by Dave DeMars
With the frost barely out of the ground and a brisk March wind still blowing in May, the St. Joseph Joes kicked off their baseball season. Arms are still a little sore, legs stiffen and cramp easily, and the bat speed isn’t quite what it was last summer at season’s end. But the grass is green and the base paths are laid out, so the Joes are swatting singles and fielding flies and already have five games under their belt.
With some players still away at school, results have been mixed, but the Joes are looking for some good results when a full complement of players can take the field. Longtime coach and manager Pat Schneider will again guide the Joes through the season.
Dilworth Rails trip up the Joes 4-1
In the St. Joseph home opener May 12, the Dilworth Rails were able to push four runs across the plate and held the Joes to a single run. Isaac Holthaus took the loss with the St. Joseph bats strangely silent. The Joes managed one run on two hits. Dilworth managed six hits but managed to string them together at the right time. Luke Gable pitched eight innings to get the win for Dilworth.
Muskies hammer the Joes 22-2
The Sartell Muskie’s bats exploded for 22 runs in the May 13 game against St. Joseph. John Schumer of Sartell pitched five strong innings to collect the win while Alex Kendall was tagged with the loss. The Muskies collected 20 hits on the afternoon while they held the Joes to just six. Brian Schellinger drove in five runs, but it was Andrew Dieters who provided the big excitement for the Muskies popping a dinger over the fence driving in four runs in the afternoon.
St. Joe bats frozen in Cold Spring loss 4-0
The St. Joseph Joes managed only three hits in a losing effort on the road against the Cold Spring Springers in a May 16 midweek performance. Nathan Mohs took the loss while Drew Vanloy collected the win for the Springers. Vanloy threw nine innings for the Springers and struck out 10 batters in a strong early season showing.
Joes bats come alive in 14-3 win over Clear Lake
The St. Joseph Joes scattered 20 hits and scored 14 runs in their May 19 win over the Clear Lake Lakers. Collecting the win for the Joes was Greg Anderson who threw seven strong innings. Peter Nelson led the St. Joseph lineup with four hits, but Anderson helped his own cause by collecting three hits and driving in a run.
St. Joseph bats pound the Ponies in 22-5 win
The Joes pelted the thin nine-man Sartell Pony line-up with 22 hits in a 22-5 win at St. Joseph on May 20. Jack Atkinson held the mound for six innings and collected the win. Atkinson threw six strikeouts and gave up only two walks. Charles Vaughan had a productive afternoon driving in seven of the 22 St. Joseph runs. In the field the Joes played flawless error-free ball.