By Matt Brown and Dave Erickson
Correspondents
The The Maple Lake Lakers finished the North Star League post season playoffs netting the third seed from Region 12. Maple Lake will play the Region 3 runners-up, Union Hill, on Sunday, Aug. 20, at 4:30 p.m. in Dassel. Delano won the playoffs, earning a date against the winner of Roseau and Spring Hill while Hutchinson edged the Lakers to face Fairmont and Loretto finished fourth and will play Luxembourg. All games will be played in the host cities of Delano, Dassel, and Litchfield.
Delano 4, Maple Lake 0
The Lakers were the visitors in Loretto against the Delano Athletics on Saturday, Aug. 5, in the deciding game for the number one seed from Section 12. Delano jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first and another in the third. The Laker offense never really got going, with Ben Clapp getting two of the four total Laker hits. Grant Mergen and Alex Winslow each threw four innings and kept a potent Delano offense contained, each surrendering only two hits.
Hutchinson 11, Maple Lake 4
For the second straight day, the Maple Lake Lakers went down to defeat on Sunday, Aug. 13, this time in the 2nd-3rd place game in the Region 12C playoffs in Loretto.
Maple Lake got out in front 2-0 right away. Luke Fobbe and Ben Clapp led off the bottom of the first with base hits. When Hunter Malachek went to bunt them over, a throwing error by Hutchinson allowed Fobbe to scoot home. Then later in the frame, Matt Bergstrom’s infield hit plated Clapp. The Lakers increased the gap to 3-0 in the fourth when Brock Goelz singled, advanced to second as Bergstrom walked, moved up on Jake Bergstrom’s bunt, then scored on Riley Decker’s single.