Lakers Bring Home Some Hardware

Faribault wanted to bring home the Championship trophy, that didn't happen,  but they didn't come home empty handed.  The Faribault Lakers entered the final day of the State Amateur Baseball Tournament with a 1-0 lead, but eventually succumbed  2-1 to eventual State Champion Sobieski.  The semi-final had been called Sunday night after a storm dumped on Jordan.  The Lakers resumed action in the bottom of the third Monday with Sobieski having runners on first and second and one out.  Matt Stocker returned to the hill and threw just two pitches to get two fly ball outs.  He would leave the game in the 8th inning after throwing 98 pitches over two days...38 Sunday night and the remainder on Labor Day with the game tied at 1.  Sobieski scored in the 6th inning to tie it on what looked to be a routine fly ball to right field off the bat of eventual Tournament MVP Tyler Jendro that was ruled a hit.  Jendro would get the game winning RBI with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 8th and shut the door on Faribault throwing 2 and two thirds of an inning of relief to get the win.  He would then turn around and throw a complete game shutout in the Championship 2-0 to earn six wins in six games and throw over 40 innings, breaking  State Tournament records for wins and innings pitched.  Faribault had their chances, but the magical comeback just didn't materialize.  Oh, did they have their chances.   With one out in the 7th Blake Langerud collected his second hit of the day and that's when Sobieski brought Jendro into the game.  Following a strikeout there was an error putting the tying run in scoring position with two outs and Matt Lane coming to the plate.  Lane had delivered the bases clearing triple against Green Isle in the 9th on Sunday but hit a sharp grounder to third and the third baseman simply stepped on the bag to get the force out.  In the 8th an error opened the inning and Adam Jensen laid down a bunt with Kyle Murphy at first running for Ryan Archambault.  Jendro spun on the bunt and got Murphy at second.  Dylan Valentine waited nicely on a hanging slider and laced it to center to put runners on first and second with one out, but Jendro fanned the next two batters to end that threat.  In the top of the 9th Langerud connected on his third hit of the game to lead off the inning.  Again Faribault tried to go the small ball route and manufacture something but Jack Helgeson's bunt was fielded by Jendro and he threw Langerud out at second base on a bang-bang play.  Helgeson did advance to second on a groundout and so with two outs and the tying run in scoring position, Matt Lane came up again and skied the first pitch to left field and Sobieski was into the Championship game.  Farbault's team was awarded the Sportsmanship Trophy.  Lakers Adam Jensen and Matt Lane were also named to the All-Tournament team.  There will be a celebration of the great Laker run at state at Bashers soon.  Stay tuned for details!  Faribault ended their season 25-9.  Sobieski's win over New Ulm ended their Championship year 23-5.

Faribault Received Sportsmanship Trophy