With 'chip' on their shoulder, Redhawks roll to Division I SubState 1 championship in Legion baseball

Jul. 22—ROCHESTER — The Rochester Redhawks American Legion baseball team had a state tournament berth secured even before play began in the Division I SubState 1 tournament.

But being a token entry in the tournament wasn't what the Redhawks had in mind.

The Redhawks powered their way into the American Legion state tournament on Saturday as they rolled past Winona 13-7 in the Division I SubState 1 championship at Massey Field. The Redhawks, who were the No. 6 tournament seed, did not lose a single game in the tournament.

"I think the big thing is, we came in as the sixth seed, but we knew we were the best team in the tournament," Redhawks outfielder Mason Leimbek said. "That was a little chip on our shoulder, people thinking we're not the best team here and then we go out and do that."

The Redhawks are the host of next week's state Division I state tournament and with it had a guaranteed spot in the field. But they didn't want to be in the state tournament just because they were the host team.

"That's not the path we wanted to take," coach Tom Senne said. "This is a team that knows how to win and they know how to handle these high-pressure situations in these tournaments. They've been doing it all year and it's been fun to watch them."

On their way to the SubState championship, the Redhawks beat No. 2 and 4 seeds and the No. 3 seed twice.

"We were not miss-seeded, but I had no doubt in my mind that we were going to be able to compete with those higher seeds," Redhawks veteran Kyle Prindle said.

The Redhawks, made up of players from Mayo High School, were highly ranked in the state heading into the American Legion season. They overcame a slow start, but were still the No. 6 seed in Division I SubState 1.

Those early struggles are well in the past for the Redhawks. With Saturday's win, Rochester has won 15 of its past 16 games.

"We had a tough start at the start of the season just because we had a lot of new guys," Leimbek said. "But once they got experience and we started to come together as a team, we're almost unbeatable now."

The Redhawks have developed a lot of chemistry during the season. They have added several players who did not see action for the Mayo varsity this spring, when the Spartans were the Section 1AAAA runner-up. The Redhawks have a strong core of that team, but have used a mostly revamped infield.

Younger players who have stepped up include shortstop Kyle Leopold, second baseman Lincoln Majerus and Hayden Mathern.

"I think those younger guys have stepped into a big role," Prindle said. "Credit to the older guys too for kind of stepping in and being leaders, myself included. I think Mason (Leimbek) and all the seniors have stepped up and led those younger guys into the role that they have now."

Prindle and Majerus were both 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored on Saturday. Prindle, a 2022 Mayo grad who played college ball at Edgewood College in Wisconsin in 2023, drove in two runs as did Alec Sadowy and winning pitcher Sam Hruska. Leimbek was 2-for-4 and his three-run double in the sixth inning broke open a close game.

"They're one of the better hitting teams we've seen all year and probably will see," Winona coach Gary Hoeppner said. "And we just didn't make some plays. Things kind of snowballed in the third and sixth innings."

The Redhawks scored four times in the third to overcome a 3-1 deficit and then expanded a 7-5 lead to 13-5 with six runs in the sixth.

"We were down early, but these guys don't give up," Senne said. "It's been a really fun group of players and people to be around."

The Redhawks earned their first state berth since 2014.

Winona (19-7), the No. 3 seed, also earns a state berth as the division runner-up since the Redhawks had the automatic berth.

"The goal was to get to Saturday (and the championship game)," Hoeppner said. "Today was icing on the cake."

Winona (19-7) will enter the state tournament on a roll having won 11 of its past 13 games. Both losses were to the Redhawks.

Play in the state tournament in Rochester begins Thursday.

Redhawks 13, Winona 7

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No. 3 Winona: Ethan Merchlewitz 2-for-3, 3 RBI, 1 R; Jon Going 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI; Cody Hundorf 2-for-3, 1 R; Tyler Kelner 1-for-4, 1 RBI; Carson Jones 2-for-3, 1 R. Pitchers: Marcus Winter (LP) 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K; Carter Shields 2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.

No. 6 Rochester Redhawks: Kyle Prindle 3-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R; Kasey Carlson 1 RBI; Sam Hruska 2-for-2, 2 RBI, 1 R; Mason Leimbek 2-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R; Carson Beavers 1-for-3, 2 R; Alex Sadowy 2-for-4, 2 RBI; Kyle Leopold 1-for-4, 2 R; Lincoln Majerus 3-for-4, 1 2B, 3 R. Pitchers: Connor Dahl 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K; Sam Hruska (WP) 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Kyle Prindle 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.