Town Ball Update: Owatonna Aces Eliminated; Dodge County Survives

After winning a close game Saturday, the Owatonna Aces dropped a one-run game Sunday and were eliminated from the Region 5C playoffs. Dodge County, the top seed in the preliminary bracket, bounced back from a semifinal loss to win a pair of knock-out games Sunday to reach the finals bracket as the eighth seed.

After losing their playoff opener 14-4 to Dodge County Wednesday, Owatonna beat Plainview-Elgin-Millville Saturday 4-2 to stay alive in the tournament. Payton Beyer and Kodey Kiel walked and scored in the first inning.

The Bucks tied the game with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. The Aces retook the lead in the eighth as Phil Walter walked with the bases loaded to force in Matt Seykora who got hit by a pitch to reach base.

Owatonna added an insurance tally in the ninth. Beyer doubled, moved ahead on a wild pitch, and scored on a ground-out from Ayden Walter. AJ VanDereide pitched into the eighth and gave way to Kiel who fanned five of the ten batters he faced.

Tyler Smith had three hits and an RBI and made several stellar plays at third base.

The Aces' luck ran out against Pine Island Sunday in a 4-3 loss that ended the season for Owatonna.

After Dodge County scored their win over Owatonna, they got upset by Lake City in the winner's bracket semifinals. The Diamondbacks bounced back with a 7-3 victory over Rochester and a 3-0 shutout of Pine Island to advance. Hastings and Lake City also moved out of the preliminary bracket.

John Burch Field in Cannon Falls will host the Region 5C finals bracket on August 6 and 7. The final weekend of the tournament is August 12 and 13 in Red Wing.

Games on Saturday, August 6:

No. 1 seed Stewartville-Racine vs No. 8 Dodge County, 10 am
No. 4 Austin vs No. 5 Cannon Falls, 1 pm
No. 2 Red Wing vs No. 7 Lake City, 4 pm
No. 3 Wanamingo vs No. 6 Hastings, 7 pm

The top three teams from the tournament will advance to state. Faribault, Dundas, and Miesville are hosting the 2022 state amateur baseball tournament.

LOOK: The story behind every NFL team name

Stacker delved into the story behind every NFL football team name. Overall team records, also included, are reflective of NFL regular-season games. There are some football teams with well-known nicknames—the Jets, for instance, are often referred to as Gang Green—but we also divulge how some teams’ official names are sparingly used (the Jets’ neighbors, the Giants, are actually known as the New York Football Giants). Sometimes a team name can tell you a lot about local history: The Vikings of Minnesota draw upon the area’s strong ties to Scandinavia, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are dripping in local legend related to Florida’s pirate past.

Let’s kick off the countdown with the folks who earned their nickname by buying boxes of used team jerseys.