'Waska had just two hits which might lead you to think we had a pitcher go the whole way. We actually had three pitchers share the work. There was Liz Dietz with 3 1/3 innings, Kenna Kehoe with 1 2/3 innings and Katelyn Wehking with one.
The strikeout totals were Dietz with three, Kehoe with one and Wehking with two. Dietz allowed two runs neither of which were earned. She battled control problems as she issued seven walks. Kehoe allowed three runs, earned, and issued no walks. Wehking allowed no hits and walked none.
Kyla Koob was the losing pitcher for the Lakers. Her pitching set the Tigers up for something that seemed like batting practice. We had 14 hits vs. her. She allowed nine runs, eight earned, while walking two and fanning none. Elizabeth Murken also pitched and wasn't able to neutralize the Tiger bats: five hits, six runs (all earned), three walks and one strikeout.
It was a day of dues-paying for the Lakers, although as a consolation they did field better.
Bailey Marty went three-for-five for the Tigers. One of her hits was a double. She drove in a run and scored two. Emma Bowman had a hit, an RBI and two runs scored. Liz Dietz socked a double and scored two runs. Jen Solvie had the impressive four-for-five boxscore line. She crossed home plate twice and scored two runs. Mackenzie Hockel had an RBI and a run scored to go along with her hit.
LaRae Kram had a reliable hitting eye as she went two-for-four with two runs and three ribbies. Then we have Katelyn Wehking whose line was three-for-four with one of her hits a double. She scored a pair of runs and drove in two. Carissa Oberg was still another Tiger with a multiple-hit game: two-for-four with a run scored and three RBIs. Riley Decker was a perfect two-for-two with a run scored.
The Minnewaska hits were by Olivia Richards and Alyssa Erickson. We led 3-1 after three innings before erupting for a big seven-run fifth. We surged to score six more runs in the sixth.
Baseball: Tigers 3, Benson 2
The sixth inning was the key as the MACA baseball Tigers scored two runs which proved to be the difference. We prevailed over Benson 3-2. It was a defense-oriented game as the Tigers won with but three hits while Benson had two. A key to the win was our errorless brand of ball in the field. Benson fielded pretty clean too and had just one error.
Jaret Johnson wielded an important bat as he went two-for-three with an RBI and a run scored. Zach Bruns tripled. Jack Riley and Chandler Wilts each scored a run. Benson's hitting standout was Matthew Goossen with a two-for-three performance and a run scored. Patrick Minchow drove in a run, and Matthew Lenarz had an RBI and a run scored.
Jaret Johnson turned in a solid performance on the mound for our winning Tigers. He allowed just two hits in his seven innings. He fanned five batters and walked three. Matthew Tolifson took the pitching loss for Benson. Will Enderson also pitched.
The score was 1-1 after four innings. Benson plated a run in the fifth, after which we enjoyed our decisive rally in the sixth. A nice win to get tucked away.
Distance runners excel again
I like to stay informed about the distance runners in the MACA track/field program. I see Tom Carrington often in the early morning hours at DeToy's Restaurant. He has lost his wife and I have lost my mother, so we are sort of kindred spirits. Many years ago I covered his children Matthew and Anna in Tiger sports, including at the state meet where Anna was a rival of Heather Van Norman. I remember Matt hitting a long home run to center in Legion ball one summer, I think at Willmar.
Maddie Carrington was the champion 1600-meter runner in the Sub-Section 21 meet held Thursday here. Her time: 5:36.36. Meredith Carrington was second with her time of 5:43.30. The longer 3200m challenge had Meredith taking third with her time of 12:37.91. Hailey Werk was fourth (12:54.20).
Noah Stewart was the boys 1600m champ with his time of 4:36.92. He also was No. 1 in the 3200m challenge, timed at 5:51.60.
Our girls team placed second behind 'Waska. There were eight teams total. The boys division had our Tigers at No. 1 among ten teams. 'Waska was runner-up.
Too much hissy-fit writing
I haven't gone out of my way to understand this whole matter with University of St. Thomas and the MIAC. It's not negligence on my part, it's just that football is best viewed from the perspective of encouraging parents to yank their sons out of it, please.
Some of the commentators on the St. Thomas matter are using overly strong and harsh language. Even if you disagree with what the MIAC did, why engage in what amounts to name-calling and insults? I have seen more than one exhibit of this.
My theory is that the emotions and anger spring from the old machismo-based culture of football. I was close to this for a good portion of my life. Now more than ever, it seems a perversion and a blight on our culture.
On page B4 of the weekend edition of the West Central Tribune of Willmar, you'll find an exhibit of the unsavory commentary. Who really cares what the MIAC decides to do in connection with football? The activity of varsity football yields nothing positive or constructive for the lives of the young men who have been herded into this sport by society's expectations. Other school activities have competition but those activities have inherent value. Football has no inherent value. It has inherent risks and dangers that can color the rest of a young man's life, as science is revealing more and more all the time.
The item on B4 of today's Willmar paper isn't even labeled "commentary." What an oversight by the paper's sports editor. I wonder if he's taking too many smoke breaks. The commentary piece is written by Chad Courrier of the Mankato Free Press. He has smoke coming out of his ears.
I won't bother quoting all the strongly opinionated things in Courrier's piece. You might want to check it out yourself. These writers throw around words like "cowards." The real cowards are people in the media, which is sort of the mother's milk of football, and these media people lack the backbone to use the continuing health revelations about football to simply assert that it's time we nix the game.
But wait, maybe sportswriters and commentators have too much of a nice gravy train going for themselves, as they fill newspaper pages with coverage. It may be fun for them. We need to pray for the players.
I am certain that the MIAC's leaders are wise and intelligent. They'd much prefer focusing on priorities outside of the cotton pickin' distraction of football, that over-hyped monster. The decline of newspapers can't happen fast enough.
The machismo-fueled element would cause insults to be hurled at yours truly also. I'm covering my ears.
Addendum: Maybe in a subtle, almost coded way, the issue of St. Thomas vs. the MIAC is a canary in the coal mine relative to football. And what I mean is, instead of showing "courage" (as those writers want) to try to upgrade the caliber of MIAC football programs to try to stay close to St. Thomas, maybe the league is in fact getting ready for the impending decline of football, the impending phasing-out. It's not outlandish to suggest. If my theory is correct, I commend the MIAC leaders. They have courage to face the headwinds of the continued (for the time being) popularity of football. It's a case of courage, not cowardice, to see what's coming, but in the short term it's tough, almost excruciating, to face the many-headed hydra of football's popularity.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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