Saints open state tourney Saturday against Maple Lake
Posted August 16, 2016
By CJ Siewert
For the first time since 1978-80, the St. Peter town team is making a third-straight appearance at the state tournament. After defeating Henderson 3-2 in 11 innings Saturday, the Saints clinched the third seed out of Region 6, punching a ticket to the state tourney hosted by Hutchinson and Dassel. The Saints are looking for their first win at state since 1980, having lost in the first round in their last three tries, including a 13-3, seven-inning drubbing last year against Waconia.
St. Peter’s first round matchup is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Dassel against the Maple Lake Lakers, who took second place in Region 12. The Saints enter with an overall record of 21-8, while the Lakers are 19-17. The two teams saw only one compatible opponent all season - the Jordan Brewers. The Saints spilt the two-game series with the Brewers, while Maple Lake defeated Jordan 7-6 on July 30. Maple Lake has experience and success at the state tournament, having won the Class C title in 2012. The Lakers have also been touted as one of the best Class C teams in recent years, becoming a regular name on the MBA’s bi-weekly Class C rankings.
St. Peter’s probable starting pitcher for Saturday’s tilt is Luke Schwarz, who holds a 4-5 record and 3.43 ERA after 10 starts and 63 innings this season. Veteran Jesse Anderson may also be called upon. Anderson is 5-0 with a 2.49 ERA after 16 appearances and 43.1 innings.
Maple Lake will likely counter with Jeremy Schmidt or Mitch Wurm. Schmidt holds a 6-2 record and a 2.17 ERA after 74.2 innings, while Wurm is 1-1 with a 1.12 ERA with just eight innings logged this season. Wurm returned to the mound late this season after dealing with an injury.
Jovan Rodriguez and Jordan Wilmes lead the St. Peter offense with .415 and .412 batting averages, respectively. Rodriguez leads the team with a .543 on-base percentage, including 23 walks, while Wilmes leads the team with 25 RBI and 13 doubles.
Dusty Decker and Matt Bergstrom pace the Lakers at the plate with .467 and .350 averages, respectively. Decker has 40 hits, while Bergstrom has a strong on-base percentage at .454. Chad Raiche is also a leading hitter with a .348 average and a team-high 46 hits, including 11 doubles.
Both St. Peter and Maple Lake have been hitting well as a team - the Saints hold a .306 team batting average, while the Lakers are hitting at a .309 clip. Maple Lake’s team ERA is 5.21, while St. Peter’s is 3.33.
The winner of Saturday’s game faces the Waseca Braves, winners of Region 5.
St. Peter’s history
1933 Class A state champions
1955 Class A state champions
1932 Class A third place
1959 Class A third place
State appearances in 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 2010, 2014, 2015, and 2016
