Hawks Take Second with 24-2 Rout

From the first batter of the game, craziness abounded at the ball field in Luxemburg. With a little league tournament going on right next door to the matchup between the Eden Valley Hawks and the Luxemburg Brewers, everyone should have been prepared for it. It all started when Dan Berg drove the ball to right field, only to have the ball ricochet off of the pole on top of the fence, bounce 30 feet back toward the infield, and then get Berg thrown out at second base. The next batter, Joe Thiel, doubled to right center. With Jeff Haag at the plate, Thiel advanced to third on a passed ball and, thinking he could catch the pitcher off guard, tried to take home on the play as well, only to be tagged out on a diving play by the pitcher.

After those two plays, the game settled down and seemed to become a pitcher’s duel. In the top of the fourth, Dan Hansen hit the ball over the fence for a solo home run, giving the Hawks the lead. But Luxemburg responded in the bottom of the inning with one of their own. With a scoreless top of the fifth, the craziness appeared again in the bottom of the inning. A leadoff double was followed by a walk and then a single, plating a run and putting runners at first and second. The next batter hit the ball hard to right field, and the runner was held at third. The batter and the runner from first didn’t stop, however, and all of the sudden, there was a rundown. Dan Hansen threw the ball to Joe Thiel to get the batter going to second, and Thiel then threw to Heath Kramer at home to get the runner, and the Hawks were suddenly one out away from getting out of the mess after the 9-3-6-2 double play. The Brewers still had a runner at third, but he would be stranded there after the three pitch strikeout to end the inning.

The top of the sixth saw the Hawks take the lead back quickly. With one out, Matthew Pennertz doubled to center field, then pinch hitter Larry Geislinger Jr. hit the full count offering off of the scoreboard in right center to give the Hawks the 3-2. lead. But the scoring wasn’t done. After a pitching change by the home club, the next nine batters reached base, six by walks. Mike Arnold and Darren Berg had doubles and Jeff Haag had a single before the second out was made, a sac fly by Darren Berg. Dan Berg then hit the third homer of the game for the Hawks, a three-run blast. The next batter was retired for the final out, but not before the Hawks scored twelve runs in the inning.

With Dan Hansen now pitching for the Hawks, the Brewers failed to get a hit in the sixth, seventh, or eighth innings. The Hawks were far from done, however. In the seventh, Chuck Geislinger hit his third home run of the season and the fourth of the game for the Hawks, this a three-run shot to extend the visitors’ lead. The eighth brought in eight more runs for the Hawks, thanks in large part to a two-run single by Heath Kramer, which was followed by a three-run home run by Darren Berg, which in turn brought about a solo home run by Dan Berg. Al Faber pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the 24-2 win for the Hawks.

During the game, the Hawks learned that the Cold Spring Rockies had lost their game with the Pearl Lake Lakers, which meant that the Hawks had earned the second seed in the south division. The Hawks will therefore host the Rockies in the first round of the Central Valley League playoffs next Sunday at 2:00 pm.

Box Score