Minnesota team bounces Gorman from Series
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DJ QUINLAN/AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL
Eden Prairie’s Ryan Maenke slides into third base under a leaping Michael Blasko of Bishop Gorman during the Minnesota team’s 2-1 victory Tuesday in the American Legion World Series at Shelby, N.C. Gorman exited the tournament with a 50-10-1 record.
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Aug. 16, 2011 | 8:16 p.m.
Updated: Aug. 16, 2011 | 8:50 p.m.
Updated: Aug. 16, 2011 | 8:50 p.m.
Scoring runs isn’t usually a problem for Bishop Gorman’s baseball team.
The Titans entered the final day of the American Legion World Series in Shelby, N.C. having averaged 10 runs in their previous 10 tournament games.
And then Gorman ran into Eden Prairie, Minn., hurler Adam Bray.
Bray fired a six-hitter and carried a shutout into the ninth inning before settling for a 2-1 victory that eliminated the Titans from the World Series.
Gorman (50-10-1) finished third in the tournament. Eden Prairie (43-8) outlasted Tupelo, Miss., 5-4 in 13 innings in the championship game.
“We ran into a good pitcher,” said Gorman coach Nick Day. “It was a bit of a tough strike zone because the umpire was calling a low strike, and it made it hard for our kids to lay off the curveball in the dirt. Their kid just did a nice job.”
The Titans, who weren’t shut out all season and were held to one run for only the third time in 61 games, didn’t score until Kenny Meimerstorf’s double brought home T.J. White with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.
Bray then got his ninth strikeout of the game — and third of the ninth inning — when he froze Jerrel Latham to end the contest.
Bray allowed just the six hits and one walk, but Gorman had chances to score.
The Titans had a runner at second with no outs in the third, and a runner at third with two outs in both the fifth and sixth innings, but Bray worked out of trouble each time. Gorman was 1-for-9 with a runner in scoring position.
“We just couldn’t get the hit when we needed it,” Day said.
Gorman’s Adam Wozniak pitched well, allowing only one earned run on 10 hits in eight innings. He didn’t walk a batter and fanned six.
“Wozniak pitched great,” Day said. “He picked up where he left off in the region tournament.”
Eden Prairie did all of its scoring in the second inning, taking the lead on Tyler Ruemmele’s one-out double that plated Bray.
After a two-out error kept the inning alive, David Belusky added an RBI double to score Ruemmele and give Eden Prairie a 2-0 lead.
“It was a great experience,” Day said. “We got to play a lot of great baseball against a lot of older kids, kids who are headed off to play in college. A couple of things go a different way, and we could have won this.
“It’s good to know we’re right there, but we also have some things we know we can do better.”
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