morris mayor and he explained why the city was in the liquor business. It was so "we can control it," he said.

Alcohol is a sensitive element in our lives. We have a hard time living with it, but apparently we can't live without it.

Thus we have a municipal liquor store under the umbrella of the city.

The city council met recently to discuss some turbulence that has come the way of our liquor store. It's unfortunate the topic bubbled up at a meeting held as a civics lesson for MAHS young people. The students got a lesson on how booze is very much a reality "out there."

All wasn't happy. The liquor store has stumbled in surviving those pesky "compliance checks." I would suggest this term is a euphemism for "stings."

It's not a technique that I feel comfortable with. It uses deceit. It depends on people role-playing, who in fact are not what they claim to be. They claim to be normal customers. But they are performers who are would-be underage purchasers of alcohol.

Stings can be a delicate area for law enforcement. The liquor sale checks are a more innocuous form of this. At a more intense level, judges are vigilant in seeing that "entrapment" doesn't occur.

The local compliance checks are more like a gadfly.

I feel sorry for the clerks who have to be on their toes about this. I'm sure they have no intent to ever sell to an underage person.

I would guess it's easier to spot a "real" illegal purchaser as opposed to a compliance check puppet. The latter have nothing to fear. They no doubt strive to look poised and relaxed.

It isn't hard to look poised and relaxed if you know you won't get in trouble. The performer in a sting is just pretending to do something improper. It's deceit with a small "d."

But there is so much on the line for those on the other end, for the clerks and in the currently uncomfortable situation, the City of Morris.

The city, which is all of us, is sitting on pins and needles.

The complete picture was never easily available from the start. There's a lesson here in not relying on the old media. In order to get a complete picture of what happened, I went online to the city manager's blog. It elucidated nicely.

Background: Our liquor store has gotten nailed twice. Call it strike one and then strike two.

A person has been fired. A higher-ranking person has not. In the eyes of some, that's unfair.

A check of the facts brings a more nuanced picture.

The old media have not taken the lead in giving us that big picture. We might dismiss that as mere negligence, but now a citizen writing a letter to the editor has stirred things up.

That's not necessarily bad, but when you read the city manager's blog you'll see the city's position is a little more sympathetic than you might think. And you might be less inclined to side with a city council member who appears to be trying to come across as a populist hero in all this.

It's true that the liquor store manager did make the first sale that got the city in trouble. But he did card the individual in question. The problem is that he misread the card.

It's a mistake but it's not complete negligence.

The city's second failure was more a case of negligence.

Now the city is backed up against the wall with the spectre of "strike 3" looming. It must be a nervous atmosphere. It has to be, because money is at stake.

It's too bad the background shared on the city manager's blog wasn't shared on a broad scale immediately. There would be less controversy. Discomfort yes, but not controversy.

Now we have a letter to the editor in the old media perhaps getting people excited. In the old days a rebuttal to the letter could be shared on Wednesday. But the print media here has been pared down to once a week.

Online you can leap into action immediately to get your point across. Since the online world is a rigid meritocracy, the facts and the credible views rise to the top and less credible stuff falls or is deleted.

The city manager is to be commended getting his background shared via his blog. But too many people in Morris continue to be reliant on the old media.

However this is all sorted out, it's unfortunate the controversy was laid out for the MAHS students in their civics lesson.

How much more pleasant it would be for the council to be discussing our library's 125th anniversary. How much more pleasant, rather than to discuss the firing of someone, to discuss the possibility of retaining a CEP employee at the library, name of Lisa.

I hope the fine connected to the liquor store's punishment doesn't impede that, or any other good measure that might be taken, like tearing down the old school. There's another huge topic. It's more of a nuisance property with each passing year.

It's unfortunate the liquor store came to the fore in such an unpleasant and distracting way, not due to anyone's true wrongdoing, but a "compliance check."

People "around town" share views and it's not always totally fact-based. Really?

There's a moral of the story I could share with City Manager Blaine Hill: Empower yourself using the new media to the totally optimal extent.

The online world is way past being a curiosity. It's becoming bedrock. Don't be left behind.

The old media don't share your agenda or priorities. The old media don't feel a need to treat the City of Morris with tender loving care.

The old media need to sell advertising. They get grumpy as this gets harder.

A letter to the editor can become a gadfly. If that's all it is, the city might actually be lucky.

Now the city needs to move forward with a sense of order, prudence and clarity.

And let's celebrate the Morris Public Library's anniversary with some real gusto. Mr. Hill, please try to keep Lisa on board there.

Addendum:

Maybe the city should be prepared to use the "Teen Wolf" defense. Remember the Michael J. Fox movie of that name?

Remember the Fox character having to obtain some liquor but being underage? Remember him in the liquor store being the object of a glare from the stern and elderly clerk?

And remember how the clerk suddenly became mesmerized by a reddish glow emanating from the Fox character's eyes as he showed his werewolf qualities?

Yes, that's it. The city could employ the "Teen Wolf" defense.

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

MACA girls capture WCC-South crown

The MACA softball Tigers entered mid-week last week as owner of the WCC-South title.

Coach Mary Holmberg's squad garnered the title outright with a 2-0 win over BOLD at Olivia. That success was on Tuesday, May 17, the day after the Tigers beat Lac qui Parle Valley 10-0 at home.
The momentum rolled into Wednesday (Wednesday?) as MACA downed Minnewaska 7-1.

All in all, a memorable week, and presumably there's much more to come since the much-ballyhooed end-of-the-world prediction (Rapture) did not happen Saturday.

Tigers 7, Minnewaska Area 1

High school sports on a Wednesday? That's how hectic it can be with spring sports, apparently.
The Tigers took the field on the traditional "church night" (the term that yours truly became familiar with long ago) to play Minnewaska Area.

This Wednesday was truly a time for MACA Tiger softball to celebrate. Coach Mary Holmberg's Tigers capped a perfect WCC-South campaign (16-0) by beating the Lakers 7-1. They stood at 18-2 overall.

The Lakers came to Eagles Park with their own top-notch credentials. Their loss to the Tigers was only their third this season. They stood with 17 wins overall and 13 in conference.

Mackenzie Weatherly came to the fore with her pitching arm as she so often does. She set down 13 'Waska batters on strikes. She complemented that stat with zero walks.

Minnewaska managed just four hits off the accomplished pitching ace.

For the record, Weatherly accumulated 43 strikeouts in the week's three games. Her walk total: one!

The only run she allowed in the week was unearned.

The Tigers went on the attack offensively in the first inning. In fact, the attack began on the first pitch thrown by Laker pitcher Kaylee Jacobs. Sadie Fischer connected for a round-tripper.

Fischer would later connect for a two-RBI single.

Dani Schultz had an explosive bat too, with two doubles.

The Tigers scored their seven runs on seven hits and committed just one error. The 'Waska line score was 1-4-2.

Weatherly gave herself support with a one-for-three line in the boxscore. Beth Holland and Haley Scheldorf both went one-for-two.

'Waska's top hitter was Aundrea Johnson with two hits in three at-bats and an RBI.

Tigers 2, BOLD 0

One run in the fourth inning and another in the seventh were enough as the MACA pitching and defense had another dominating day.

Pitcher Mackenzie Weatherly flirted with a perfect game. She had a perfect game going into the sixth frame. That ideal may have slipped away but it was really of no consequence.

What matters is that Morris Area Chokio Alberta executed crisply in the process of tucking away its 17th win against two losses.

Weatherly mowed down the BOLD Warrior batters, many by strikeout. She finished the afternoon with 17 K's. She fanned the first nine BOLD batters of the day. The ace allowed just one hit and walked just one.

The losing pitcher was Brittany Nissen.

The lone BOLD hit came off the bat of Carly Sigurdson. Sigurdson's single in the sixth ended Weatherly's no-hit bid.

There were three MACA hits, off the bats of Sadie Fischer, Dani Schultz and Weatherly.

The MACA runs were scored by Katie Holzheimer and Haley Henrichs.

Weatherly's dominating pitching was complemented by the team stat of zero errors. BOLD had two miscues in the field.

Weatherly faced just two batters over the minimum.

Tigers 10, Lac qui Parle Valley 0

Weatherly put on an offensive show to complement her typically sound pitching on Monday, May 16.

Weatherly singled to drive in two runs in the first inning. She delivered another two-run single in the fifth to help lift Morris Area Chokio Alberta to this decisive 10-0 conference win.

She bore down when pitching to set down 13 Eagle batters on strikes. She issued no walks and allowed four hits.

The losing pitcher was Mikaela DuFrane.

MACA outhit the Eagles 6-4 led by Weatherly and her two-for-four numbers and four RBIs. Dani Schultz went one-for-three with an RBI. Sadie Fischer had a one-for-three afternoon. Hannah Sayles and Haley Scheldorf both went one-for-two.

The Tigers played errorless ball to please the home field fans.

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

MACA baseball keeps its conference lead

Note: Since the Rapture didn't happen yesterday (Saturday), I'm pleased to invite you to read this update on MACA Tiger baseball, covering the three games of this past week. - BW

The Morris Area Chokio Alberta baseball team had a mostly winning week, we can happily report.
It all started out great with a 13-0 win over Benson on Monday, May 16, here.

Tuesday brought more of same as coach Lyle Rambow's Tigers downed BOLD 9-4 on the road.

The only blemish on the week came Thursday when the homer bats of Montevideo proved to be a little too much. The Tigers lost for just the second time this year at the hands of the Thunder Hawks, 12-11, at the home diamond.

Montevideo 12, Tigers 11

The Thunder Hawks were lifted by two very timely homers, each with two men on base, as they got past MACA by that margin of one run. The Tigers saw their lead in the WCC-South race reduced to one game.

The decisive home runs by Monte came off the bats of Colton Vien and Joe Bednar. Vien's blast came in the first inning and Bednar sent the ball over the fence in the fifth.

It was an uplifting day for Thunder Hawk fans who have seen their team lose more often than not this spring. Those homers were complemented by an MACA fielding miscue, of the throwing kind, in the seventh inning.

Tyler Kuno joined Vien and Bednar in the circle of productive Monte batters. Kuno attacked Tiger pitching for three-for-three numbers and three runs scored.

The MACA bats weren't exactly quiet. To the contrary, Eric Riley found a pitch to his liking in the sixth, connecting for a three-run home run. Eric's blast got the Tigers to within two runs on the scoreboard.

Tyler Hansen made noise with his bat in the seventh, sending the ball over the Chizek Field fence with a runner on.

The Tigers outhit the Thunder Hawks 14-10. The Tigers committed three errors and Montevideo had four.

Monte scored in five of the innings which meant a bumpy road for the Tiger pitchers - three of them on this day. Tyler Hansen took the pitching loss.

Mitch Kill and Ethan Bruer also saw pitching work for the Tigers.

With his bat, Hansen stood out with his double and two-run homer as part of three-for-five boxscore numbers. Eric Riley's three-run dinger was one of two hits by this Tiger.

Cole Riley tripled and finished at three-for-four. Taylor Hufford had a hit in his only official at-bat and drove in a run.

Alex Erickson picked up an RBI as part of going two-for-four. Matt Lembcke, Brady Valnes and Evan Schultz all went one-for-two.

Tigers 9, BOLD 4

This was anybody's ballgame until the seventh inning.

The Tigers and the host BOLD Warriors each scored three runs in the first inning and one in the third. After that we saw zeroes until the seventh.

The seventh was when Morris Area Chokio Alberta summoned its winning burst of momentum. That burst was a five-run rally and it allowed MACA to win 9-4.

Ryan Beyer and Eric Riley had the key hits. Prior to those two Tigers appearing at the plate, there was an error and hit batsman. The baserunners gave MACA opportunity. Beyer came through with a double and Eric Riley homered.

The Tigers, with ten hits on the day, were able to preserve their lead in the WCC-South race. BOLD had five hits.

Alex Erickson pitched a complete game to get the win, fanning seven BOLD batters in his seven innings. He gave up five hits and four runs (two earned).

Kyle Krause pitched the whole way for the Warriors.
Beyer's bat was explosive as he went three-for-four including a double and a two-run homer, and he drove in four runs.

Eric Riley's homer bat was part of a two-for-four afternoon, and his other hit was a double. Eric's RBI total was three.

Cole Riley had a double. Brady Valnes went one-for-four with an RBI.

Other Tigers hitting safely were Mitch Kill, Travis Rinkenberger and Ethan Bruer.

Jake Marcus connected for a three-run homer for BOLD. The Warriors have been hovering around .500 this season.

Tigers 13, Benson 0

There was no drama for MACA in the game that started out this past week. The Tigers asserted themselves early in front of the enthused Chizek Field fans.

They plated five runs in the first inning, two in the second and six in the third.

The 13-0 win over Benson saw coach Rambow's crew pound out ten hits total, to three by Benson. The MACA line score showed just one error.

The pitching credit was shared by two Tigers, Eric Riley (who got the win) and Matt Lembcke.

Eric set down seven Brave batters on strikes in his four innings. He walked just one and allowed two hits.

Lembcke struck out two batters in his one inning, walked none and allowed one hit.

Carter Fennell took the loss for Benson.

The ten-run rule kept the game short.

Benson's pitching was no mystery for Eric Riley who went two-for-three including a double and drove in three runs. Cole Riley's bat was sizzling at two-for-two including a double, and this Tiger drove in three runs.

Ethan Bruer went two-for-two with an RBI. Tyler Hansen added a double to the mix.

Ryan Beyer picked up three RBIs in his one-for-three day. Brady Valnes and Travis Rinkenberger also contributed hits, and Rinkenberger drove in a run.

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Teachers had it made with us boomers

The 1980s were cataclysmic for our local public school. That's not an exaggeration.

The generation of baby boomer youth, a phenomenon that crossed the U.S. scene like a thunderclap, had faded away. The tail-enders of that generation probably got their diplomas in 1982.

Professional educators might have thought their task would be easier after that. I suppose anything had to be easier than trying to manage my generation.

I offer that as a joke because it's not true. Educators really never had it so good as when my generation was in the hallways.

Our teeming numbers meant teaching jobs were pretty safe. Most importantly, though, our teeming numbers kept standards pretty low for how we were managed.

We were like a large herd of cattle that just had to be pointed in the right direction.

Seriously, our elders really only asked that educators maintain a sense of order. Keep everything civilized and under control and you'll be fine.

We hadn't heard the term "helicopter parents" yet.

Another aspect to this was the basic nature of baby boomers' parents. These were people many of whom had gotten past serious adversity in the Depression and World War II years.

The great U.S. middle class created in the aftermath of the war was composed of people abundantly thankful for their blessings, their standard of living and relative peace in the world.

The Cold War was bothersome. But it wasn't like the wrenching pain of the years preceding it.

So these gentle, thankful people raised their kids with fundamental contentment. They tended to see teachers as partners in disciplining their kids.

America's public school system, arguably cumbersome, was almost an extension of the huge Federal apparatus that was needed to win the war.

David Brooks of the New York Times has written about the "redundancies in the typical World War II type of organization" in America.

These parents were hardly like tea partiers who want to shave down all public entities to bare essentials and to try to privatize everything in sight.

Government, and certainly public schools, were accepted as partners in a burgeoning America with its schools overflowing with boomers.

If a kid got disciplined in school, he might catch heck again when he got home. This has been a much-observed phenomenon - the transition from this kind of mindset to "you'd better keep your hands off my kid."

The helicopter parents began appearing.

If public school teachers actually thought their jobs would be "made easier" by smaller student numbers, they were in for a rude awakening. For one thing, smaller numbers meant reduced funding and less advocacy for education in government channels.

Fewer parents meant, in effect, "fewer customers."

But more important than this, possibly, was the different type of parent coming into the picture. The parents of the boomers who really just demanded order (and "quiet") gave way to new parents who would micro-analyze.

Fewer students would make it easier to put our schools under a microscope. Teachers had better watch every step they took. And look over your shoulder for the spectre of consolidation and layoffs.

Holy cow, there used to be dots all over the map representing public high schools here in western Minnesota. An attendee at the UMM Driggs Lecture last fall raised his hand and made this point, loudly in fact. It was appreciated. It was true.

He talked about how "every little town out here" used to have its football and basketball teams, and probably wrestling and others too. We sort of took it for granted.

But behind the scenes, the economy and family structure were changing. The countryside was going to shed people, dramatically. There would be far fewer families with five or six kids.

Looking through an old church membership directory, I see lots of family portraits with multiple children. You have to smile as you look at these because so many of these families had a distinctive character or personality.

Isn't this what life is all about? Shouldn't it be a desired way of life? Why are we standing idly by while it becomes little more than a memory?

Maybe boomers don't care because we're beyond the stage of raising our own kids. So we're just happy with our memories. We should care about the future a little more.

I should get a little more local in emphasis as I continue this post.

I remember an associate, not really a co-worker but someone employed by a business with whom we had a relationship, who had children go through the Minnewaska Area school. It's a "cornfield school" of the type that our legislature reportedly won't approve anymore.

Ditto Lac qui Parle Valley. Schools should be in town.

We may have had turbulence in Morris but Minnewaska had two failed referendums.

I remember this associate, about whom I'll stay vague, celebrating the failure. Why? She explained that teachers at 'Waska were looking forward to "fewer students," which the demographics were predicting.

She took that personally because she had a daughter who was in a wave of larger numbers.

You mean the teachers didn't appreciate that?

"They should have been thankful having them," she said in an impassioned way.

To the teachers I'd say "be careful what you wish for."

Fewer students means less advocacy out there for public education. There will be less money. Referendums won't be a slam dunk.

I remember in the weeks following the second referendum failure at Minnewaska, the Glenwood newspaper had extensive articles on all the scrambling and adjusting the school was going to have to do.

Finally I shook my head and said "knock it off, Pope County Tribune," and just let the appropriate designated people work things out. Things will work out just fine. They always do.

Here in Morris there was pain in the 1980s. We had people in administrative positions who were horribly ossified, IMHO. I guess I'm thinking of two of them.

They hadn't adjusted with the times. It was tragic because these people had their obvious good sides. Because they had good sides and because they performed competently in previous years, it was excruciating to have both of them more or less forced out.

There was huge controversy by our town's standards. One of these individuals inspired petitions around town. Really.

There was pushback in the form of alleged business boycotts, something this town can ill-afford. I have no doubt the boycotts happened.

"Some people got hurt by that," I remember a prominent business owner telling me.

My take? Part of the job of superintendent is to solve small problems before they become big ones. There might have been dereliction here.

It would have been difficult to intercede, maybe, but that's why the superintendent gets paid the big bucks.

Morris Area extracurricular activities were dying on the vine in the mid-1980s. That's not an exaggeration. There was a cancer in the system.

It wasn't just a matter of one or two teams losing more than they should. That sort of thing is always going to happen. It happens now.

But our programs today seem fundamentally healthy. Our baseball and softball teams seem capable of beating nearly everyone. Can they parlay all this to a scintillating post-season run? We'll see.

As we entered the 1990s the problems got solved. The young people of today have endless enriching opportunities to get active and avoid the kind of idle time that hindered my generation.

Oh, how we could have used the Lee Community Center. Our new Morris Area gymnasiums and concert hall are awe-inspiring. How we could have used them too.

And we were the generation with teeming numbers. We made do with less. The early boomers couldn't even avail themselves of girls sports. What an awakening we've experienced.

I remember watching Tiger varsity basketball at the old elementary auditorium, now inhabited by pigeons. It was a substandard gym.

The facilities have progressed by light years but we have far fewer kids. It's odd.

The Chokio-Alberta Spartans are gone with the wind. There are new school pairings with names that don't even help me place them geographically. Like Otter Tail Central.

Who knows what the future will bring?

But us boomers remember a time when even with all its defects (by the exacting standards of today) we found life so rich. Who knows where the future will lead.

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Controversy at UMM in. . .music?

And the band played on. Well, not exactly, or at least not on the terms of a portion of UMM's students who like jazz.

I had to smile when I learned a rhubarb had broken out on our beloved campus spawned by. . .music? My first thought was that it's nice music is inspiring such strong feelings. Good grief, be thankful for the interest.

Oh, I had other thoughts too.

The vehicle for this rhubarb sprouting was the campus newspaper. I have written about this paper before. It's called the University Register.

I have written that college newspapers ought to be allowed to wither away and die and give way to the new and unbridled frontier of the Internet. That frontier may have started out a little raw, like North Fork in "The Rifleman," but it has gotten civilized and organized quite quickly.

If someone seeks to extinguish a newspaper controversy, the controversy will find new life and will probably prosper more online. This is wonderfully liberating. And we seem to be observing a nice laboratory example on our University of Minnesota-Morris campus.

I have to smile because it's nice to see the Register show some uncharacteristic vigor. Its April 21 issue was virulent with its page 4 guest op-ed by an impassioned student name of Mike McBride.

Congratulations Mike. I don't know if your facts are ironclad but I applaud your sincerity and drive.

Music would do this? Not surprisingly we're talking about jazz music.

Music educators had best sigh and realize that big band jazz occupies a special place with young people. I'm not sure it's the "jazz" (improvisation) that the students find so infectious, rather I think it's the type of rhythm and the big brassy sound that projects from onstage.

As a photographer I like jazz because the musicians are arranged in tiers onstage so you can actually see all of them. This might be an overlooked attribute.

With concert band you're restricted to seeing the front row of clarinet players, basically, plus some guys on the edge and some standing percussionists.

Concert band is a wonderful venture. UMM has outstanding music programs across the board. Jazz found its place beginning in the late 1970s.

Why so late? Jazz had an image that seemed, well, a little "edgy" in the eyes of mainstream America, at least the mainstream America of Ozzie and Harriet.

Del Sarlette of Sarlettes Music supplied a little tidbit shedding light on that. Del was speaking at the retirement reception for the individual who established the full-blown UMM jazz program that created so much excitement, culminating in the April Jazz Festival.

Del noted that in his own band background (coinciding with mine), bands of this type were called "stage bands." Music directors had to be a little delicate and not use "jazz."

The director who was feted where Del spoke had the same initials as Jesus Christ. He's happily in Florida now, I hear. Jazz is a passion of his but it might be second on his list, to golf.

Golfing in Florida puts J.C. a long way from the controversy that clouded his campus this past spring.

There were brickbats in Mike McBride's op-ed. Essentially, this young man wrote about students wanting to launch a student-led big band that would fill what he sees as a void in UMM's music since J.C.'s departure.

Apparently there are fewer jazz ensembles in the actual music discipline. There were four under J.C.

I'm told that the third and fourth were for the less-serious music students or music majors playing secondary instruments. It all seemed to be a thriving environment.

McBride wrote "there exist currently two jazz ensembles and a combo class for those of us who wish to learn and perform that most American of musical forms."

He went on to argue that demand exceeds the supply. In athletics this is handled by intramurals.

There are music enthusiasts at UMM who want to establish a music equivalent of that. McBride sees a "large and growing" group of students who want to achieve this.

Here's where it gets controversial. I would argue that no one at UMM wants to suppress the learning aspirations of the uniquely gifted young people who come here.

But educators do set priorities. We rely on their guiding hand and wisdom. Where they might have erred in this case is not fully appreciating just how jazz bands or stage bands have flourished among high school youth since about 1980.

I would guess there are many non-music majors who would love an avenue to continue playing their "ax." I suspect this is what McBride and his compatriots have been working toward.

Unfortunately McBride describes a minefield. He lays blame. I have to smile because this is how college students are: direct and non-nuanced in expressing themselves, whereas maturity (or reality) brings on the acknowledgment of the "gray areas" that exist in these matters.

But who knows? McBride might be totally right.

The most cynical observation that might be made, is that an element in UMM's music department is "leveling the playing field" by giving jazz a haircut. So we're talking about jealousies.

I don't want to believe that. Why can't we all just agree to disagree?

But McBride shares a narrative that is a little disturbing. He indeed makes it seem like a minefield that these intrepid students are crossing.

At one point this fledgling group attempted to play in the hallways of the HFA, "in protest," McBride explained. They had been hamstrung at every turn, not even being given access to the desired performance spaces, McBride asserted.

My goodness, police were called.

Hey UMM, it's a blessing if your biggest problem is overzealous music enthusiasts.

Around St. Cloud State, the police are usually activated for other reasons. But they've cancelled Homecoming now, so that solves part of their problem. But I'm not sure the problem at UMM has been solved.

Hey, why couldn't a student-led band begin showing up at some Cougar games and supplying pep band music? Just a thought that crosses my mind.

Maybe they could dust off the original University of Minnesota-Morris fight song and experiment with it. Does the band arrangement for that song still exist out there? It would be fascinating to dust it off just for archival purposes.

I have always felt the song might have been retired because of one weak line in the lyrics. I have a possible solution for that. Anyone who's interested, please get in touch.

I have communicated this before to Dr. Ken Hodgson. I don't know if he's one of the "bad guys" wearing a black hat as if in "The Rifleman," in the scenario as laid out by McBride, but he runs a quite dynamic choir program.

Choir, concert band and even orchestra have had an enriching impact at out little university on the prairie. But hey guys, there is only one program where an audience might cheer three or four times before a tune is even done.

That's jazz. You have to admit it.

High school jazz is big. It's not unusual to see high school concerts devoted entirely to jazz band.

It was just beginning to take off when I concluded my college years at St. Cloud State - no comment about if I ever attended something where police were called - and I was privileged to be invited by J.C. to be part of the first-ever UMM Jazz Festival.

There were no jazz alumni then, of course, so there could be no alumni band. There was a group of adult jazz musicians in the area that performed: the West Central All-Stars. Just a bit of hyperbole there.

The audience certainly didn't come to hear me. From the stage I could detect that "something big" was in fruition here. The audience was so ebullient and the atmosphere so electric with, well, joy. Big band jazz brings that out in you.

I don't want to endorse the cynical viewpoint that elements at UMM are in effect "putting jazz in its place."

Educators have the best interests of their students in mind.

But there must be something to McBride's assertions. This op-ed didn't just materialize out of the ether. There must have been some pain along the way.

Here's my advice to the music department: realize that like it or not, young people today have a special love for big band jazz and it really needs to be allowed to occupy a special plateau.

Stop watching Ozzie and Harriet (or The Rifleman).

Let's let J.C. feel proud of the musical nurturing that jazz affords here. He has lots of disciples.

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

UMM graduation makes us ponder higher ed

I have long felt that summer begins in Morris on the day after the UMM graduation. The community seems to lose a dimension after that.

The town slows down a few notches which can be nice in some ways. It's nice that it's temporary.

People employed by educational institutions have the opportunity to leave town.

One of our community traits is that we're not defined by lakes, but we're close to communities that have that attribute. We cling to UMM as our prime community attribute.

There's always some nervousness as the state ponders budget adjustments for the 'U'. These budget back-and-forth games, i.e. bickering, can be almost harrowing for some. It isn't always certain what you should take seriously.

There are those in politics who like to promote austerity which they see as responsibility. And they make proposals more in the spirit of sending a message as anything. It's posturing.

It's also a standard technique in negotiation. Start out with an extreme position so you can later say you compromised.

A lot of people thought Governor Scott Walker was using this approach when the big Wisconsin melee was unfolding. But then it became clear he was going for "game-set-match."

In Minnesota the Republicans could be doing the same if Tom Emmer had been elected governor. One of the great "what ifs" in Minnesota history will be: What if Emmer had gotten elected - he came within a hair's breadth - and Republicans had basically seized the machinery of government?

Voters everywhere seemed to want to give Republicans a chance. In Wisconsin we now see buyer's remorse, the evidence shows, not because Republicans' ideas are bankrupt but because they are too absolute with those ideas.

The machinations of the Minnesota legislature are not leaving University President Robert Bruininks in a placid or temperate mood.

We were blessed in Morris by having Bruininks come out here last May for our graduation. I have a photo of him speaking on one of the Flickr photo albums that is linked on this site.

It was a wonderful early-summer day for the UMM graduation in 2010. It was quite the opposite this past Saturday. My what a bleak and depressing day.

I rode my bike to campus just to soak in the atmosphere and get a general read of how things were going. The P.E. Center was quite abuzz of course. I'm sure the parents of the graduates came away with special memories.

But an outdoor celebration would have been quite preferable.

I walked across campus (after parking my bike) and must have looked rather forlorn, what with the rain steadily falling. It was sad, because UMM had gotten all set up for the outdoor ceremony. I wonder how much cost and effort went into that.

The weather forecasts never were very promising. I suppose they would have have gone ahead with the outdoor ceremony even if it was cool. There was no doubt it was going to be cool.

I'll bet it was a wrenching decision (whether to set up for outside). But the rain made the decision obvious.

Graduation sums up all the joy that accompanies the completion of one's studies. Words almost can't describe that joy.

Now that graduation is past we have to return to the more sober matter of funding. The state's lawmakers have put together a higher education funding package.

President Bruininks is less than pleased. He is quite blunt in expressing himself. How about "I'm hot as hell about it." The quote appeared on the front page of Saturday's Star Tribune (or "Early Sunday").

I'm not sure it's necessary to trot out words like "hell."

Back in my corporate media days, I was assailed by Puritanical elements in the community for using a photo of a spirit banner at a high school sports event that had the word "hell" in it. I didn't use it for that reason.

No, I didn't take the photograph. The Morris Area cross country coach actually took it. The last three letters of "hell" were actually represented by hyphens. Even that wasn't enough to appease the Puritans.

The exact phrase was "bat out of hell" (or "h---"), a la Meatloaf.

One individual was so mad, our whole family had to change dentists. Such is life in a small town.

And now U of M President Robert Bruininks makes a public statement on page 1 of our state's No. 1 newspaper that uses the word in a chippy way, versus our legislature.

Maybe he feels he can get momentum on his side. The problem is, there just isn't an endless supply of money available to keep happy all the various recipients like higher education.

I am much more concerned about potential cuts to health and human services than I am about higher education.

How important is higher education? Well, it's getting less important.

Now, some people are going to pull out their hair in anger over this statement. But the ecosystem of learning isn't as dependent on bricks and mortar institutions anymore. Is the legislature recognizing this?

The higher education bill was passed by a House and Senate conference committee on Thursday, May 12. The toll for the U of M: a 14.4 percent funding cut (from this year).

The pain is spread around as the state colleges are designated for a similar cut. The spending bill slashes $306 million from higher education. It's a much bigger step than Governor Mark Dayton would deem necessary.

The germane question becomes: Are we seeing posturing by both sides with an inevitable drift toward the middle?

And even if certain interests want to spend more, is this really prudent, given the money realities of the state? I mean, I don't want health and human services to take it on the chin.

I would argue, maybe even using the word "hell," that there are pressing reasons to elevate health and human services. More people are at risk in a bad economy. We have an aging population here, like everywhere, with more and more people "on the bubble" in terms of needing help.

A "win" for higher education could result in a loss for other priorities.

President Bruininks has rolled up his sleeves and is resolved to "win," using foul language if necessary.

And now it's time for the posturing to come from the other side (higher ed's). When education interests feel threatened they propose the most scary and draconian of solutions, so to get their coffers re-stocked. Often it works.

I often get irritated by media coverage of "preliminary budgets" which have about as much chance of passing as Mary Poppins landing in your backyard. Cuts with a capital 'C'.

I wrote a post several months ago about the ridiculousness of the St. Cloud State University suggestion that it might cut football. My somewhat cynical mind told me immediately this was posturing.

Of course, SCSU's football program sails forward, even if it's a red-haired stepchild compared to hockey there.

Here in Morris, the proposal to eliminate the USDA soils laboratory was once in a "preliminary budget." It got headline treatment in our local fishwrap.

It's all very primal, this posturing. Everyone protects their ox from being gored.

The Star Tribune headline on Saturday said President Bruininks was "furious." He'd better be careful because legislators hold the purse strings.

And the legislature may see the "big picture" of what is going on. We may be seeing a slow transition from the old bricks and mortar higher education model to a more liberating model enabled by communications technology and the easy availability of information.

Governor Tim Pawlenty has talked about this on national television. He talked about the old model of traipsing across campus for a class like "Econ 101" in a designated room at a designated time, with some professor droning on. He talked about this model as perhaps becoming anachronistic.

This is for futurists to mull.

It may go into retreat no matter now many times its advocates use the word "hell."
Congratulations to the University of Minnesota-Morris graduates of 2011, and you needn't make yourselves scarce around here now!

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Tiger softball loses for just the second time

OTC 5, Tigers 2

The MACA girls were stunned by being dealt just their second loss of the season Friday, in non-conference softball competition.

The Tigers came up against one of those stubborn pitchers who can string together zeroes on the scoreboard (for the opposition). MACA had zeroes through the first six innings Friday as they battled the proficient Carmen Malmstrom of Otter Tail Central.

The Tigers broke that string of zeroes with some success in the seventh. Alas, it wasn't quite enough success.

Coach Mary Holmberg's unit plated two runs, thanks to a Sadie Fischer single and a fielder's choice play with Holly Amundson at the plate.

Two runs were insufficient on this day. The host Tigers were humbled by this OTC team that has impressive credentials just like the Tigers. Malmstrom and OTC prevailed 5-2.
It was OTC's 14th win of the season against three losses. The Tigers came out of the day at 15-2.

Malmstrom set down ten Tiger batters on strikes. She walked only one.
She got support from her mates in the early innings as OTC scored two runs in the first inning and three in the third.

The final OTC line score was five runs, seven hits and two errors. The Tigers committed no errors and they scored their two runs on five hits.

Fischer had a good offensive day at two-for-four with an RBI. Dani Schultz had one hit in four at-bats. Hannah Sayles and Kelsey DeCamp both went one-for-two.

Mackenzie Weatherly experienced one of her rare pitching setbacks. She fanned six Bulldog batters and walked only one. But she allowed seven hits in her seven innings, along with the five runs which were earned.

OTC's big hitting standout was Gabby Brendefur who had a two-run home run and a double in her two at-bats. Lindsay Nelson also had two hits for the Bulldogs.

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

MACA vanquishes Brave Owls & Braves

Softball: Tigers 4, Benson-Hancock 3

It was hard work but the MACA softball Tigers were able to maintain their undefeated conference record in Tuesday (5/10) diamond play.

The Tigers were up against Benson-Hancock, a softball program that is bound to be competitive on any given day. Tuesday was one such day. B-H got the score tied at 3-3 in the top of the seventh.

But the Tigers found the resolve and the focus to come out the victor. It was Dani Schultz crossing home plate in a triumphant way in the bottom of the seventh.

The home field fans cheered with gusto as their orange and black heroes notched their 13th WCC-South win against zero losses. In overall won-lost: 15-1.

Schultz doubled to get on base. A passed ball allowed her to get to third. Then, the decisive moment came when Benson-Hancock failed to execute on a fly ball.

The 4-3 win closed out the early portion of the week in this hectic phase of the schedule, being played when weather could be as much of a challenge as the foe. If it's not wind (as in the recent home invite), it's wet grounds, which can force the action from the usual Eagles Park to Wells in west Morris.

B-H has a long history of success but they are paying some dues this season. The Brave Owls came out of Tuesday at 1-6. They challenged the Tigers by scoring one run each in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

Mackenzie Jensen led off with a single in the B-H half of the seventh. She was off to the races with successful steals of second and third. Kendra Schmidgall hit a grounder that allowed Jensen to score the tying run.

Brave Owl Sara Rajewsky, who plays with some of the Morris athletes in winter for hockey, was a perfect three-for-three batting on Tuesday. Rajewsky and Dani Schultz were the premier performers on the MBA girls hockey Storm. In spring, they are foes on the diamond.

Schultz went three-for-four in her team's win, including a double, and she drove in two runs.

Also hitting safely for coach Mary Holmberg's Tigers were Kelsey DeCamp (two-for-three), Hannah Sayles (one-for-three) and Courtney Ehleringer (one-for-three).

Rajewsky was joined among B-H's hit producers by Mackenzie Jensen (two hits in four at-bats), Kelsey Sonnabend (one-for-three) and Kelsey Hammerschmidt (two-for-three).

Mackenzie Weatherly turned in another workmanlike job from the pitching rubber. Benson-Hancock may have chipped away against her late, but she still shone with nine strikeouts and zero walks in her seven innings. One of the B-H runs was unearned. She gave up eight hits.

Sara Rajewsky pitched for B-H and gave up seven hits and four runs (just two earned), while striking out three batters and walking two.

Baseball: Tigers 16, Benson 4

There were all kinds of offensive highlights for the Morris Area Chokio Alberta baseball team Tuesday. Playing at Benson, the Tigers put on a clinic with their hitting prowess.

This was especially noticed in the second inning when the orange and black crew plated ten runs. A total of 16 batters came up to bat in that rally, a rally that included back-to-back dingers.

First it was Ryan Beyer wielding a homer bat. Beyer's dinger was a two-run job. Then it was Eric Riley zeroing in on a pitch that was very much to his liking, sending the ball over the fence.

Eric Riley had a memorable afternoon with two solo home runs. He was two-for-three in the boxscore with two RBIs and three runs scored.

Beyer's dinger came in his only official at-bat. Beyer drove in three runs and scored two.

All this offensive prowess vaulted coach Lyle Rambow's crew to a 16-4 win. The Tigers had 13 total hits.

But just as impressive as any of these numbers (as coach Rambow would readily attest) was the zero errors in the MACA line score. Benson committed four errors.

Benson was limited to four hits.

Mitch Kill takes the pitching credit. He pitched all five innings in this game abbreviated by the ten-run rule. He struck out three batters, walked one and allowed four hits. The losing pitcher was Anthony Berreau. Carter Fennell also pitched for the Braves.

Mitch Kill did his part fueling the MACA hitting attack too. Mitch was a perfect three-for-three with three RBIs and three runs scored.

Other MACA hitting standouts in addition to those already cited were: Tyler Hansen (a double), Brody Bahr (one-for-two), Alex Erickson (a double and an RBI), Aaron Vold (one-for-two), Ethan Bruer (one-for-two), Taylor Hufford (a double) and Matt Lembcke (one-for-two).

Three Braves hit safely: Jaime Gonzalez, Kyle Hoffman and Logan Connelly. All four of Benson's runs came home in the fourth.

It's cold today (Friday). Hopefully we'll see a turnaround toward summer again, soon, but right now it doesn't look good for the UMM graduation on Saturday.

The P.E. Center had better be ready.

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Girls beat Monte, boys triumph vs. YME

Softball: Tigers 12, Montevideo 2

MACA softball kept rumbling forward on Monday, May 9. Coach Mary Holmberg's momentum-infused Tigers won 12-2 at home.
The home field fans at Wells Park, west Morris, cheered as ten hits resonated off their team's bats.

How much momentum do the Tigers possess? Their Monday win upped their WCC-South record to 12-0.

The Tigers committed just one error while the Montevideo Thunder Hawks struggled in the field with six miscues.

Mackenzie Weatherly added another upbeat chapter to her memorable prep diamond career. Her heroics were both from the pitching rubber and at the plate.

Pitching-wise she turned in another gem. She set down ten Thunder Hawk batters on strikes. She gave up three hits and walked three in her five innings. The game was abbreviated due to the ten-run rule.

Weatherly was in the groove when batting too. She was a superb three-for-four with two of her hits doubles, and she drove in four runs.

Dani Schultz was also three-for-four. Haley Scheldorf and Jaimie Bergerson both went two-for-three.

The Thunder Hawks kept pace with the Tigers through the early innings thanks to RBI hits by Ashley Hoehne and Chelsea Larson.

The Tigers scored two runs in the first inning and followed that up with two big innings, the third and fifth, in which they plated five each.

Monte's six errors suggests that unearned runs helped lift the Tigers. That conclusion would be correct. Half of the MACA runs fell into the unearned category.

This game was played at Wells Park rather than Eagles because Wells stands up better after there has been an onslaught of rain. We received close to two inches on Monday morning.

Weather has been moody this spring.

The losing pitcher was Vanessa Jordahl.

MACA came out of Monday at 14-1 in overall won-lost.

Baseball: Tigers 13, YME 1

The MACA baseball Tigers kept pace with Lac qui Parle Valley in the conference race by burying Yellow Medicine East in Monday diamond action. MACA and LQPV came out of Monday tied for first.

The Tigers took a step forward by winning 13-1 at the home field over the Sting. It was their seventh conference triumph against one loss. Coach Lyle Rambow could beam about his team's overall record too: 11-1.

Fans have cheered loud and often, like when their team rallied for nine runs in the second inning Monday. A total of 13 batters strode to the plate for MACA in that rally. Eight hits resonated off their bats.

The loudest noise was made by Ryan Beyer's bat. It came on a two-run home run. Tyler Hansen doubled to drive in two runs. Travis Rinkenberger singled to drive in a pair of runs.

The Tigers were in command when the dust cleared at the end of that second inning rally. But they stayed sharp with a four-run rally in the third that ended their scoring. YME's lone run was scored in the fourth.

The Morris Area Chokio Alberta line score was a perfect 13 runs, 13 hits and zero errors.

Alex Erickson had a prominent role offensively and defensively. With the bat this Tiger went two-for-three including a double, and he scored two runs and drove in one.

Cole Riley was hot with the stick, going three-for-three including a double, plus he drove in two runs. Taylor Hufford was two-for-three with an RBI. Rinkenberger finished at one-for-three with two RBIs.

Tyler Hansen had a double as part of going two-for-two. Hansen drove in two runs and scored two.

Brody Bahr had a hit in his only at-bat. Ryan Beyer's two-run homer highlighted his day. Brady Valnes had one hit in three at-bats.

The pitching story centers on one individual, Alex Erickson, who fanned eight batters in his five innings. He walked just one and gave up four hits.

The losing Sting pitcher was Aaron Zieske.

Garrett Cole had two hits for the Sting including a double. Cole scored the Sting's only run on a wild pitch.

What direction will the weather turn as we approach a new week? The odds suggest more summer-like conditions.

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

TGIF: Tigers beat ACGC on the diamond

Baseball: Tigers 11, ACGC 5

The explosive homer bats of Ryan Beyer and Brady Valnes turned things around in a positive way for MACA on Friday, May 6. The Tigers were looking at a one-run deficit in the fifth, versus ACGC, when the big bats erupted.

First it was Ryan Beyer sending the ball over the fence. That same inning saw Brady Valnes connect for a majestic two-run blast, helping vault the Tigers to an eventual 11-5 win.

In all the Tigers scored five runs in the fifth. They scored two more in the sixth and didn't have to bat in the seventh of this home WCC-South game.

The success got coach Lyle Rambow's squad to the ten-win plateau (10-1).

Mitch Kill picked up the pitching win in relief. He struck out three batters and allowed two hits in his stint of three innings.

Matt Lembcke was the starting pitcher and worked three innings, fanning one batter and allowing four hits. Ethan Bruer wrapped up the pitching work, fanning two batters and allowing no runs in his one inning.

The Tigers scored their eleven runs on 12 hits.

Beyer had a memorable day with the stick, and there were other highlights for him besides his dinger. Beyer was two-for-two with his other hit a double, and he scored three runs.

Valnes' home run was part of a two-for-three showing by this Tiger, and his RBI total was three.

Tyler Hansen's bat made noise as this Tiger came at the Falcons with a double and triple in three at-bats. Hansen's RBI harvest was three.

Cole Riley went two-for-three including a double and he drove in a run. Eric Riley added to the mix with a double. Taylor Hufford went one-for-four with an RBI.

Mitch Kill complemented his pitching work with two hits in three at-bats.

The Tigers survived four errors, the same total as ACGC.

Michael Kramer hit a two-run double for the Falcons during their four-run second inning, when they achieved a temporary lead.

Softball: Tigers 5, ACGC 2

MACA looked like it might win in routine fashion through five innings of this Friday, May 6, road game against ACGC. The Tigers scored two runs in that span, one each in the first and fifth.

That might be enough on many afternoons for MACA ace pitcher Mackenzie Weatherly. The 2-0 score might be secure.

But the Falcons got to Weatherly for two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Jacey Nelson and Natasha Dallmann drove in those ACGC runs.

Weatherly helped put the Tigers on top again in the seventh, using the bat. It was just a ground ball but it was good for getting a run in. Katie Holzheimer, who was on base with her third hit of the day, scored the go-ahead run.

Haley Scheldorf wielded an RBI bat in the seventh too.

Now Weatherly had a little cushion again and she polished things off.

Weatherly struck out ten Falcons in another route-going effort. She walked three batters and allowed four hits. One of the ACGC runs was unearned.

Sydney Larson was tagged with the pitching loss.

Weatherly made noise with her bat in the first inning, doubling to score Dani Schultz who had also doubled. In all the Tigers pounded out 12 hits, and their fielding won a decent grade (one error).

The 5-2 triumph lifted Morris Area Chokio Alberta to a 12-1 overall record. Their conference mark was kept unblemished at 11-0.

Jacey Nelson had two of the four ACGC hits. Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City came out of the day at .500 in both conference and overall.

Holzheimer finished three-for-four and Weatherly at one-for-three. Dani Schultz had another productive day at the plate, with two hits (one a double) in three at-bats, and an RBI.

Hannah Sayles rapped out two hits in three at-bats. The following Tigers went one-for-four: Sadie Fischer, Haley Scheldorf, Kelsey DeCamp and Courtney Ehleringer.

Hey, we've gotten some summer-like weather now!

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Author allows us to see GOP's bad side

You'd think this guy had written The Satanic Verses. Of course, getting into a political pissing match can be the ticket for much-coveted attention for an artist. It's just that you don't want a bounty put on your head.

Neil Gaiman (in photo) looks like the recipient of coveted attention, due to the wrath he aroused in a Republican politician. I hadn't heard of him before.

He's definitely an artist to be respected. His talent in modern comics is well-noted. My goodness he has plied his artistry in prose, poetry, film, journalism, song lyrics and drama, in addition to that talent with comics which surely connects him to young people.

Being an artist today, breaking through the clutter of competing talent and voices is important. Mr. Gaiman has definitely done that.

He stepped into the current kerfuffle through no act of his own, really. Oh, he did accept a speaking gig for a rather generous fee. The fee was courtesy the State of Minnesota. That's hardly Gaiman's fault.

Artists everywhere are salivating about what Gaiman earned with a four-hour appearance at the Stillwater library. It's an aberration naturally. If it isn't, we're really in trouble.

There's no doubt the mechanisms of government got gummed up when Gaiman picked up a $45,000 payment for this. But doesn't this type of thing happen all the time with military procurements? You know, those hammers that cost an astronomical sum etc.

It definitely shows the dysfunction of government.

You can expect Republicans to object the loudest. Not about the military procurements, but about the artists.

This type of spectacle is sad to see because Republicans do have something to offer. I'm not one of them, but as I have written before on this site, they promote restraint when restraint is needed.

Democrats might shrug when shown an excess of government, but Republicans will insist that something be done about it. Fine, but it isn't necessary, as House Majority Leader Matt Dean (Dellwood) did, to call author Gaiman "a pencil-necked little weasel."

Not only that, Gaiman in in the eyes of this rabid critic is "a pencil-necked little weasel who stole $45,000 from the State of Minnesota."

So we're getting into libel territory.

It was horribly poor judgment by Rep. Dean to choose such words.

I was immediately reminded of the book "The Wrecking Crew" by Thomas Frank. Frank thoroughly illustrates how Republicans can't govern when given the chance. They can't lead. It's sad because they have valid ideas.

They are the contrary voice that would look at something like LBJ's The Great Society and see shortcomings.

You might be familiar with Frank through his best-known work: "What's the Matter with Kansas?"

If you're familiar with his work, you're not surprised by how Republicans have veered away from the economy-centered points they made when campaigning (emphasis on "jobs") to "God, Guns and Gays." Let's throw "pencil-necked little weasels" in there.

Gaiman responded by calling Dean's words "lunatic schoolyard rhetoric."

Dean's attack is what you'd call ad hominem: appealing to emotions and not reason or logic.

What, a Republican would do this?

I'll just say for the record that something is amiss with the speaking fee. Oh, there are excuses and spin about how the money had to be spent in a certain way and by a certain deadline or it would be "lost" etc., but none of this really washes.

It's nice for people to get exposed to a superb artist like Gaiman at a library event. We have had some interesting author/speakers at our own Morris Public Library, including one who filled the room who had written a book about life on the home front during World War II.

It was at that event we learned about that fascinating "lookout perch" at the Cyrus school, put there for defense purposes. I would guess that little discussion led to the eventual article we saw in Senior Perspective about that perch.

But I'm sure our city officials wouldn't approve anything like $45,000 for such an author appearance. Certainly not if it's the city's money!

So is it supposed to be a ho-hum deal just because it's the state's money?

You see, this is where Republicans can be very helpful. They truly understand accountability. But they don't want people to like government.

This is what we learn the hard way when we choose to turn over the leadership reins to them. This gets scary when we see the likes of Congressman Paul Ryan wanting to tinker with Medicare.

Medicare will "go broke," they say. So? People aren't going to stand idly by while it's dismantled. Republicans need to swallow hard and realize that people really do want certain safety nets.

It's ironic that Rep. Dean would be so hard-edged attacking Gaiman when Gaiman was merely exercising the time-honored Republican/big business principle of "getting the best deal you can." Mr. Gaiman was being resourceful and enterprising.

He says he gave the money to charity. That's fine but I'm not sure it makes the issue go away. There's no guarantee that such recipients would do this. But hats off to the author if he went that route.

Rep. Dean has apologized for the language he used, and he cited the influence of his mother in doing this. He said "my mom is staying with us now because my wife's out of town." This prompted a critic to ask "Who doesn't trust him in the house alone, his wife or his mother?"

Gaiman for his part says of Dean: "He's apologized for calling me names, he says, because his mother made him. He doesn't seem to have apologized for calling me a thief."

Why would Republicans have wanted a pissing match like this? They don't know any better. Because as Thomas Frank has articulated, Republicans can't be entrusted to take the true lead in government.

Sadly they believe in enshrining the free market as the logic of the state. Thus we see Paul Ryan trotting out his sadly ill-fated ideas about Medicare.

I should note that Rep. Dean isn't the first to blow the whistle on the speaking fee embarrassment. City Pages reports that "Last year author Neil Gaiman was criticized by the Star Tribune for receiving $45,000 for a four-hour talk at the Stillwater library."

With the trumpet blaring on such matters, Minnesota House Republicans are justifiably looking at state funding for some key arts and cultural heritage groups. Republicans might want certain organizations of which they aren't terribly fond to compete for grants, rather than get a yearly allotment.

Fair enough. The arts can do fine without a whole lot of government support.

We ought to cheer when someone like Neil Gaiman can reap rewards for his talent. But government shouldn't carelessly loosen its purse strings. Democrats tend not to be vigilant enough about such things.

But Republicans? They can be like a bear with boxing gloves.

You don't want to get into a verbal sparring match with a writer as gifted as Gaiman, who has written in the last few days that "if a man is known by his enemies, I think my stock just went up a little."

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

MACA girls, boys prevail in Sting country

The weather has enabled the MACA diamond teams - softball and baseball - to roll forward into May with one game after another.

If it's any day other than Wednesday, you can bet that either or both of these winning Tiger teams will be entertaining fans, hopefully at home.

Softball: Tigers 12, YME 0

Morris Area Chokio Alberta softball was on the road Thursday and they found it to be a friendly place. The softball Tigers notched their third shutout win of the week - wow!

The pitcher at the fore of this dominance is Mackenzie Weatherly. Weatherly struck out ten batters and walked none in the Tigers' 12-0 win over Yellow Medicine East.

This game seemed over after the first inning. The Tigers shot out front 8-0. Their other four runs came home in the fourth.

The MACA line score was an impressive 12 runs, 14 hits and one error. The YME Sting managed just three hits and committed three errors.

Coach Mary Holmberg's Tigers came out of the day with a 12-1 overall record and 10-0 in conference.

Weatherly had no trouble making her presence known with the bat. She connected for a pair of doubles.

Sadie Fischer was a force with three hits in four at-bats including a double, and this Tiger scored two runs and drove in two. Hannah Sayles was a perfect two-for-two including a double, and she drove in two runs.

Haley Henrichs went two-for-three with two RBIs. Beth Holland came through at two-for-three in the boxscore and she picked up an RBI.

Courtney Ehleringer picked up an RBI with her one-for-three numbers. Dani Schultz drove in a run as part of going one-for-four.

Haley Scheldorf had one hit in three at-bats.

The three Sting players who managed hits off Weatherly were Nena McCalla, Jennessa Hoffman and Allie Trudel.

The losing pitcher was Taylor Bruflat.

Baseball: Tigers 6, YME 4

The MACA baseball Tigers, who were dealt their first loss of the spring on Tuesday, got back in the winning groove Thursday. Playing in Granite Falls, coach Lyle Rambow's Tigers came from behind to beat the YME Sting 6-4.

The success kept MACA in a tie for first in the WCC-South.

The top of the fifth was pivotal. Taylor Hufford showed clutch poise at the plate. Hufford connected for a single that drove in two runs. MACA now had the lead.

The Sting were hurt by losing all of their momentum after the first inning. They came on like gangbusters in the first only to be stymied after that.

It was a day for Tiger Tyler Hansen to shine. He handled the bat with authority just like he does the hockey stick in winter.

Tyler connected for two hits in four at-bats including a double. He crossed home plate twice.

On the pitching mound, Hansen picked up the win with five and a third innings, in which he fanned four batters, walked three and allowed three hits and four runs (earned).

Eric Riley made a mound appearance to get the save. Eric worked an efficient 1 2/3 innings, striking out one batter, walking two and allowing one hit and no runs.

Derek Dyrdahl was the losing pitcher.

Eric Riley had two hits in four at-bats for the Tigers. Ryan Beyer connected for a double and drove in a run.

Hufford's boxscore numbers were one-for-two and two RBIs. Other Tigers with hits were Alex Erickson, Cole Riley and Ethan Bruer.

Luke Stevens led the Sting's hitting with a two-for-three performance, a double and two RBIs.

The Tigers came out of the day with a 10-1 overall record and 6-1 showing in league.

Baseball: Paynesville 4, Tigers 3

The Tigers hosted Paynesville Tuesday and found victory elusive, due largely to the pitching of Bulldog Jason Kampsen. Kampsen struck out 12 batters and was a terror at bat too, slugging two home runs as his Bulldogs beat the Tigers 4-3.

MACA pitcher Alex Erickson bore down on the mound and allowed no hits over the last four innings. But MACA couldn't get untracked well enough vs. Kampsen.

Kampsen showed his homer bat in the first inning, connecting for a solo job, and hit a two-run blast in the third.

It was excruciating for the home Tiger fans to see their team leave the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh innings. Kampsen fanned a batter to get the game's final out.

Tyler Hansen wielded a homer bat for the Tigers. His blast came in the first inning. He finished the day three-for-three as Kampsen didn't seem to cast any spell on him.

Ryan Beyer wasn't fazed either and this Tiger had two doubles in three at-bats and scored two runs. Eric Riley went one-for-three.

Alex Erickson fanned eight batters and walked none in his complete game performance. One of Paynesville's runs was unearned.

The Tigers were hurt by three errors while Paynesville committed one.

It's feeling more like late-spring (or early-summer) today (Friday)!

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Girls defeat Paynesville, BOLD at home

Morris Area Chokio Alberta softball delighted fans at the home field with wins on Monday and Tuesday. First the Tigers got past BOLD 8-0 in the Monday, May 2, action.

The Tuesday story was a 7-0 triumph vs. Paynesville.

We'll start our review with the Paynesville game.

Tigers 7, Paynesville 0

Paynesville batters looked stymied at the plate through much of the Tuesday, May 3, game that had the surging Tigers win 7-0.
Ten straight Paynesville batters went down on strikes at one point.

Mackenzie Weatherly pitched the whole way for coach Mary Holmberg's squad in this WCC-South game. Weatherly struck out 19 batters total. Her walk total: a mere one.

It was a two-hitter that lifted the MACA season record to 11-1 (9-0 in conference).

The ace Tiger hurler, a senior, struck out the side in four innings: the first, fourth, fifth and sixth. Appropriately, it was strikeouts that accounted for the final two outs and allowed MACA to celebrate its 11th triumph.
(Now let's get some sunshine.)

Dani Schultz hit a two-RBI double in the third to start giving the Tigers some cushion. Other Tigers who doubled on the day were Haley Scheldorf and Sadie Fischer.

The doubles were among ten total hits by MACA that brought cheers from the orange and black faithful.

Schultz, Fischer and Holly Amundson were the Tigers with multiple hits.

The two Paynesville hits were off the bats of Sam Dahl and Megan Wuertz. Paynesville has had a decent campaign and came out of Tuesday at 5-3.

Weatherly's streak of ten strikeouts began with the final out in the third inning. She ended up facing just four batters over the minimum.

The Tigers took care of their offensive business pretty steadily over the early innings. Their one-run first inning was followed by three each in the second and third.

Coach Holmberg had to be pleased with her team's fielding - just one error committed. Paynesville had two miscues in the field.

The hitting roundup shows Sadie Fischer with perfect two-for-two numbers including a double. Dani Schultz's timely double in the third inning was part of a two-for-four day for her, with two RBIs.

Holly Amundson's two hits came in three at-bats. Haley Scheldorf had a double in her two at-bats.

Katie Holzheimer and Haley Henrichs finished one-for-two, and Hannah Sayles had a one-for-three day.

Jackie Skoglund took the pitching loss for green-clad Paynesville. Megan Schaefer also pitched.

Tigers 8, BOLD 0

The Tigers downed the BOLD Warriors Monday despite not exactly knocking the cover off the ball. The Tigers were outhit 5-3 but they found other sources of momentum. They were resourceful.

Mackenzie Weatherly had a double to account for one of the three MACA hits. She knocked in two runs with that blast.

But Weatherly's main heroics are usually reserved for the pitching rubber. This day was no exception. Again she worked the whole way.

The senior had opposing batters frustrated most of the time - a typical situation. On this day the opposition was set down on strikes 12 times. BOLD received just two walks.

BOLD had the superior hit total, slightly, but they managed only one real threat. The bases got loaded with Warriors in the fourth. They took advantage of some (rare) wildness by Weatherly and a hit by Brittany Dahlk. There was one out.

But the door got slammed. Weatherly bore down to get a pop fly and strikeout.

Dahlk finished the day with two of BOLD's hits.

BOLD pitcher Brittany Nissen allowed just the three hits but there were other problems befalling BOLD. Like, eight walks issued and three errors.
The errors explain why only three of MACA's eight runs were earned.

The Tigers for their part fielded like a winner: just one error.

The score stood 3-0 until the sixth when MACA got the skids greased for a five-run rally.

Weatherly was one of three Tigers hitting safely. Haley Scheldorf went one-for-four and drove in a run. Sadie Fischer had one hit in three at-bats for the hosts.

The win vaulted the Tigers to the ten-win plateau in overall W/L.

More good things were in store on Tuesday. (Now, let's get the temperature bumped up a little)

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com