It was close – so close.
But, alas, the Sartell Muskies lost their bid for the Class C amateur state-tournament championship 3-2 in a game at Cold Spring’s Baseball Park Aug. 30. The team from Waconia, the Lakers, bested the Muskies with a run in the ninth inning.
For five innings the Muskies went scoreless, with Waconia leading with two runs.
But then, in the sixth inning, Muskies batter Tim Burns slammed a two-run homer, tying the game and boosting the Muskies’ hope for a possible win. That hope was dashed when Waconia hitter Peter Brown scored a run in the ninth.
The Muskies ended the season with a 29-2 record. The Waconia Lakers have a season record so far of 21-6. The tournament will continue this weekend with a game between the Lakers and the Kimball Express in Watkins.
Forty-eight teams competed for the Class C State Tournament this year, which runs through Sept. 7. The host cities for the tourney are Cold Spring and Watkins.