Union Hill Captures Region 3C Title

The magic ran out for the Faribault Lakers amateur baseball team Sunday in a 5-0 loss at Union Hill.

Bulldog lefty pitcher Daniel Feneis struck out 19 while throwing some serious gas to the Lakers hitters, allowing four hits and stranding just three base runners. No Laker even got to second base.

Joe Grote had a two-out single in the first, Ryan Archambault had a bloop single to right to start the second inning but a double play erased that.

Christian Von Ruden led off the fourth with a single but was left at first base and Mitch Johnson led off the sixth with a single. but was stranded there when Feneis fanned the one, two and three hitters in Faribault's order.

Feneis struck out all but one Faribault batter at least once in the game. The lone Laker not to strike out was No. 9 hitter Mitch Johnson.

Meanwhile Union Hill slammed 14 hits off two Faribault pitchers to collect their five runs.

Faribault was playing their fifth game in about 10 days so their top three starters were not available.

Blake Langerud started the game and went the first three innings. He tossed 66 pitches, 32 for strikes, while giving up seven hits and walking four. None of the walks scored. He flirted with trouble the first two innings but was able to get out of it.

Then Union Hill sent 10 men to the plate and scored four runs in the third inning, knocking Langerud from the pitching rubber.

Tyler Francis pitched the rest of the way for the Lakers and allowed just one run on seven hits. Francis had one strikeout and no walks while throwing 67 pitches, 43 for strikes, in 5-1/3 innings.

Union Hill second baseman Conrad Masberg was a triple away from the cycle in the game. His two-run homer in the bottom of the third proved to be all the runs the Bulldogs would need. Masberg also had two singles and a double.

The other two runs in the bottom of the third inning came on a fielder's choice and a bases-loaded walk.

Union Hill added a run in the fifth when Jesse Bastyr sacrificed Danny Beckius to second after Beckius started the inning with a single and Matt Beckius clubbed an RBI single.

The Bulldogs left 12 men on base, eight in scoring position, and had no errors in the game while the Lakers did have one error.

Union Hill opens state tournament play on Saturday, August 26, at 5PM against either Milroy or Henderson in Hamburg.

Faribault faces Gibbon in Green Isle on Saturday, August 19, at 1PM.

If the Lakers win they would play Region 14 champion Midway on Saturday, August 26, at 5PM in Green Isle.

The other Region 3C teams at state are New Market and New Prague. The Muskies play Sunday, August 20, at noon in Hamburg against Dumont and the Orioles face Kimball on Friday, August 18, at 7:30PM in Norwood.

Faribault drafted former Lakers Matt Stocker of Veseli and Bill Dunker of St. Patrick as well as Mike Flicek from Montgomery.

Union Hill drafted Eric Steinhoff of St. Benedict, John Krocak of Montgomery and Jonny Houston of Prior Lake.