Minneapolis Lakers 2013:   Season #24

8/4 Not this year.  Lakers lose game 3 and the season is over. 

Lakers can't overcome a crooked 7 spot in the second inning and go on to lose 10-2 to The Lyons Pub.  Lakers tip the cap and congratulate Lyon's Pub on a job well done.  Give em hell at state and do the PNash proud!!

Lakers Season Recap:  Read down to the bottom of this thread and one of the major keys to the season was if the anticpated depth could hold up over a typical summer and the answer was a resounding NO.  The Lakers were certainly talented on paper going int - however injuries and attrition at multiple positions, particularly pitching, did the team in, resulting in a large losing streak to finish out July.  Losses of Sam Gotham, Tyler Ruemmele, Bennett Johnson, and Dylan Frederick were one thing - but the Lakers were not able to overcome Ted Kimble out for playoffs and the final nail in the coffin was Grant Soderberg departure to the NWL.

Lakers can however, be proud of and look back at a summer that saw some quality baseball including another top-3 finish in Park National as well as notching up some qualitiy wins over some pretty good teams.   Yes, it sucks to lose and be out, but we had fun playing the game we love and we wouldn't have it any other way.  Thanks to all and we WILL be back next year.

8/3 Lakers Bounce Back With 7-4 Win.  Force Game 3.

DMiller pitches 9 inning CG for the win.  Tony Skjefte has a big two out, two RBI hit to break a late tie.and the Lakers take a two run lead.  Lakers add an insurance run in ninth.  Big story was Danny Miller who pitched 9 solid innings in stepping up to fill in for a circumstance-shortened pitching staff.

8/1 Lakers fall in opener to Pub 5-3

Good ball game where one long inning was the difference.  Lakers score 1 in the 1st and the 3rd to take a 2-0 lead but pub come back and score 4 runs in the 6th to claim the lead.  Lakers have some chances throughout the game and aren't able to capitalize, including the 8th where Bistro is called out at the plate trying to score from first on a J-Mill double.  Tag was late and Sammy slid between the catchers legs appears to be clearly safe.  Ump was out of position directly behind the catcher and called him out.  Lakers again threaten in the 9th with 3 straight hits scoring 1 but the rally ends there.  Some good to great performances for the Lakers. Danny Genrich overcomes some walks and throws 8 strong innings.  J-Mill, Danny Miller and Bistro all have 2 hits and Merrill goes 5 for 5 and has an SB to boot.  Game 2 sat at 2:30 is win or go home for the Lakers.

7/29 Lakers take on Lyons Pub in 2/3 Series

The Lakers finish the Park National regular season in second place and therefore earned a bye in the first round of playoffs.  In the process, the Lakeshow will take on the fifth seeded Lyon's Pub in a 2/3 series with the winner advancing the state tourney.  Although the Lakers swept the Pub in the season series, a tough battle is expected against the talented veteran ballclub (with sprinkling of some youth).   First game of the series is Thursday 7:00 PM at Parade.  Game 2 is Saturday 2:30PM and the if necessary game is Sunday likely 2:30PM or 3:00PM but exact time, is TBD.

7/29 Lakers drop final playoff tune up 8-5 to FanHQ

The Lakers cant cross any runs early and FanHQ starts to build a lead.  They get up to 8-0, but the Lakers continue to get runners on but not in.  In the bottom of the 8th the Lakers put the hits together and crossed 5 runs.  Bistro had a 3 RBI double in the inning (3 hits in the game) and the threat ends with bases loaded.  Timmy strikes out 2 of the 3 he faces in the top of the 9th, but the Lakers dont have a second rally in them.  Playoffs start Thursday 8/1/13 at Parade as the Lakers will be the home team againts the Pub.

7/25 Late rally helps Bloomington slip by Lakers 3-2

Lakers come out and take an early 2-0 lead on a 3rd inning 2-run HR from Tony.  Grant starts on the mound and goes 5 strong innings, striking out 7.  Lakers had quite a few baserunners throughout the game but couldn't cross any more runs after the Tony HR.  Lakers hold a 2-0 lead going into the 8th and Bloomington is able to cross one to make it 2-1 going into the 9th.  Bloomington ties it in the 9th and with the bases loaded and one out a grounder is hit to 3rd.  Schneider throws it home and J-Mills foot never leave the ground.  Umpire calls the runner safe with Miler's foot still on the plate.  Not sure if that is possible but it happened.  Added game on Monday at EP against FanHQ. 

7/23 Lakers come back after break and drop one to the Millers 7-2

Millers used the homerun to take down the Lakers.  Joe Schalenberg for the Millers hits 3 HRs and has 6 RBI for the Millers.  Lakers swing the bats alright but have at least 8 runners left on base.  Not much else to say.  Lakers continue to warm up for the playoffs with game at Bloomington on Thursday and probably one in EP next Monday.

7/17 Lakers fall to Patriots 7-5 but still claim second seed in Park National

It was an all to familiar site as of late where the Lakers get down and have to play catchup. The first 2.5 innings go quick then in the bottom of the 3rd the Patriots score 6 runs taking advantage of some misplayed balls by the Lakers and also hitting the ball well.  Lakers do make a game of it scoring 5 runs in the top of the 6th.  Pats get an insurance run in the bottom of the 6th for the final margin of victory.  This leads to how did the Lakers still claim the 2 seed?  Lakers could end up tied for 2nd with just the Angels or Angels and Pats or Angels and Pub.  Lakers hold head to head or head to head to head advantage in all scenarios and per the league rules head to head or head to head to head is the first tiebreaker in 2 or 3 way ties.  Either way a long weekend, couple non conf games and then another weekend off at this time until the second round on P-Nash playoffs start on 7/31, Lakers likely start on 8/1. 

7/16 Lakers comeback attempt comes up short against Cobras, lose 8-7

Cobras get out to a 4-0 lead before the home team Lakers even have an AB.  The Lakers start chipping away scoring 2 in the bottom of the 1st, and 1 in the bottom of the 2nd.  With the Lakers down 5-3 in the top of the 5th the Cobras score 3 unearned runs (5 of the 8 were unearned) and begin the celebration but the Lakers aren't finished.  They threaten with two runners on in the bottom of the 5th without scoring but then are able to come up with 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th.  Cobras cant score in the 7th and the Lakers trail 8-7 going into the last half inning.  Two quick outs and then Timmy and Merrill get on (Lakers never went down 1-2-3 in an inning and only one inning had less than 2 baserunners).  Game ends with a high pop up.  Lakers battled and had a chance to win. J-Mill had 4 hits, Lakers had 5 SB's as a team and Danny Miller had a couple hits as well.  Hats off the Cobra Kai and securring at least a tie for 1st and controlling the tie breaker to be the P-Nash #1 seed in the league playoffs.

7/15 Lakers fall big to the Berries 10-1

Second trip to Hopkins for the Lakers and similar result.  Hopkins hit the ball well along with getting some bleeders and bloops (along with a few errors) to score 3 in the 3rd, 2 in the 4th and 5 in the 5th.  Lakers bats never really came alive as it seemed the ones the Lakers hit on the barrell went directly to the defense.  League game against the Cobras on tuesday.  BBQ to follow.

7/11 Lakers beat Prior Lake 6-1

Danny Miller gets the start on the mound and throws 8 innings of shut out baseball with Timmy Miller throwing the 9th..  He was able to work around a couple walks and only gave up 3 hits through 8 innings.  Lakers D was solid behind him as the board had 1 error for the Lakers but the ball took a horrible hop on Tony so the Lakers scorebook had 0 errors for the good guys.  Offensively the Lakers score 4 in the 4th and 2 in the 8th as they continue the trend of lumping runs together.  Weekend off, except for the Class A East-West All-Star game.  ASG is at 1pm at Dunning in St. Paul and Jeff Miller and Mike Merrill will be representing the Lakers.

7/10 Lakers get W over Blaine, 8-5

Lakers get out to a quick start scoring 3 in the first, 1 in the second and 3 in the third.  The Lakers were talking about possibly making it a quick(er) night with the HS 10-run rule after 7, but the Blaine pitchers settled down and limited the Laker offense (at least in terms of runs) until the Lakers score 1 in the top of the ninth.  The Lakers had good at bats up and down the line up with a Bistro getting a couple hits and Chris taking a couple walks.  Tony had 2 or 3 RBI as well.  Teddy threw 7 strong innings, only giving up one run in the bottom of the 7th and keeping the Fusion lineup off balanced.  Chris came in and threw the 8th and 9th to help the Lakers secure the victory.  One more game left in the travel week with a 7:30 game down in Prior Lake.

7/9 Lakers beat Victoria 10-1

Lakers show up in Victoria with 10 bodies and are able to score a run for each player who showed up.  The Lakers offense swings it well collecting 16 hits, including HR's by Tony and Jeff, and also scoring runs in 6 of the 9 innings.  Grant Soderberg throws the ball well, keeping his pitch count down and controling a good Victoria team.  Throw in a defense behind him with only one miscue and it makes for a good night at the ball park for the good guys.  The Victoria game starts the Lakers travel week as next up is Blaine which is followed by Prior Lake. 

7/7 Lakers get regular season sweep over Pub with 7-6 win in extras

Genrich starts on the hill and throws 7 innings but gets the ND as the Pub come back and tie the game at 6 in the bottom of the 7th with a couple hits and a couple Laker errors.  The Lakers get up early and lead 2-1 going into the 5th and they are able to load the bases and get a couple two out RBI hits by Clark and Chris.  Now the lead is 5-1 and the Lakers look to be in good shape.  Pub rallys and ties it up at 5 going into the 7th, and the Lakers score one in the top of the 7th, but as mentioned above the Pub take advantage of a few miscues and tie it up again.  Ted comes in and throws a scoreless 8th and then the Lakers cross one in the 9th and Ted wiggles out of a Jam in the bottom of the 9th.  Travel week coming up with games all over the outer metro (Victoria, Blaine and Prior Lake).

7/2  Lakers Come Back To Beat Miesville 11-9

Perfect summer night and the Lakeshow takes a road trip down to beautiful Miesville for a bout with the Mudhens at one of the best townball parks in the state.  Interesting, wild, and wacky are some adjectives to describe this game.  When GM Paul arrived in the third inning, the line read something like this:  Mudhens 4 hits, 4 errors, Lakers 5 hits 0 errors, but the scoreboard read 8-1 Miesville.  The ump had an interesting strike zone which neither team was happy about and it affected the Lakers early:  Genrich did not think he was that wild but the 4 hits, and 7 walks add up to a lot of runs over two innings.   As the game progresses, Miesville pushes it's error total to 6 but lead 9-3!  The Lakers hit the ball well and chip away and then in the eighth inning explode with 7 runs.  Derek Soderberg leads off with a seemingly ordinary hit, but then Chris walks, Merrill singles, and then with bases loaded, Danny Miller lines an double deep to left center alley that just misses a HR off the wall and clears the bases.  Bistro walks, Grant singles, Derek singles again, and the Lakers complete the comeback and take the lead.  The Lakers tack on another run in the top of the ninth inning on Ben Kuhlmann Sac fly.

Danny Miller pitches the last four innings to keep the Mudhens off the scoreboard.  BK gets some work behind the dish and starts and it was like learning to ride a bike again but BK does settle behind the plate and the Lakers come away with the win.

Lakers get a break and return to action in league vs Lyons Pub at Parade (game time is 5:00PM on Sunday July 7).

6/30 BlueSox Upset Lakers 3-1

Well,  Navy eventually beat Notre Dame, and while this streak wasn't going to last forever, this was certainly an unlikely year.   When the Lakers first moved to Park National in, maybe say 1996 or something like that, they lost to the BlueSox maybe once or twice.  The Lakers then ran off a streak that stood up - until now.  The BlueSox have in fact, come close just a few times including the famous Pat Walters game and the Lakers do  look forward to another entertaiing installment from  BlueSox productions.   In seriousness, the Lakers offer no excuses and tip their caps to the BlueSox pitcher and ballclub.

Moving forward, the Laker play down in Miesville on Tuesday night before a break at which the Lakers hope to regroup for the stretch run towards remaining league games and the playoffs.

6/28 Lakers 4, Pub 0

In an on again/off again rain delayed affair, Lakers down Lyons Pub 4-0.  Grant Soderberg pitches a CG shutout.  It was a long evening but the Lakers come away with a W.  Grant throws well and is able to adapt to a damp mound and control a tough Pub offensive attack.  The Lakers score early as they cross all 4 runs in the first as they bat around.  Tony hits an RBI double and Reichert hits an RBI single to RF, yes he went the other way. Merrill goes 3 for 4 on the evening.  In the 3rd and 4th innings with the Lakers in the field there are rain delays. The umps and both teams work to get the game in and it turns out the game goes through all 7 innings and the Lakers even get their BBQ in.  Bistro shows off his new can trick, think high knees drill in football.

6/26 Lakers beat Merchants 7-2

Dan Genrich takes the ball for the second time against the Merchants and a simlar result, complete game win.  He had 10 K's over 7 innings and limited a Merchant team that was on a roll to about 7 hits and two runs.  The Lakers offense scored 4 in the 4th, 2 in the 5th and added an innsurance run in the 7th.  Tony Skjefte had 2 doubles and two runs scored.  Merrill, D-Mill and Lucas swung the bat well at the top of the order with each getting at least one hit and reaching base at least twice.  Bistro, Reichert and T-Mill all got RBI hits as well.  Good win and the Lakers come back Friday night when they face the Pub.  Post game Bar-B-Que and Beer fundraiser as well, so we will see you at Parade.

6/24 Hopkins 8, Lakers 5

Early game at Big Willow.  The Berries hit it all over the park in their own ballpark.  Caleb Phillips takes the loss.  Merchants next.

6/23 Lakers Pound Out 17 HIts (to 7) but Lose to Hogs 4-3

Lakers play St Anthony from Skyline league:  the Hogs are a good ballclub.  Are they top 10 good?  That remains to be seen, however they did come into RLS and take one from the local 9.   Lakers pound out 17, yes, 17 hits! And they weren't cheap either most of them being ropes, lasers, pick your adjective.   At the end of the game, Lakers outhit St. Anthony 17-7 but lose.  Credit the hogs for making key plays but contributing to the lack of runs were a runner thrown out at plate,  a runner thrown out at second after being obstructed, and another baserunning gaffe.   Throw in some double plays and you have the makings of a 17 hit loss.  Ted Kimble starts the game and gets into trouble in the first inning giving up three hits and a couple of walks and St. Anthony scores 3 runs and the Lakers never do catch up.  

6/21 Lakers  Win in a Game For The Storybooks

Lakers win 1-0 over the Angels in a rain shortened game where all hell breaks loose as a monsoon rolls over into Parade duing the top of the seventh.   The game itself was a pitching duel between Grant Soderberg and Nick Sutherland of the Angels.  Lakers hit just a few balls well but at Angel fieders.  Meanwhile Grant is pitching efficiently and is helped out by some nifty double plays turned by the Laker infield.   Soda also fields his position well.

The Lakers pick up their sole run in the third inning when Merrill leads off with a hit.  Steals second, and then scores on a Tony Skjefte soft liner to right center.   The game then breaks into a deadlock as the big storm approaches.  In the botttom of the sixth, Grant gets into a little trouble and with the end of game imminent, is faced with two dangerous hitters (Carroll and Morris) with a runner on.  Anyone familiar with the PNash knew that at this juncture,  the game could swing one way or another with a single swing of the bat.  Perhaps the biggest out of the game was when with runners at second and third two outs, bottom of sixth, lightning all around, Soderberg was able to induce a flyout from Morris to end the inning and secure the apparent win.

This is when events unfold.   Castle covers the mound and the umps suspend the game.   With the radar showing a massive red blob bearing down on Parade, the umps decide to resume the game.  The Lakers then load the bases in top of seventh when all hell breaks loose.  The Laker dugout is of only marginal shelter as torrential horizontal rain and high winds drench everyone in no time.  The dugout floods as bats and batting helmets start to float.  In the backdrop of this melee, barely visiblle Castle is out there trying to secure the mound tarps (think Caddyshack scene).

As players leave Parade (still in the rainstorm as there was no letup), downed trees and flooded streets surround Parade.   A big tree was seen sitting atop Castle's car - Mike, sorry to see that, and we hope insurance includes mini-hurricane tstorm and winds.  BBQ and special edition of Kangaroo court deferred until June 28 in game vs Pub. 

The Lakers move to 6-2 in league and just a day after committing 5 errors, the Lakers clean it up and have 0 errors.  Next up pending weather is St. Anthony Hogs at RLS in EP on Sunday.

 

6/21  Lakers Fundraiser After Angels Game

As the Lakers schedule grind continues with another tough matchup vs Los Angels, the Lakers announce a BBQ fundraiser immediately following the game - weather allowing.  All friends/fans are invited for a delicious BBQ with a special fundraising price of $7 for BBQ, nd $10 for BBQ plus beer.   We will have bag toss, maybe wiffle ball, and with paid admission, good seats at Kangaroo court.    Kids are a less.

 

6/20 Lakers fall in walk off fashion 6-5 to the Cobras in 8 innings

It was a tough battle but the Lakers couldn't overcome 5 errors and a couple other miscues.  Genrich pitched well and overcame most of the errors, but the extra outs caused more pitches to be thrown and allowed the top of the Cobra line up to see him another time through the order.  BK came in the bottom of the 7th with a 3-1 lead.  A couple hits, a walk and a 2 base error allowed the Cobras to score 2 and push it to extras.  The the top of the 8th Lucas and BK singled and with 2 outs Reichert hit a 2 RBI double.  Another 2 run lead was lost in the bottom of the 8th and this time the game went with it as the Cobras scored 3, the last 2 on a double to deep RC.  Offensively the Lakers threatened all day and they scored all 3 runs before the 7th in the first inning on back to back Skjefte RBI extra base hits.  Side Note: Jeff Miller is alive and will face Kangaroo Court fines.

6/18  Lakers Over The Patriots 4-1. 

Lakers do enough to get the win against the Patriots and their ace.  The offense for the Lakers was getting the barrell on the ball early but were hitting them right at people.  Then in the 3rd Bistro drives a double to dead center, Timmy bunts him over and the Patriots pitcher throws the ball down the line allowing Bistro to score and Timmy to get the 3rd.  Hogan then hits a sac fly to score Timmy.  This was after the Patriots scored one in the top of the 3rd.  The Lakers get a couple insurance runs in the 5th on a Merrill sac fly scoring Bistro with a collision at the plate due to an errant throw causing the catcher to be mis-positioned up the line. Then Timmy scores to make the score 4-1 and that score holds up.  Lakers D makes a few errors but also made some good plays behing Phillips.  Caleb throws the complete game and pitched well all night, picking up about 7 K's and only walking a couple.  Next up Cobras on Thurs evening.

6/16 Lakers beat the Millers 8-1 before the storm hits.

Beautiful Father's day afternoon turns into a Laker win over the Millers that ended after 7 innings.  Everything in the game is going smooth.  Grant Sodoberg starts on the bump for the Lakers and gets through 7 innings only throwing about 70 pitches.  But as we get into the 6th and 7th innings a storm system was coming in from the west.  After the Lakers score a couple in the bottom of the 7th the winds started blowing and it was about to rain.  So the Lakers covered the mound and plate to wait through the rain that was coming and finish the game.  The Millers talked to the ump and decided to call the game and the Lakers agreed allow the fathers playing in the game and watching to head home and spend some more time with their families. The Lakers were able to get 3 runs in the 4th, 1 in the 5th, and 2 runs each in the 6th and 7th.  Sodoberg gets the complete game due to calling it early as he pitched efficiently and let his defense help him out.  Lakers offense was able to get hits up and down the order and Chris Samanant got 2 hits a couple RBI.  Next up three league games on tues, thurs and fri.

6/14 Genrich Wins Again as Lakers Sink The Merchants, 12-0 in 5

The Lakers score 4 runs in the bottom of the 2nd and 8 in the bottom of the 4th and come away with 12-0 victory in 5 innings.  Genrich pitches after showing up about 25 min before the game and does what he needs to, to make it a quick night, although he did get himself into and out of a few jams through the 5 innings. Lots of offense for the Lakers as the 5 through 9 hitters all scored two runs a piece. Reichert had a couple hits and a couple RBI and Schneider had a 2 RBI double as well.

6/13 Schneider 2 RBI walk off single.  Lakers win 3-2

One of the first really nice days of the spring and the Lakers are able to come away with a win.  Teddy Ballgame starts on the mound and throws 6 strong innings getting into and out of a few jams. Chris comes in and throws the last 3 innings to get the win keeping the Irish scoreless through those innings.  The D played well for the Lakers without any errors.  Offensively the Lakers start slow, to say the least, managing 3 hits through 7 innings (in reality 1 maybe 2 hits, but the scoreboard read 3). Things started to look better in bottom of the 8th.  Schneider gets on, Chris gets a bunt single and Timmy moves the runners to 2nd and 3rd.  Hogan hits a fly ball to CF and Schneider tags and gets thrown out on a perfect throw.  So it is still 2-0 going into the 9th.  Both Skjeftes get on and Miller walks, out is recorded and then Reichert hits a grounder that is booted and one run is in.  Schneider is now up with bases loaded and one out and he drives a single to RC scoring two for the final score of 3-2.  Lakers are up next against the Merchants on Friday at Parade.  BBQ after the game

The Lakers' will hold the first of series of fundraising barbeques at Parade Stadium Friday night after the Merchants game.   All LakerNation frends, family, fans are invited.  Fundraising price is set for $7 for a delicious barbecue dinner.   $10 for dinner plus excellent beer.  Come support the team!!

6/12 Lakers at Burnsville rained out

Some things never change.   Lakers at Burnsville rained out for third year running.

6/10 Lakers fall to Rats 6-4

It was a game of one team taking advantage of opportunities and one not.  The Rats scored 2 runs each in the 2nd, 3rd and 7th innings and only 3 of the runs were earned.  The Lakers had their leadoff hitter on every inning except the first but managed only to score in the seventh inning.  Unfortunately the Lakers hit into 3 double plays and left runners on the basepaths all day.  Sodo pitched well but the Rats were very aggressive with the bats and hit a lot of balls that just found a way to fall for hits.  Offensively Danny Miller swung the bat well all game and a lot of hard hit balls were right at the Rats defense.  The Skjefte's both had RBI doubles in the 7th, Tony's going for two RBI, after which the last out of the game happened with the tying run stranded at 2nd base.  Next game down in Burnsville on Wed the 12th.

6/7 Lakers 5, St Louis Park 0

Finally some peaks of sunshine as the Lakers kick off the weekend hosting St. Louis Park at Round Lake stadium.   All Lakers attending the game were present taking BP over an hour before the game which is a change from the past

Dan Genrich pitches another good game scattering four hits over eight innings and logging 8 strikeouts.  Genrich very quickly pitched 6 1-2-3 innings and ptiched to only to four batters over the minimum.  Danny Miller closes the game in the ninth inning striking out the side.  Lakers defense was solid highlighted by Genrich helping himself by sticking his glove out and snaring hard laser up the middle that did not miss his head by much.

Offensively, both Skjeftes had multiple hits with Tony getting his first carreer Laker hit with a deep double to left field.   The Lakers had about 11 hits total and scored the first five runs in the first three innings and the five is all the Lakers would need.

Lakers get a weekend off before returning to league play vs River Rats on Monday 6/10.

6/6 Lakers Sweep Double Header.   11-1 Over Bluesox and Then 3-0 Win Over Angels

Due to rainout the night before, the Lakers turned around for a twin bill at Parade Stadium and came away with 2 huge league wins over the Blue Sox and then the Angels.

The first game started with Caleb on the hill and getting the complete game only giving up two hits. All 15 Lakers in attendance got into the game and the defense was strong.  The Laker offense did a good job of being patient at the plate and getting some hits with runners in scoring position.  Every inning the Lakers were able to threaten and plated runners in 5 of the 6 frames.  The Lakers were up 9-0 after 4 but couldn't push a run accross in the 5th.  After the Bluesox score one in the top of the 6th, the Lakers cross two in the bottom of the inning to finish off the 11-1 victory. 

Game two started with Bennett on the mound getting his first action for the 2013 Lakers.  He through well with 9 K's and no hits in his 5 innings of work. He left with a 3-0 lead and Timmy Miller came in for the two inning save.  Timmy got three K's in his two innings and pitched out of a 6th inning jam with the bases loaded and two outs after a questionable ball four was called with two on for the Angels.  Offensively the Lakers were able to get runners on and Danny Miller swung the bat well with two hits and an RBI.  Lucas Skjefted and Reichert hit the ball well and the 3 runs scored in the 3rd were enough for the Lakers to get the victory.

Lakers return to action on Friday June 8 when they host St. Louis Park at Round Lake Stadium in EP.  First pitch is set for 7:30PM

6/5 Lakers Angels Rained Out, To Be Made Up With 6/6 Thursday Double Header

Lakers/Angels rained were rained out.  The game is going to be made up as part of a split double header vs 2 teams on Thursday 6/6 (tomorrow).  The Lakers will play the BlueSox at 6:15PM to be followed up after a short break with Lakers vs Angels.  Both games are at Parade. 

6/3 Lakers Shut Out at Hands of Esox.

 Esox pitched well and played good defense.   Lakers could not get anything going.  Ted Kimble pitches well but gives up too many consecutive hits in the second.   The ESox score 3 and that is all they need.  Chris pitches a good seventh with 2Ks, and then follows up with a good at-bat to as part of potential rally but with 2 on and no one out, a tailor made double play snuffs out momentum.  Tony Skjefte makes his Lakers debut for 2013.  Genrich shows up again and volunteers to pitch.    Up next is league vs Angels Wednesday night.

6/2 Lakers Edged 4-3 in 13 Innings.  Moorhead Brewers go 3-0 For Weekend Visit to Twin Cities. 

A very good Moorhead Brewer team spends the weekend here in the cities going 3-0 with wins over Shakopee (5-0), Prior Lake (11-4), and then in a 4-3 13 inning win over your local nine on Sunday afternoon game at Round Lake Stadium.   Storylines include Derek Soderberg going 2-5 in his Laker debut as a fill in for Lakers who were graduating or at  grad parties.   Grant Soderberg pitches well with three runs given up through 7 innings.  Perhaps the biggest story was Dan Genrich who wanted to and recieved the ball on the hill and pitched the eigth inning but kept going through thirteen.  Note that Genrich had previously threw 110+ pitches against Stockman's on Thursday night.  Genrich (SHA 2?) not only pitched those innings, but they were a solid six innings and he was definately dialing it up.   A very questionable call from umpire who did not move into position allowed runner into scoring position and then an error allowed the winning run.

The Lakers return to action today at Round Lake Stadium where they host the Edina Esox at 6:15PM.

5/30 Genrich Pitches and Powers Lakers to Victory over Irish 12-2

Dan Genrich throws 8 strong innings striking out 10 and only giving up two runs.  Then when Clarkos pulls him he gets angry and hits a two run homer in the top of the 9th after Jeff Miller had hit a two run homer and Schneider hit a two run double.  All together it was good showing.  Lakers had 19 hits and even when they were only up 6-2 it seemed like a much bigger margin.  Hogan, J-Mill, Bistro and BK all had 3 hit games.  Sunday game in EP.

5/29/13 Lakers pickup first league win over the Rats 5-4

The Lakers are still waiting for some team members to return from College but we got Sodoberg back and due to traffic issues he was inserted in the lineup in RF.  He proceeded to go 2-3 with 2 RBI.  Lakers were able to score early taking a 5-0 lead after 4 innings but couldn't push anymore runs accross.  Every inning the Lakers had someone reach 2nd base or further.  The top of the lineup was able to produce as Merrill, Hogan and J-Mill were on base over 10 time combined either by walk or hit.  Caleb Philips also made his Laker 2013 debut and threw a complete game and only gave up one earned run.  The Rats big inning came in the bottom of the 5th scoring their first run on a error with 2 outs and then a double to LC brought in the man that reached base on the error and then a throwing error trying to get the ball into third going out of play allowed the batter to get a Little League HR.  Weather permitting Lakers play at the Stockmen Irish on Thursday.

5/28/13 Lakers fall to Sport and Spine 7-4

Teddy pitched the first 3 and gave up a couple runs, all in all pitching well.  Sickness hit a couple Lakers, Clark and Schneider, but the Laker still threw out a good line up to play a good team out of Saint Paul.  After Ted, Chris took the mound and struggled a little finding the zone also giving up a couple of runs in his one inning of work.  Danny Miller threw the 5th getting three looking strike outs.  Kuhlman pitched the bottom of the 6th, and was in early season form giving up 3 runs, only one earned.  Lakers offense threatened all night and finally got on the board in the top of the 7th.  Bases were loaded after a Danny Miller walk, Hogan hit and Kuhlman reach on error.  Bistro hit a 2 rbi single followed by an rbi single from Reichart.  Miller reached and got to 2nd on a passed ball.  Blasy hit a deep fly ball to left scoring Bistro and for some reason J-Mill also tagged and ran into an easy out at third (although he waited to get tagged until Bistro had scored).  Next up  League opener against the Rats on Wed.

5/27/2013 Nick Kuhlmann Out; Skjefte at Carey NC

The Lakers recieved news that Nick Kuhlmann will not be returning summer of 2012 due to job in Whitewater.  In other news, with the University of Minnesota and UND eliminated in their respective tourneys, Lucas Skjefte becomes the sole Laker still playing collegiate baseball  in 2013.  Skjefte is in Carey NC with MNSU at the DII CWS.   MNSU won their first game vs Grand Valley State on Sa to stay in the winners bracket.  Lakers wish Lucas and MNSU good luck.  With Kuhlmann gone and both Skjeftes in NC, the Lakers depth is immediately tested as Ben Kuhlmann, Jack Hogan, and Jack Schneider will man the infield positions.

The Lakers hope that the weather will hold up in a wet looking week ahead as they have a trio of games upcoming with Sport and Spine Diesel on Tuesday, a league matchup with Riverats on Wednesday, and Stockmen's Irish onThursday.

5/23/2013 Lakers Drop Opener to Capitals in St. Paul 2-0

Well, by opening day standards, as usual it was cool and grey and actually dark by the time the game started due to umpire no-show.  More on that later.  At least it wasn't wet, and while the team wasn't Rosetown which somewhat breaks 20 year tradition, the Capitals had some guys who used to play for Rosetown.  The Capitals are also good and their pitchers were very good.  Good pitching combined with early season at bats combined with replacement ump zone led to a strikeout fest.   Yes, the replacement ump was plucked out from the Dunning softball fields in the area, and while both teams were thankful to play, his zone was, well, let's say he did his best.

Newcomer Dan Genrich made his Laker debut and pitched three strong innings giving up one unearned run. Ted Kimble who followed up was in "June form"  and is on pace to get to "July form" in a couple of weeks.  Another newcomer Danny Miller gutted out an inning in the bottom of the sixth.  There were 4 hits total, 2 of which were legitimate hits out of the infield.  Jeff Miller doubled for the lone Laker hit and offensive highlight.  Dave Miller's IScorepad app gave JMills a second hit but that was very generous and doesn't count in the bench official book - sorry.    Jack Schneider also made his Laker debut at shortstop.  Otherwise, it is all about ABs and pitching reps as the Lakers try to get back into game shape.  One area where Lakers did pick  up where they left off from 2012 was in the beer department - good job guys.

Next up after a weekend break is Sport and Spine on Tuesday May 28, where the Lakers look to at least more than double their hit total for the year.

5/17/2013 Lakers Name (Co) Managers

With the 2013 season a day away, the Lakers have announced a new management structure.   Clark Boyesen and Chris Samanant will co-manage the ball club and therefore inherit the "skip" designation from the departed Matt Soltvedt.   Paul Samanant will continue on as GM and handle the job of counting bodies and taking on the role of compiling emails of players saying "I can't make it" or "I'll be late".  While it isn't clear if this mode of operation will work but the Lakers will start this way and see what happens.

One day until season opener against the St. Paul Capitals  to be played appropriately..... in St. Paul.

5/16/2013 2013 Season Preview:  Lakers Deep, But Will it Hold Up?

If 2012 was a year in which pitching losses from the previous year caused the Lakeshow to hang on for dear life,   2013 might just be the year in which the  stars may line up to push the Lakers over the top on their way to a potential third straight state tourney appearance.

Sam Gotham will miss another summer in the Twin Cities but the bad news stops there as the pitching has reloaded with both quality and depth in the form of 2 D1 pitchers, 3 D2, and some top D3 performers past and present.  Bennett Johnson returns to the rotation in full health to join the mainstays of (Grandview) Caleb Phillips and MIAC all conference Grant Soderberg.   Tyler Ruemmele (UND)  is fully committed and healthy for the upcoming summer.   The loss of Gotham was also immediately backfilled by hard throwing southpaw, Dan Genrich from UW Superior.  Furthermore, with the signing of former (MNSU and NWL) star Danny Miller, as a player, the Lakers get a quality pitcher as well.   The pitching staff is rounded out by Chris Samanant, Dylan Frederick, Timmy Miller, Ben Kuhlmann and playoff game 3 Cobra Kai killer Ted Kimble.  Incidentally, Kimble has faced the Tommies at least 10 times over his career and is looking forward to at least one more.  In an preseason interview, Kimble has declared himself "ready to pitch 3 innings, with +2 every week after" in the opener which puts him about 2 months ahead of schedule.

The Lakers were able to bolster their outfield wih the huge addition of  Danny Miller who will join Mike Merrill, Clark Boyeson, Timmy Miller,  Chris Samanant, and Ben Kuhlman to constitute a group with defensive speed as weill as offensive prowess in areas of hits, power, and speed on basepaths .

Kuhlmann who played third base in 2012 will move to outfield as (UST)Jack Hogan moves to third base from outfield.  The infield also gets a huge addition as (U of Minnesota) Tony Skjefte will join with brother Lucas and Nick Kuhlmann in the middle with Jack Schneider also a reserve infielder at any position.  Sam Bunnett and Nick Reichert will man first base  with Jeff Miller and Danny Blasy behind the plate.

On paper it appears that the Lakers will have plenty of pitching as well as positional depth so as to not have to play players out of position.  Of course, this is just on paper and it remains to be seen if these pieces can translate from collegiate and former success to on-the field in 2013.  Chemistry has always been good with the LakeShow but will chemistry hold up with all these players?  Will the pitching remain healthy?  Will players move away?   How many players will the Lakers lose to NWL this year?  All good questions.  There is no doubt that the schedule will be busy and tough.  Lets see if the anticipated depth holds up.

4/12/2013 2013 Schedule is Set

The Lakers' 2013 schedule is set and is available to view on the calendar or scheduling tabs on the left.  2013 brings a few changes from the previous editions.  As part of a directive to leave Saturdays open, gone are the two tournaments (Dundas and Victoria) that the Lakers have played in for the last two years.  With all teams returning from Park National, the usual slate of league games will all be played at Parade.   It is expected that all 14 league games will be hard battled in what some think is the strongest league top to bottom.  The Angels appear to be the team to beat but and the end of the day, every Park National league game will be hard battled.

The exhibition schedule for the Lakers is challenging as always.  After the usual late start (to accomodate a heavy collegiate roster) the Lakers open again at Dunning vs St. Paul Capitals, Followed up with the usual rivalries against common metro area teams including Stockman's Irish and Sport and Spine.   June and July are very busy all against common opponents with the Millers twice on the schedule.  The Lakers will attempt to play Miesville again: the last 4 scheduled games spanning more than a decade have all been rained out.  The last time the Lakers played Miesville, many current Lakers were playing TBall, the Lakers were heavy underdogs and were crushed in game where Harry Davis (think Wesley Snipes from Major Leagues) hit at least 2 moon shots into the cornfileds.   Lakers hope for good weather and a better showing in 2013.   Of note, the Lakers will make their debut against the Chaska Cubs at Athletic Park - at top venue in the state.

The Lakers will play 5 "town ball style" games at Round Lake Stadium in Eden Prairie.  With effective Laker roster pushing over 50% Eden Prairie work/live, RLS as it is known essentially becomes a second home venue for the Lakers.  The purpose is to limit travel, generate a fan base/interest,  explore revenue options, and reciprocate hosting games to facilitate scheduling.  Opponents for the series includes the Moorhead Brewers, Stockman's Irish, St. Louis Park, Minnetonka Millers, and the St. Anthony Hogs.

At time this article went to press, it is expected that the Lakers will have the pitching and roster depth to be competive in all games of the schedule,   The caveat however is that Lakers won't know until June what attrition will show up in the form of Northwoods league defections, jobs, injuries or other factors.  Two or three current pitchers  for example (Ruemmele, Soderberg, Johnson) may end up on collegiate leagues so we will have to see.

A season preview will be published later in May.

1/22/2013 2013 Season Planning Underway.  Some News

Planning for the 2013 season is in full swing.   May is fully booked and the schedule is near-full.   If you are interested scheduling a game, email paul.samanant@honeywell.com or text/call 612-750-2021 .  

Current news:  Solty hangs them up after who knows how many years.  Lakers express thanks to Matt for a great run as manager as well as a HOF career with the Lake Show.    A new manager has yet to be named.  Quick roster outlook:  So far so good - including return of Gotham after a stint in Costa Rica last year.  But,  Gotham and lots of others will be graduating from college, so depending on who moves out of state for job (or gets an NWL offer), we'll just have to see.  Check back in May.   Meanwhile good luck to most LakerNation as we ride out the rest of winter, finish out senior years, as well as another college baseball season



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