By David Zander
Correspondent
After missing both the 2020 season (COVID) and 2021 season (low participation) the Maple Lake Post 131 Legion baseball team was resurrected in 2022. The first season back was a good experience and competitive but Post 131 was winless for the summer.
The summer of 2023 has seen a huge turnaround. The exact same group of kids have worked hard in the offseason and the results have shown.
The team finished the regular season with a 7-6 record with victories over several much larger communities. Post 131 notched victories over Monticello, Annandale, Dassel-Cokato, STMA (twice), Kimball and Hutchinson. Post 131 is coached by Nick Preisinger and Brady Scanlon.
Post 131 opened the playoffs, on Monday, July 10th, at Irish Stadium with a victory over Dassel-Cokato by a score of 4-2. Carter Scanlon pitched well and recorded the victory on the mound, with Jarrett Faue getting the save. Maple Lake pulled away when Nick Jost doubled followed by a triple from Eddy Neu, who later scored, putting the game out of reach.
Maple Lake Post 131 traveled to Howard Lake for the second round on Thursday, July 13. Maple Lake jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. In the top of the third, Maple Lake was threatening again, when severe weather moved in and delayed the game until Friday. The game picked up in the same spot with runners on first and second when Danny Reilley smashed the first pitch of the night for a double, scoring Noah Gindele and Nathan Zander. In the fifth inning, Maple Lake again had runners on first and second, this time it was Joey Gendreau’s double to centerfield that scored Neu and Zander. Faue pitched a gem, allowing just two ground ball singles in six innings. Gindele finished the final inning as the two hurlers combined for a 6/0 shutout.
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