Minneapolis Lakers baseball

Welcome to Minneapolis Lakers Baseball.
State tourney appearances: 1999, 2008

Lakers Record: 9-4 in conf; 15-6 overall.

7/1 Lakers Fall to Rocks 2-0

The Minneapolis Rocks formerly known as the Plymouth Rocks beat the Lakers again. Former Laker Nate Cousins pitches a good game hitting spots, changing speeds and keeping the Lakers off balance. Whenever the Lakers thought they had anything going, they hit into double plays that would spell doom. Dickie started and pitched well but the Rocks had some timely hits that scored 2 runs and that would be the differrence.

There isn't much more to say. Nate pitched well. Our offense was quiet and the Rocks got the big hits to score their runs. The Laker highlight real did include 2 great full run diving catches by the great one, Alex Case in right field. He also added a perfect bunt single in the sixth, but in the end, it was all for naught.

The Lakers do head into the break in decent shape at 9-4 in the very competitive Park National League.

6/30 - Lakers take out Cobras on one big inning and win 7-3

Game starts out as a pitchers dual as neither team crosses a run until Cobras cross one in the bottom of the 4th. Top of the 5th comes and the first 2 Lakers get out. Clark then starts the 2 out rally with a single up the middle. Glasser singles to right, followed by 2 walks to Merrill and Case. Lakers then follow up with 6 straight singles ending on a Clark RBI single with Chen runs through a stop sign and forcing Jesse off of 3rd base. Clark and Glasser in the 8 and 9 hole combine to go 5-7 on the day, while Merrill, NWT and Bistro hit the ball well as well. Diaz throws the first 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks. Teddy ballgame came in in the bottom on the 7th and got one out giving up 1 run on 3 walks and a HBP. With the bases loaded Yodh comes in and throws 2 pitches to get a hard shot down the line which Luke steps on 3rd and throws across the diamond for the double play to end the game. Lakers play again wed night at Parade before having 5 days off around the 4th of july holiday.

6/25 - Lakers get win over BlueSox 8-0

Dickie threw the first 6 innings and only allowed one baserunner, on a bloop single over the head of NWT, and had 6 K's to get the win. Chen pitched a perfect 7th and had 2 K's himself. Pitchers combined to face 22 batters retiring 21 of them with 8 K's and only giving up 1 hit and no walks or HBPs. Defensively, with Kulhman playing his 4th position in 3 games, the Lakers were solid and Kuhlman made a great play on a base-hit bunt attempt in the top of the 3rd inning. Offensivley the Lakers had a balanced attack scoring in every inning but the 2nd. NWT and Bistro were hitting line drives all over the place and Reichart made sure he didn't get cheated when he was up there hitting.

6/24 - Lakers beat Shark 4-3

Jim Hefernan picks up his first Laker win and Benny Kuhl hit his first Laker bomb as Lakers beat the Shark 4-3. Lakers take advantage of some free passes by the Shark starter and cross 3 runs in the first 3 innings, 2 of which came on the Kuhlman bomb. Jim pitched well going 6 strong innings and controling the pace of the game. Reichart swung the bat well and pitched the top of the 7th to get the save. Lakers were a little short staffed as Teddy ballgame got to play most of the game in left after throwing his first innings of the season the night before. Clark made his second start of the year at 2nd base as Kuhlman held down SS with NWT and Luke out. Lakers finish off there long week returning to conference action Fri night against the BlueSox.

6/24 - Lakers Edge Commanding Edge 3-2

When the Lakers played the Edge four times in 2008, every game was close including the heartbreaking loss to the Tommies in the 2008 state tourney. In that game, after Bistro doubled, Ted Kimble the pinch runner got picked off of second in a key play in extra innings. Wednesday afternoon, Ted Kimble, AKA ballgame returns to his more comfortable role on the bump as part of his annual 6 week developmental plan to build up arm strength for the playoffs.

Ballgame pitched a solid three innings giving up one earned run to the Tommies. Easy came in to pitch a scoreless fourth and fifth but then some confusion reigns on the Laker bench. With owner/gm Paul on hand on the bench, Solty asks Kuhlman or Glasser to go out and pitch the sixth. In an instance of miscommunication, a fast tiring Easy takes the mound and allows some baserunners. Kuhlman is brought on to put out the fire but an infield hit/miscommunication/error results in the Edge going up by one.

In the top of the seventh, Bistro leads off with a double. With Ted Kimble unable to pinch run, Bistro takes third on a wild pitch and then with 2 outs, Nick Reichert delivers with a double of his own. Reichert would later score the go ahead run on a Nate Rubin single. Glasser follows with a single - only significant in that it is his first hit of the summer so Jason, no, Mitch won't go ofer summer. Kuhlman then closes things out in the bottom of the seventh to get the win.

6/22 - Lakers 3, Angels 1

Both starting pitchers threw well as Diaz throws 5 1/3 only giving up one earned run to get the victory. Glasser comes in to get his 2nd save of the year and his 2nd in a row. Again the Lakers score early and hold on for the W. Game was played well defensively by both squads as both teams had to deal with the 95 degree heat and humidity. Merrill and Nate kept swinging well as the Lakers have 2 non-conference games before their next conference game on fri.

6/19 - Lakers hang on to beat the Pub 5-4

Both teams score 3 in the first, then the Lakers cross 2 in the top of the second to take a 5-3 lead and neither team scores until the Pub score 1 with 2 outs in the 7th for the final score of 5-4. On the bumb for the Lakers was John "Dickie" Simkins and he threw well for the first 6 innings to pick up the win. All three runs he gave up were unearned in the first inning. Dickie was being Dickie as he was walking around diving for foul balls while the Lakers were hitting. Mitch came in in the bottom of the 7th with a 2 run lead. He hits the leadoff hitter, not how you want to start a save situation, but settles down getting a fly out and and a K on a nasty split-finger. He fell behind the 4 hitter and had to come over the plate and the pub hitter was waiting and hit a double to right center scoring the final run of the game as Mitch gets the 5 hitter to pop up to Luke at 3rd. Merrill kept swinging well and added 2 more SB's and 2 runs. He was thrown out at the plate in the top of the 7th, according the ump, although he did look safe. The Lakers look to keep things going next with 4 games, 2 conference, in 5 days next week.

6/16 - Rain causes game to be canceled down in Miesville

6/15 - Lakers have one big inning to beat Merchants 6-2

Diaz throws a complete game and the Lakers get the sticks going in the 4th scoring all 6 of their runs. In the inning Solty had a bases clearing double to drive in 3 runs and on the night Kuhlman continued to swing the bat well. Merrill steals a couple more bases as the Lakers head to Miesville tuesday night.

6/13 - Lakers head down to Hastings and get 5-2 win.

Paul makes his monthly appearance while Mountain and KPK make there first appearance of the year. Game almost takes 3 hours, and Solty uses the entire lineup, including 6 different pitchers, to get the win. Teams combine for only 12 hits in the 9 innings but there were a combined 5 errors and a quite a few HBP and walks. Kuhlmann and Nate WT keep hitting well and Lakers decide that Chen is going to have to go to baserunning class.

6/11 - Lakers win 5-4 in 10 innings against Bombers.

MC Sammer, AKA Sammy Erickson, throws all 10 innings to get the win. Lakers combine for 15 hits and win with Will Chen trying to score from 2nd on a sac bunt when the catcher for the Bombers bobbles the ball. Calm led off the 10th inning with a double to right center Chen ran for him and everybody in the stadium knew Clark was going to bunt. Bunt was placed down the 3rd base line and pitcher fields and looks to throw to first. Chen sees this and decides to try and score. Unfortunately the pitcher bobbles the ball and tosses it to the catcher well in front of Chen. Luckily for the Lakers the catcher bobbles the ball and the Lakers cross the go ahead run. Case, Merrill, Kuhlmann, Luke and Nate have multiple hits.

6/8 - Game vs St Thomas Canceled.

6/7 - Lakers game and Park National Food Shelf day canceled as Parade's field is not taken care of after kids play in the rain the day before. Both game and Food Shelf day to be rescheduled, TBD.

6/5 - Lakers get bats going and beat Rats in 5, 10-0.

MC Sammer shows up a little late so Reichart gets his first inning on the mound in a start in a league game. He threw the first inning and got three hitters with the help of a 9-3 double play. Lakers also hit into a 9-3 double play in the bottom of the first. In the 2nd inning MC Sammer came into pitch and he threw 4 shutout innings to get the win. Lakers had a 5-0 lead in the 5th inning and were able to score 5 in the bottom of the 5th to end the game early. Bistro had another good night at the plate with 3 hits including the walk off hit in the bottom of the 5th inning. Lakers next play Sun at 2:30 against the Rocks.

**Sunday at Parade the Park National League is gathering non-perishable foods for the needy. If you are going to stop by please bring some and drop it off in the bins that will be at Parade.**

6/3 - Lakers fall to Homes 6-4

Pitching matchup which has taken place multiple times in the Lakers/Homes rivalry. Diaz vs Blanc. Both pitched well and had good relief once their nights were over. Blanc pitched 5 innings only giving up one earned run for Homes. Billy Diaz, for the Lakers, pitched 5 and 1/3 innings also only giving up one earned run. Lakers defense had a few miscues leading to Diaz giving up a couple unearned runs. Merrill, Calm, Bistro and Kuhlmann hit the ball hard all night, unfortunately most were right at the Homes defense, as it took the Lakers til the top of the 7th to get their 2nd - 4th runs. Lakers will look to rebound friday against the Rats.

6/1 - Lakers beat Bluesox 13-1.

Dickie got his first start of the year and looked good striking out 5 of the first six hitters. Lakers played well all the way around as Case made his return out in the OF and made a great diving catch and Merrill scored 4 times. Calm, Ben and Luke continued to swing the bat well. Next up for the Lakers is the Homies on Wed

5/29 - Lakers get the offense going and beat Cobras 16-7

Lakers score multiple runs in every inning except the 2nd in their largest offensive output so far this season. MC Sammer throws a complete game to get the win and it is a good thing he has a rubber arm as he wasn't able to keep his pitch count down, throwing about 125 pitches in the 7 innings. Luke hits his first Laker homerun in the first inning going to left center as both teams were able to take advantage of a strong wind going out to left field early in the game. In the later part of the game the wind died down and Lakers were able to keep their bats going and take advantage of some walks from the cobras pitchers. Bistro had a good day going 4-5 with 5 RBIs. Unfortunate turn in the game was when Cobras CF Matt Germar made a diving catch and severly hurt his wrist having to be taken to the ER. Lakers wish Matt good luck in his recovery.

Lakers look to keep it going monday against the Blue Sox.

5/26 - Lakers come back in 7th to beat Shamrocks 6-5.

We managed to find a way to not blow another pitching good pitching performance as Dickie is able to snake the win by giving up a couple in the top of the 7th only to have the Lakers bats wake up in the bottom of the 7th. Calm and Bistro hit the ball hard all night and Billy threw well in the first 6 innings. Lakers enjoyed seeing new-comer Ben Kuhlmann come up with a clutch hit in the rally in the bottom of the 7th and also enjoyed that he stayed around for a beer after the game. Lakers are slowly getting back to full strength and look foward to Friday's matchup against the Cobras.

5/21 Lifeless lakers lose to Angels 3-1.

Facing long-time rival Chad Naegli on the mound, the still-depleted Lakers fail to mount any significant threat to score enough runs to win. Sam Erickson pitches well but the Angels needed just 2 runs to win and they plated 3. This marks the second consecutive league loss for the Lakers where they only manage to score only a single run . Props are given to the opposing defenses and pitching faced but the offensive (and defensive) production needs to improve. Next up is an exhibition game at Parade vs ex-Laker Ryan Flanagan's Shamrocks.

To visitors to our website who also use ballcharts.com: If you how to eliminate this annoying bold font, please let us know.

5/19 Lakers Blasted. A depleted Lakers squad loses big to Sport and Spine. Only news is that Chris Samanant in an emergency fill-in role becomes youngest Laker ever to play in a game going 1-2 and placing the ball in the 5.5 hole - a family tradition.

5/14 - Lakers take down Esox 6-4

Lakers use an unorthodox lineup and are able to beat the Esox 6-4. Billy was in the DH spot and EZ had to come in for the Bistro in the 2nd inning as Bistro comes up a little lame with an "oblique thing" after his first AB. MC Sammer, EZ and Will Chen pitched on the evening and now EZ and MC Sammer have pitched in all three Laker games thus far. As far as the game both teams gave up some free passes that led to runs but the Lakers used some timely hitting to cross a few more runs than the home team. MC Sammer on top of a few walks also had 7 K's in his 4 innings of work. Clarkos made his anual appearance at 2nd base and to Soltys delight not one ball was hit his way.

5/11 - Lakers hold off Burnsville 11-8

Lakers jump to early lead and slowly let Burnsville back in the game as Burnsville ties the game at 8 in the 8th inning. Lakers are able to cross 3 in the top of the 9th and MC Sammer, with the help of EZ snakes the win from newbie Elliot Yodh. J Calm hits his first HR of the year. Merrill ties his own Laker record with 6 steals in one game. The Lakers used a very balanced attack from top to bottom as every hitter reached base at least once. Pitching was solid and the Lakers are looking forward to the next game on Thurs against Edina.

5/6 - Lakers fall to Rosetown 8-6

Lakers struggle in the first inning, due to walks and a Rosetown bomb, and give up four runs. As Jesse pointed out the Lakers first inning was the opposite of Ricky Vaughn's first outing for the Indians in the movie Major League. The pithing and hitting settled in later in the game and the Lakers made a game of it. For the most part the Lakers hit the ball very well and even most of the outs were hard hit balls right at people. Rookie Will Chen showed off his speed when he came in the game stealing 2nd and 3rd and scoring on a sac fly to center. Other than that it was a pretty basic day at the ballpark where the older Lakers were excited to get out and play baseball again.

2009 Season Outlook - Opening day is here. Coming off a trip to state, the Lakers head into 2009 opener with pretty stout numbers and quality depth. Key returnees Nate Wilson Traisman and Luke Muellerlielle anchor the middle infield which is expected to bolstered by incoming rookie Mitch Glasser (Macalester) and Kier when he decides to show up. Nate is coming off a huge MIAC season and hopes to carry that success from college to the summer. Other key returning vets include Merrill in CF, Soltvedt behind the plate, and the Bistro at first. Other familiar Lakers returning for outfield include Clark Boyesen, John "Dickie" Simkins, and Jesse Calm. Laker veteran Alex Case is expected to play an entire season. His return will bolster the lineup, middle infield, and overall depth.

The 2009 Lakers will also feature a few incoming college players, many from Mac: Bennett Johnson (MSP Southwest), Mitch Glasser, Nate Rubin, Will Chen, Elliot Yodh round out the incoming rookie class.

On the bump, the Lakers lose ace James Murrey to some collegiate league. Success of the Lakers will have to depend on veterans Billy Diaz, John Simkins, Ted Kimble, Sam Erickson. Other pitchers looking to step up include Reichert, newcomer Banaszewski, Yodh, and Chen. The Lakers will also rely on the arms of Case, Muellerlielle, and Wilson-Traisman. There certainly are enough arms. The question mark will be is it enough to fill the void left by Murray?

The 2009 schedule has been scaled back some: Gone are the 5-6 games in 7 day stretches. With a more balanced schedule and depth, blend of veteran talent and some young, the Lakers hope to have enough to qualifiy for a bye in the playoffs for another run at state.

5/05 Schedule is complete. The Lakers 2009 schedule is now complete and can be viewed under the schedule or calendar tabs.

8/12 Want to play for the Lakers or schedule a game in 09?
Email paul.samanant@honeywell.com or call 612-750-2021