Outlaws defeat Dundas as Pugliese’s post-season dominance continues

Travis Pugliese pitched his second consecutive complete game as the Outlaws eked out a one-run win over Dundas to improve to 3-0 in the tournament.

“He’s pitched phenomenally,” said Savage skipper Travis Peterson his ace pitcher, “we’re coming to expect it, not that it’s something you want to take for granted.”

After leading the Outaws to its State Tournament opener win over Hutchinson on August 22, Pugliese tossed another gem. The Savage hurler allowed one unearned run through his nine innings against the Dukes on Sunday.

The game began with a rocky start as Savage’s usually sure-handed shortstop, Tyler Peterson, committed two first-inning errors that allowed Dundas to draw first blood with a 1-0 lead.

Offensively, it was a challenge for both teams. Pugliese retired 13 straight Dukes batters at one point while Dundas pitcher Chris Olean - a draftee from the Miesville Mudhens - allowed just two runs on six hits through seven innings of work.

Savage scored its runs in the third and fourth innings.

In the third, a pair of singles and a hit batsman led to a sacrifice fly by Savage catcher Ben Braaten to tie the score.

For the go-ahead run in the fourth inning, a missed signal fortuitously paid off for the Outlaws.

John Means led off the Savage fourth by blistering a double down the left field line. Two batters later, with Means now at third base, Outlaws second baseman Evan Walker attempted to push a bunt up the first-base line.

The bunt went foul, but Walker was able to connect on the next Olean offering, sending it in to left field for a single to score Means.

“He actually missed the sign, it was supposed to be a fake bunt,” said manager Peterson of Walker’s at-bat, “luckily, he fouled it off, had another chance and was able to do some damage with it.”

Walker’s RBI hit held up as Pugliese continued to cruise on the mound, finishing the game allowing five hits, no walks and no earned runs.



Notable individual efforts:
Savage Outlaws
Travis Pugliese: CG, 9 IP, 1 R (0 ERs), 5 Hs, 3 Ks, 0 BBs
Evan Walker: 2-for-3, RBI

Dundas Dukes
Chris Olean: 7 IP, 2 Rs (1 ER), 6 Hs, 4 Ks, 1 BB
Brandon Rolloff: 2-for-4, 2B, R

Early runs hold up as Burnsville ace outduels Sauk Rapids’ in win

Bobcats ace Casey Jacobson’s sterling performance slightly topped Sauk Rapids pitcher Scott Geiger’s outstanding effort in leading Burnsville to victory.

Jacobson tossed a complete game to earn the win while Burnsville’s offense was able to put up three runs before Geiger became unhittable toward the game’s end.

“He’s been our best pitcher all year,” said Bobcats manager Robby Wiens regarding Jacobson, “even when he gets in trouble he never gets rattled and seems to get it done every time.”

Burnsville scored the game’s first run as Wiens was hit by a pitch to plate Matt Trocke in the first inning. Two innings later, the Bobcats clawed out two more runs as the bottom of the team’s lineup came through.

Roddy Hjort led of the fourth inning bouncing a grounder to short, but Cyclones shortstop Travis Cariveau’s throw took his first baseman off the bag allowing Hjort to reach safely.

Jeremy Chlan followed Hjort with a sharp single, putting two Bobcats on base with nobody out. Sauk Rapids’ Geiger - a draftee from St. Cloud Orthopedic who was the 2009 Class C State Tournament MVP - countered by nearly escaping the jam, getting Wiens to ground out and striking out Chad Eul. However, the bottom two batters of Burnsville’s lineup - Jacob Dahl and David Keeney - connected for back-to-back RBI singles.

Dahl, who is typically a pitcher and rarely bats, sliced a single to right off Geiger for the 2-0 lead before Keeney’s single made it 3-0.

“He hasn’t really swung much this year,” said manager Wiens, who’s roster was a bit thin that night, “but he showed up, we needed a DH, and he had a big hit for us.”

Sauk Rapids responded in the top of the fifth inning as Cariveau atoned for his gaffe with an RBI double to score Kyle Henkemyer for this team’s first run.

On the Cyclones mound, Geiger picked up steam as he pitched the remainder of the game, retiring 16 of his final 19 batters faced and finished the game with 11 strikeouts.

“Everything got sharper, his fastball, his breaking ball, he just got stronger as the game went along,” said Sauk Rapids catcher / manager Jon Nemec.

However, Geiger’s mid-to-late game dominance would not matter as the Cylclones collected several hits but could not push home another run.

The Sauk Rapids batters out-hit Burnsville 10 to 6, but Jacobson was able to work out of some troubles and hold his opponents to merely the one run.



Notable individual efforts:

Burnsville Bobcats
~ Casey Jacobson: CG, 9 IP, 1 ER, 10 Hs, 1 K, 1 BB
~ Charlie Dubanoski: 2-for-4
~ Jacob Dahl: 1-for-4, RBI
~ David Keeney: 1-for-4, RBI

Sauk Rapids Cyclones
~ Scott Geiger: CG, 9 IP, 3 ERs, 6 Hs, 11 Ks, 2 BBs
~ Kirk Henkemeyer: 4-for-4, 2 2Bs, R
~ Tyler Cariveau: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI

Engberg, Outlaws power surge spark Savage victory

Anders Engberg pitched seven strong innings and a pair of Peterson brothers homered to lead Savage in an impressive eight-run romp over the Mankato Twins on Saturday.

Savage’s six-foot right-hander, Engberg, spent most of his summer primarily pitching in relief for the Duluth Huskies (of the Northwoods League), but he was able to return to the Outlaws in time for a key start.

“He’s always pitched well for us and were very excited to have him back,” said Outlaws manager Travis Peterson regarding Engberg, who’s pitch count was closely monitored Saturday. “He threw 74 [pitches] through seven innings, so he was efficient and pitched really well too.”

Engberg seized control from the get-go, allowing just two Mankato batters to reach base through the first six innings. One of the base runners reached on an error by Savage centerfielder Dylan Peterson, but Peterson more than atoned for the mistake in the fourth inning.

Ex-Gustavus Adolphus standout Tony Konicek led off at the plate for Mankato. Engberg was able to get ahead in the count 1-2, but Konicek connected on the next pitch and drilled the ball deep to right-centerfield. However, Peterson had a beat on it the whole way and tracked it down for a fence-crashing, extra-base-robbing catch.

“That catch was kind of a game changer,” said Dylan’s brother, and manager, Travis Peterson, of his younger brother’s catch, “it got us fired up a bit and then we brought our offense.”

Engberg retired the next two batters to finish the fourth inning in a scoreless tie. Then, the Savage bats caught fire in the top of the fifth.

With one out, Tyler Peterson singled to left and Tayler Rahm followed with a double to center. The next Outlaws batter struck out, but Dylan’s older brother Tony Peterson followed with a clutch, two-out hit off Mankato starter Kevin Regan. Tony bombed a Regan fastball to left initiating the Star Wars theme music on the stadium’s loudspeakers as he rounded the bases and gave his Outlaws a 3-0 lead.

Two innings later, Dylan followed Tony’s shot with a homer of his own.

In the seventh, again with two outs, Savage’s Zach Harazin hit a single to left center. The next batter, Dylan, the youngest of four Peterson brothers on the Savage roster, followed by hammering a deep blast to left for a 5-0 Outlaws lead.

“Trav gave me the hit-and-run [sign],” said Dylan, speaking of his manager brother, Travis, “so I was just trying to put good wood on it, then it ended up going out.”

Mankato finally reached Engberg in the bottom of the seventh, as Konicek was able to clear the fence for a solo homer to cut his team’s deficit to 5-1.

However, Savage padded its lead with four runs in the top of the eighth and Outlaws reliever Brandon Walzcak worked two scoreless innings to cap off the win.



Notable individual efforts:
Savage Outlaws
~ Anders Engberg: W, 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hs, 6 Ks, 0 BBs
~ Dylan Peterson: 3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, R
~ Tony Peterson: 2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 Rs
~ Zach Harazin: 3-for-4, RBI, R

Mankato Twins
~ Tony Konicek: 2-for-4, HR, R, RBI

Pugliese pitches Outlaws past Huskies in State Tourney opener

Savage’s Travis Pugliese cooled off a hot Hutchinson offense to lead his Outlaws to a 4-1 opening-round win over the Huskies at the amateur baseball Class B State Tournament Sunday evening in Bird Island.

The Outlaws ace allowed just one run to a Hutchinson team that earned its entry to State with an impressive 20-6 win over Section 8 two-seed St. Michael last week.

“He pitched really well today,” said Savage skipper Travis Peterson of Pugliese’s performance, “we’re coming to expect good pitching and when you’ve got a number-one who can do that for you, that’s great.”

Peterson’s Outlaws struggled early offensively but eventually backed up Pugliese with four runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Tony Peterson and Zack King were both 3-for-3 at the plate while Ben Braaten and Tayler Rahm pitched in two hits apiece.

It was a frustrating start to the game for Savage as the team bounced into double plays to end both the first and second innings. The Outlaws were held scoreless through five innings, scattering four hits and two walks.

Pugliese labored a bit on the mound for Savage, allowing the Huskies to score the game’s first run after a pair of doubles in the fourth inning. The right-hander ran into some trouble in the fifth and sixth as well, but he was able to work his way out of jams and eventually gain control.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, with Pugliese having held Hutchinson to its slim 1-0 lead, the Outlaws offense was finally able to string some hits together and score its first two runs.

With one out, Ben Braaten ignited the Outlaws rally with a sharp single up the middle. Tony Peterson followed with an infield single to the Hutchinson shortstop’s backhand. Next, John Means slapped a single to center to score Braaten and tie the game. Lastly, on a good hustle play, Peterson was able to score on a ground ball to third by Zach Harazin - Harazin was out on a rare 5-2-3 putout but was credited with the go-ahead RBI.

Speed and aggressiveness on the base paths aided Savage in scoring its other two runs as well.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Outlaws lead-off hitter Tyler Peterson drew a walk. Rahm followed with a single to center, just to the right of Huskies centerfielder Jarrod Zelm. Peterson rounded second base on the play and hustled toward third, forcing a throw by Zelm that sailed into the Hutchinson dugout, allowing Peterson to score. Rahm was awarded third base on the errant throw and would score on a single to right by Braaten.

“We were gonna make [the other team] make plays,” said manager Travis Peterson following the game, “when you’re in a close game we put the pressure on them to make the plays, if they do, hats off to them.”

The Huskies didn’t, in this case, as Zelm’s error assisted the Outlaws in building a three-run lead - which was plenty sufficient for Pugliese.

In the top of the eighth, Pugliese induced three consecutive groundouts to third baseman Tony Peterson. The Savage hurler made it four straight grounders to third as Hutchinson’s Ryan Kaping bounced out to lead off the ninth. Pugliese then retired the final two Hutch batters, finishing the game with a strikeout of Zelm.

After struggling a bit early, the Outlaws ace completed the game retiring 12 of the final 13 Huskies hitters he faced - including seven straight to finish the game.

“It took me a little while to find it today, probably the first five or six innings,” said Pugliese regarding his outing, “but then I settled down and started going back to my game, throwing strikes and hitting my spots.”

Pugliese’s performance improved him to 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA in four State Tournament appearances over the past two seasons - he was 2-1 with a 2.11 ERA in last year’s tournament when Savage finished in fifth place.

The Outlaws will rely on Pugliese once again next week as the competition stiffens when they face the Mankato Twins. Following its 3-2 win over Cold Spring earlier Sunday, Mankato pushed it impressive record to 21-2.

Savage (33-9) will battle the Twins this Saturday - August 28 - at 5:00 p.m. in Willmar.



Notable individual efforts:
Savage Outlaws
~ Travis Pugliese: 9 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hs, 4 Ks, 2 BBs
~ Tony Peterson: 3-for-3, BB, R
~ Zack King: 3-for-3, 2B, SB
~ Ben Braten: 2-for-4, RBI, R
~ Tayler Rahm: 2-for-4, R

Hutchinson Huskies
~ Justin Juergenson: 2-for-4, 2B, R
~ Ryan Kaping: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI

**Note: I was a reporter for this game, witnessing most of it from the Savage dugout with an inning or two near the Hutchinson dugout. I also took several photos throughout the game. The pictures featured in this article are - from top-to-bottom - Travis Pugliese delivering a pitch in the first inning, Tony Peterson celebrating after scoring his team's go-ahead run in the sixth, Pugliese (post-game), Tony Peterson smacking a single to lead off the second inning, Zack King at first base after a bunt single in the third.