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Stillwater rallied from a 6-3 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 7-6 Game 1 victory. Stillwater’s Shaun Marshall finished the rally with a walk-off grand slam.
The LeJetz trailed 13-1 going into the bottom of the fifth in Game 2, needing three runs simply to avoid the 10-run rule.
The LeJetz went on to score three in the fifth to avoid a five-inning defeat, on their way to 15 runs over the final three innings and a 16-15 walk-off win after an eight-run bottom of the seventh.
Six of the LeJetz’s eight runs in the seventh came with two outs. Winona’s Andy Wolfe hit a two-out, three-run double for the walk-off win.
“It was quite a day at the park,” LeJetz coach Gary Hoeppner said. “Some very interesting baseball. They stole one from us in game one, and I guess you could say we stole one from them in game two.”
Winona’s Brandon Schmit went 2-for-2 with a double and Ryan Speltz went 1-for-4 with a triple in Game 1. Every player in the LeJetz roster had a hit in the game.
Adam Lueck picked up the win for the LeJetz in relief in Game 2. Wolfe finished 3-for-6 with three RBIs, Jake Wanek was 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, David Miller was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs and Austin Rumpca was 2-for-3 with a triple.
St. Cloud VFW tournament
Grand Rapids 8, Winona Buddies 6
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Buddies coach Matt O’Brien said it was the strangest game he’s ever been a part of.
The pivotal play, according to O’Brien: With the Buddies down 8-5 in the top of the sixth, Winona’s Arik Jacquart belted a two-run home run. The home plate umpire, however, wiped it away.
Apparently the umpire called time just as the pitch was released, later claiming a cloud of dust had formed in front of home plate, which he thought would have distracted Jacquart.
Steven Tofstad, Broc Schmidt and Logan Hemker had two hits apiece for the Buddies (13-6).
After going into the tournament on a five-game winning streak, the Buddies opened tournament play with a pair of defeats for their first losing streak of the season.
