by Dave DeMars
news@thenewsleaders.com
To say the Sartell Muskies have been on a tear is a bit of an understatement. Since July 1, the Muskies have won 14 straight games.
Muskies blank St. Joseph 5-0
And they weren’t about to let go of that streak when they played arch rival St. Joseph Joes in regional playoffs at Hinckley Aug. 12.
They called on 30-year-old southpaw David Deminsky to work his magic against the Joes. With 10 years of league play, Deminsky went to work and pitched a near- perfect game striking out 13 batters in nine innings. It would have been a perfect game but for two walks.
“They’ve been a rival of ours for many years,” said Manager Randy Beckstrom. “Obviously, Dave pitched a great game. For as many guys as he strikes out a lot of times, those guys tend to be a little more wild, but he has great control. He’ll strikeout a lot of guys, but he does not walk a lot of guys either.”
Beckstrom went on to credit the defensive play of the Muskies as they backed up Deminsky very well. There’s always some key defensive plays, Beckstrom said. In this case he credited Cody Partch at short stop taking away what could have been a hit. He also praised the outfielders who chased down some fly balls that could have done some real damage.
After blanking St. Joseph, the Muskies went on to play the Mora Blue Devils on Aug. 13.
Muskies shutout the Blue Devils 3-0
After celebrating the win over St. Joseph, the Muskies went after the Mora Blue Devils for the region championship. It was a hard-fought game, but the Muskies defense and pitching were as stingy as ever.
“Adam Wenker only gave up two hits,” Beckstrom said. “He had a perfect game going until the sixth inning. We didn’t give up a hit for 15 innings.”
Beckstrom said the Muskie pitching staff is one of the strengths of the team. And what makes it even sweeter is all of them come out of the Sartell High School program.
“We rely pretty heavily on those guys,” Beckstrom said. “But it’s a variety of ages. They are not all of the same class.”
Hitting is a hit-and-miss affair, but according to Beckstrom the team seems to find a way to manufacture some runs.
“We get the big hit at the right time and we run the bases correctly,” Beckstrom said. “There have been times we’ve struggled to score runs, but we are a scrappy team.”
But it’s not all just singles. The Muskies have some power as well. And they showed it against the Blue Devils as Tim Burns pounded one over the fence in the fourth inning. Beckstrom said Burns has been doing it for years.
The win over the Blue Devils put the Muskies into the state tournament. And the win also earned them a first-round bye in the tourney so they won’t have to play until 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27 in Hamburg. Their opponent is yet to be determined.
The good news for the Muskies is they have no real serious injuries and they don’t have anyone who is leaving for school, so they should have the same solid lineup they’ve used since mid-July.
“Once you get into the state tournament, you have to be good, but you have to be a little bit lucky too to win the championship,” Beckstrom said.
Sartell Muskies’ Andrew Deters singles in a 2016 8-0 win over the Foley Lumberjacks.
A lively crowd of more than 500 people attended the Regional 1C Baseball Tournament in Sartell’s Champion Field last year.
During a night game, Cody Partch gets ready to swing during a region tournament in 2016 at Sartell Champion Field.
Randy Beckstrom has been a member of the Sartell Muskies for 29 years, ever since graduating from Sartell High School. Once a star pitcher, he is now the team’s manager.
Adam Schellinger of the Sartell Muskies prepares to wallop the ball during an early-season win over the Sartell Stone Poneys.
