Fargo/Moorhead
The MinnDak Millers placed fourth at the ASA Major National Championship at the Belleville Softball Complex in
After being dropped to the Losers Bracket after their opening game, MinnDak battled their way back to finish with a 4-2 record.
Thursday
MinnDak opened the weekend against the Midland Explorers, whom they would fall to 3-2 in 8 innings.
In the bottom of the first, Lucas Goring led off with a bunt single. Gregg Cascaes followed with another bunt single.
Two batters, later with two outs, Roman Foore singled in Bob Fleming, who entered as a pinch runner for Goring. Gregg Cascaes was thrown out on a close play at home plate on the play.
The Millers entered the bottom of the seventh trailing 2-1. Paul Koert, who replaced Doug Gillis as the Explorers’ pitcher in the third inning, had kept the Millers off the bases until now.
John Tschida led off with a walk. Tony Kunka then reached on an error.
Two batters later, and with one out, Jason Wandler walked to load the bases.
Tschida scored on a passed ball but MinnDak was unable to push another run across.
#12 Midland Explorers (
Mid 000 020 01-3 5 1
WP-Paul Koert
LP-Rob Schweyer (7-9)
HR-Jeff Servinski,
Doug Gillis, Koert (3) and Craig Crawford
Schweyer and Scooter Lange
Roman Foore, 1-3, RBI
Rob Schweyer, 8 IP, 9 K, 3 BB
Friday
Thursday night’s loss bounced MinnDak into the Losers Bracket of the three-game guarantee tournament.
The Millers came out swinging in this game, a 14-2, five-inning win over the DC Current.
MinnDak scored in every inning. Zach Goring, Scooter Lange and Jason Wandler each had home runs for MinnDak.
#14 MinnDak Millers 14 DC Current (
DC 020 00-2 5 4
WP-Sisko Sabate (12-5)
LP-Mark Manuszek
HR-Keith Bueche, DC Current; Zach Goring (1), Scooter Lange (1), Jason Wandler (6), MinnDak
Manuszek, Dean Weldy (4) and Tom Gray
Sabate and Scooter Lange
Roman Foore, 3-3, 2B
Zach Goring, 1-2, HR, 2 RBI
Scooter Lange, -2, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
John Tschida, 2-3, RBI
Tim Tweiten, 2-3, RBI
Jason Wandler, 2-3, HR, 2 RBI
Sisko Sabate, 5 IP, 2 BB, 6 K
Saturday
In what could be the first of five possible games for MinnDak, the Millers defeated Dolan and Murphy 11-0 in five innings.
Lucas Goring had an RBI single in the first to score Gregg Cascaes to put MinnDak up 1-0.
The Millers extended their lead in the second. With one out, Bob Fleming singled, then two batters later with two outs, Zach Goring reached on an infield single. Gregg Cascaes would score them both on his home run.
In the third, Tony Kunka’s two-run homer, and consecutive singles by Roman Foore, Jason Wandler and Bob Fleming led to sacrifice flies by Scooter Lange and Zach Goring. Lucas Goring also had a RBI single in the inning.
Bob Fleming would score Jason Wandler, who led off the fourth with a double, to close out the MinnDak scoring.
#14 MinnDak Millers 11 Dolan and Murphy (
DM 000 00-0 1 1
WP-Rob Schweyer (8-9)
LP-Juan Potolicchio
HR-Gregg Cascaes (1), Tony Kunka (16), MinnDak
Schweyer, Sisko Sabate (4) and Scooter Lange
Potolicchio, Tim Murphy (3) and Brian Tobin
Gregg Cascaes, 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
Bob Fleming, 3-3, 2 RBI
Lucas Goring, 2-3, 2 RBI
Tony Kunka, 1-2, HR, 2 RBI
Jason Wandler, 2-3, 2B
Sisko Sabate, 2 IP, 0 H, 2 K, 2 BB
Rob Schweyer, 3 IP, 1 H, 2 K, 2 BB
After a one game break, MinnDak squared off against MVD Sports and once again, the bats came out for MinnDak.
The game was scoreless until the third inning, when MinnDak would score four runs en route to a 9-0, five-inning win.
John Tschida doubled to score Gregg Cascaes, who led off with a single then stole second. Tony Kunka was then intentionally walked, Roman Foore reached on an error that scored Tschida.
Scooter Lange’s two-out single scored Kunka and Foore to close out the scoring in the MinnDak half of the third.
Jason Wandler’s grand slam home run in the fourth gave MinnDak all that it would need to make the game a five-inning affair.
#14 MinnDak Millers 8 MVD Sports (
MVD 000 00-0 3 1
WP-Rob Schweyer (9-9)
LP-Tom Berube
HR-Jason Wandler (7), MinnDak
Berube and Luke Painter
Schweyer and Scooter Lange
Lucas Goring, 2-3
Scooter Lange, 1-2, 2 RBI
Jason Wandler, 2-3, HR, 4 RBI
Rob Schweyer, 5 IP, 7 K, 0 BB
Next up for MinnDak was 4-1 win over the Bloomington Stix.
MinnDak continued their trend on the weekend of scoring early when Tony Kunka led off the second inning with a single then Roman Foore followed with a home run.
The Stix would answer in the fourth on an RBI single by Chad Seeman.
In the fifth inning, with one out, Lucas Goring reached on a error then advanced to second on John Tschida’s walk. Goring was pinch ran for a second by Guy Carlson.
With two out, Foore came up clutch again with a single that scored Carlson and Tschida.
#14 MinnDak Millers 4
Bloom 000 100 0-1 9 0
MDM 020 020 x-4 7 1
WP-Rob Schweyer (10-9)
LP-Thomas Cameron
HR-Roman Foore (5), MinnDak
Cameron, Sonny Perkins (3) and Dan Butler
Schweyer and Scooter Lange
Gregg Cascaes, 2-4
Roman Foore, 2-3, HR, 4 RBI
Rob Schweyer, 7 IP, 5 K, 0 BB
In their third straight game of the day and fourth overall on the day, MinnDak fell to Florida Fastpitch 6-4.
Rob Schweyer, who threw all but two inning entering the Florida Fastpitch game while battling the flu since arriving in
Tony Kunka’s first inning, three-run homer put MinnDak up 3-0.
MinnDak would add another run in the sixth when Roman Foore’s double scored Tony Kunka.
WP-Sebastian Gervasuti
LP-Rob Schweyer (10-10)
HR-Tony Kunka (17), MinnDak; Mike Brown, Jason Darling,
Schweyer, Sisko Sabate (4) and Scooter Lange
Gervasuti and Ron Branin
Roman Foore, 1-3, 2B, RBI
Tony Kunka, 1-2, HR, 3 RBI
Sisko Sabate, 3 IP, 1 H, 0 K, 2 BB
Rob Schweyer, 3 IP, 5 H, 1 K, 1 BB
Seven Millers earned All American honors. John Tschida (Third Base) and Jason Wandler (Second Base) were named First Team All American.
Second Team All American honors went to Gregg Cascaes (Utility), Roman Foore (First Base), Lucas Goring (Outfield), Tony Kunka (Utility) and Rob Schweyer (Pitcher).
MinnDak looks to build upon this past weekends performance as they head to
Brett Bresnahan
breshz(at)minnesotafastpitch.com
http://www.millers.minnesotafastpitch.com
http://www.minnesotafastpitch.com
