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The Pirate softball team is once again the Division 3 state champions. They won back in 2006 in the longest game in Division 3 state history (12 innings). They were able to get this one in regulation.

The Pirates dispatched the Laconia Spartans today, 3-0 after avenging a 2004 loss to the Weyawega-Fremont Indians yesterday 7-2 in the semi-final game.

There is so much to write about with this run to the championship, I don’t know where to begin.

There were a lot of defensive highlights this weekend. Heather Davison had a game changing catch in the semi-finals… Tiff Meyer layed out for one today, snagged it and threw a bullet to first base to get the runner by a hair… Ingrid Ames had a couple amazing, tough catches… Annie Palmquist, too. The defense of Grantsburg was great when it needed to be.

The hitting all weekend was timely. Heather Davison was outstanding, as was Michelle Lund, Emily Cole and Tiff Meyer. The baserunning was outstanding and aggressive again and it paid off.

The pitching, though, was the absolute best. Michelle Lund was in a "Michael Jordan, NBA Finals" type of a zone. Nothing could rattle her and she was pitching bb’s up there. She had 14 strikeouts in the semi-finals and five today. If it weren’t for the errors today (5) it could’ve been the best game in the state tournament (although the division four game saw a perfect game pitched by a freshman!).

It was a very fun experience to announce these games. I’ve been privileged to go to state to cover athletics five times now and this is the first time one of the teams has won the tournament.

Congratulations, Pirates! You are a great team and a fun bunch of people!

By the way… with only one player lost to graduation (Ingrid Ames) it’s time to start thinking repeat!

The Pirate Golf squad finished in fourth place at state (out of eight teams). Well done (I’m clapping politely right now).

The Pirates finished just two strokes behind the third place team (they were well out of range of first and second) and finished two strokes ahead of the fifth place team.

The Pirates shot a two round cumulative total of 121 over par (that sounds enormous, but it is a five player, two day total. The winning team was 71 over par).

Derek Sando shot two scores of 80 and was seventh on the individual leaderboard. If I’m not mistaken, that will qualify him as an all-state golfer. Don’t quote me on that, though.

Congratulations to Sando, Brad Berner, Tony Folk, Connar Goetz and Kyle Johnson!

Here’s a picture of the team after winning the sectional meet.

Photo courtesy of the Burnett County Sentinel

The Pirate guys flirted with disaster all game and it finally wound up catching up to them in the seventh inning.

The Pirates fell 5-1 to the Elk Mound Mounders in the sectional semi-final game, giving up four runs in the top of the seventh to end Grantsburg’s remarkable season.

The game was close until then. Both teams scored one run in the sixth inning, then that fateful seventh inning for the Pirates. The leadoff hitter was hit, there were two or three walks and a couple hits in there that combined for four runs in the final frame.

The Mounders (what kind of mascot is that, anyway? Is it some sort of politically correct compromise? If I were a mound I’d be pretty offended) pitched extremely well giving up only four hits and striking out five. Their pitcher was in control most of the game.

The Pirates had won eleven in a row and they had a chance to win the game. They dodged early bullets by throwing two runners out at home… in the first inning! The first was Nolan Hanson to Ben Larson with Larson tagging out the advancing runner. The second came with the bases loaded and the batter bounced it to pitcher Thane Larson who threw it home for the force then Larson gunned it to first baseman Jake Ryan for a rare 1-2-3 double play.

Though the season didn’t end the way the Pirates and their fans would’ve liked to have seen, the team represented their home town well and they deserve our congratulations. They played ball like it should be and they were rewarded with a great season and a trip to Sectionals. Only sixteen teams get to do that every year.

Congrats, Pirates!

Really cool photo courtesy of Marianne Shira

The Grantsburg baseball team is headed to sectionals tomorrow. Their first game is at 11am versus Elk Mound and when they win they will play again at 5pm.

Thanks to Deb Allaman-Johnson for the map and directions. You can see the ball field in the lower left-hand part of the map. (I would’ve just linked to the baseball site, but the Grantsburg school’s website is too cool for me to figure out the links.)

Turn off I-94 @ Osseo. Take hwy 10 West. Follow to west side of town. Ballpark on the north side of hwy 10…take county road K. See aerial map above.

If you can’t make it to the game be sure to tune into 105.7 WXCX for the play-by-play.

Go Pirates!

Sectional Champions!

The Grantsburg Pirates softball team has advanced to the Division 3 state tournament by beating Park Falls 10-1 then dispatching of the Prescott Cardinals 7-3!

Both games were won in different ways, but in both the common thread was Grantsburg making the most out of the opportunities given to them (hello, life lesson!).

In the first game the Pirates had the patience of Job as they watched the pitcher from Park Falls implode before their very eyes. I think the Pirates only had one earned run in that game, a Lauren Romanowski two-run home run (the other girl, Emily Cole, reached on an error). That was a lot of fun. Romo came out to catch the next inning with the biggest, most sincere smile I’ ve seen in a long time. She gets to keep that memory for the rest of her life.

The second game saw Grantsburg bats come alive. I think they had something like 13 or 14 hits. They did leave the bases loaded twice so the score could have been much worse (or better, I guess). Cody Crawford hit a three-run home run in this one! So in two games the 8 and 9 batters were hitting like cleanup batters. Lots of fun!

Of course the thing that this whole run is constituted on is that golden right arm of Michelle Lund. She went 14 innings today (Jack Morris only went 10) and I think she only gave up one or two earned runs. She was in absolute command today striking out 13 batters on the day. Good job, Michelle!

I have been REALLY impressed with the girls the past three games especially. They have put together some real team wins.

If Grantsburg’s defense can step up just a little bit and their offense stay where its at… good luck rest of the field, Grantsburg’s a HOT ONE, BABY!

This picture is from the Stillwater Dome… waaaayyy back in early April.

Great season, girls!

Photo stolen from Steve Johnson's site

The only game the fastpitch team lost this season has now become a win. St. Croix Falls had to forfeit their big win against the Pirates because they were playing with an ineligible player. The score has been changed from a 2-0 loss to a 7-0 win.

The player(s) in question were involved in that debacle over some area softball players participating in a CO-ED softball tournament a few weekends ago. Grantsburg was affected and they sat the "guilty" parties while SCF played them.

So Grantsburg is still undefeated. Rules are there for a reason. Grantsburg followed them, St. Croix didn’t. I’m not sure about their circumstances, there’s a chance they didn’t even know that the girl was ineligible.

There was another team in the state, Assumption, that had to forfeit thier regional championship because the coach played an ineligible player. That player had been caught drinking, but was a huge part of their team so the coach demonstrated some bad judgement there and ultimately he resigned.

I am in no way saying that the SCF coaches should do that, not at all. But since a rule was broken there are consequences.

As I was researching stuff for tomorrow’s Sectional broadcast(s) I saw that Grantsburg was listed as an undefeated 23-0, which is odd because, well, I saw them lose 2-0 against the Saints on the last game of the regular season.

I checked the scores and the game has been changed to a 7-0 win in favor of the Grantsburg Pirates (which is significant because that’s the automatic score that is recorded due to a forfeit). Here’s the link. I KNOW I saw the same site listing the Pirates with one loss. I’ll try to get to the bottom of this soon. That would be a very interesting turn of events.

The thing that comes to my mind immediately is the whole slow-pitch CO-ED softball tournament that many area players participated in and were subsequently disqualified for the season. The season long suspension was later reversed, but all the girls were to sit out the next game (they had just found out about the suspensions that morning and for all they knew, their seasons were over). Maybe St. Croix had an inelligible player play, thus the forfiet?

Or it could be a mistake at wissports.net.

Undefeated? Maybe… tune in to tomorrow’s broadcast at 1pm on 105.7, WXCX for the sectional semifinals. I should have some answers by then.

Photo stolen from Steve Johnson's site

The Pirates are heading to Eau Claire for (hopefully) two games tomorrow. In case you’re last minute shoppers like me, here are the directions to the ball diamonds. The games will be held at Carson Park. Grantsburg plays at 1pm. Listen to 105.7 for all the action.

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Congratulations to the Grantsburg Pirates. They won tonight 9-2 against the second seed Clayton/Turtle Lake team.

The Pirates advance to the Sectionals which will be held in Osseo-Fairchild next Tuesday. Their first game starts at 11am and should they win that one they will play at 5pm that evening. Their first game is against the Elk Mound Mounders (17-4 first place in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference). Bracket

The Grantsburg pitching was outstanding tonight as Jimmy Nelson and Nolan Hanson combined for eight strike outs in seven innings. The third inning was the only inning the Clayton/Turtle Lake squad got anything going and it was on the strength of a bloop hit to left and a high chopper in front of home plate. Both of those players came around to score that inning and that was it for them for the game.

I really appreciate the fans at the ballpark. They are very passionate about their home team and are per capita the loudest fans I think Grantsburg has.

Grantsburg is on a roll right now winning their eleventh game in a row (looks like I had a bad source in the previous post).

Congratulations and good luck!

Photo Courtesy of Deb Allaman-Johnson

The Grantsburg Pirate baseball team has won eight in a row after beating the Unity Eagles last night, 4-3.

Grantsburg’s Thane Larson had a perfect game going through three innings and a no hitter into the fifth. In that fifth inning Unity scored twice and cut the lead in half, 4-2.

Then the wild top of the seventh came. The Unity runners on second and third first and second were running with the pitch, two outs. The batter gets a solid knock into right center field. One run scores, and the runner from first is on his way. A relay throw from the outfield to second baseman, Austin Eskola first baseman, Jake Ryan to catcher Ben Larson is in time and secures the third out of the inning and a chance at a regional championship against second seed Turtle Lake/Clayton. The game will be at five o’clock tonight (Wednesday, June 3). Tune in to 105.7 WXCX for the action.

The Pirates have now won nine out of their last ten games. Let’s hope they can continue that tonight against a good Turtle Lake/ Clayton team. Grantsburg lost to them the second game of the season, final score 6-2.