2007 Tri-City VFW Blue Season

Congrat's Blue!!!!!!
2007 District 7 Minnesota VFW Champion and
Runner up in the 2007 Minnesota VFW State Tournament

Photos from Chris Benz Tournament in New Hope are Now Available
The team shows off its trophy in great style! Photos from the New Hope Tournament (208 KB) are courtesy of Dan Nickols -- thanks, Dan!

Photos from Stillwater and Northfield Tournaments Now Available
View / print some GREAT photos, courtesy of Diane Hershey (thank you, Diane!), from the Stillwater (638 KB) and Northfield (600 KB) tournaments!

Blue off to a Great Start!
After 10 games (through June 11th), Tri-City Blue is off to a great start, racking up a record of 9 wins and only 1 loss. GO BLUE!!!

Visit the State VFW Homepage.
For information on the history of VFW Baseball in Minnesota, and a list of past VFW State Championship teams, visit the Minnesota VFW Baseball Web Site!

2007 Coaching Staff

2007 Regular Season Schedule

Game #; Date	Team	Score	vs. Team (Home)	Score	at Field	W	L
1-Thursday, 5/31/07	St. Anthony	4	Tri-City Blue	6	6 p.m., Irondale	1	0
	Karl Eicher homered for Blue.
Stillwater Tournament:
2-Saturday, 6/2/07	Tri-City Blue	13	Burnsville	1	Stillwater	2	0
	Ian Goldsmith and Jesse ickols homered for Blue.
3-Saturday, 6/2/07	Minnetonka	3	Tri-City Blue	1	Stillwater	2	1
	Andy Osborne pitched 7 strong innings, allowing only 1 earned run and striking out 8.
4-Sunday, 6/3/07	Tri-City Blue	11	Brooklyn Park	3	Stillwater	3	1
	David Freed delay-stealed home. Jesse Nickols hit an inside the park home run, and Brad Blumer tripled.
5-Sunday, 6/3/07	Tri-City Blue	9	Park	0	Stillwater	4	1
	Phil Wessberg and Brad Blumer combined for the shutout; Wessberg allowed 3 hits over his 5 innings, and Blumer struck out 3 in his 2 innings of work. Blue turned 3 double plays in the game. Alex Hoffman was 3 for 4 at the plate.
League Play, District 7: Consists of 4 Districts. TCB is in the Southeast Division with Tri-City Red VFW (Irondale), St. Anthony, Totino-Grace, Mpls River Rats, and Columbia Heights. TCB plays each team in SE District twice and each team in the SW District once, for a total of 18 District games.
6-Monday, 6/4/07	Tri-City Blue	16	Southwest	0	6 p.m., Armatage Park	5	1
	Andy Gallagher threw all 5 innings of no-hit ball, striking out 9. Blue turned 3 double plays in the game. Brandon Hershey: 4 runs scored.
Northfield Tournament:
7-Friday, 6/8/07	Tri-City Blue	14	Northfield	10	Northfield	6	1
	Brad Blumer competed well for 5 and 2/3 of relief pitching to keep his team in the game long enough for Blue to recover from an early 5-1 deficit. Alex Hoffman was 3/5 with 4 RBI's. Karl Eicher homered to lead-off the game.
8-Saturday, 6/9/07	Tri-City Blue	9	Farmington	3	Northfield	7	1
	Jessie Nickols pitched a 7 inning complete game for the win, allowing just 3 runs while striking out 9. Ian Goldsmith homered, and Karl Eicher collected 2 hits.
9-Saturday, 6/9/07	Tri-City Blue (6 innings)	10	Austin	0	Northfield	8	1
	David Freed pitched a complete game 6 inning shutout, allowing just 3 hits and striking out 8. Andy Osborne led the offensive attack with a 4 for 4 game, including a 3 run HR. Osborne had 5 total RBI's and scored 3 runs.
League Play, District 7:
10-Monday, 6/11/07	Ballentine Black #2	1	Tri-City Blue	17	6 p.m., Irondale	9	1
	Gino Villella scored 3 runs and contributed 3 RBI's. Karl Eicher homered and doubled, scoired 2 runs and had 3 RBI's. Andy Osborne got the win with his 5 innings pitched; with 0 earned runs and 8 K's.
11-Wednesday, 6/13/07	Tri-City Blue	12	Columbia Heights	1	6 p.m., Columbia Heights HS	10	1
	Josh Balzer threw a 6 inning no hitter; recording 13 K's of the 18 outs. Karl Eicher was 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI's. Andy Gallagher also had 3 hits and scored 2 runs.
12-Friday, 6/15/07	Tri-City Blue VFW	8	Tri-City Red VFW	9	6 p.m., Irondale	10	2
	Tri-City Blue jumped to an early 7-1 lead, but was unable to hang on for the win. Early home runs by Karl Eicher and Jesse Nickols contributed to the early lead. Matt Stoltman had 4 walks in 4 plate appearances
13-Tuesday, 6/19/07	Holy Angels	15	Tri-City Blue	5	6 p.m., Irondale	10	3
	Tri-City Blue was unable to overcome 10 walks and 4 errors as Holy Angels won in 6 innings.
14-Wednesday, 6/20/07	Totino-Grace	3	Tri-City Blue	1	6 p.m., Totino-Grace HS	10	4
	Tri-City Blue was unable to solve Berg from Totino-Grace who scattered 4 hits to earn the win. Karl Eicher had 2 hits and scored the lone run for Tri-City Blue. David Freed left the game after 2 innings and one batter due to injury, and Josh Balzer came into relieve, pitching well to keep the team in the game - allowing 0 runs and 2 hits.
-Friday, 6/22/07	Tri-City Blue (rain; DH on 6/29 instead)		Ballentine Blue		6 p.m., Pearl Park	--	--
15-Monday, 6/25/07	Tri-City Blue	2	St. Anthony	0	6 p.m., St. Anthony HS	11	4
	Jesse Nickols (4 innings, 5K's) and Andy Osborne (3 innings, 7 K's) combined for a no-hitter; striking out 12. Both were able to work out of jams created by 7 walks and 2 HBP. Gino Villella scored the game winner on a hit by Andy Gallagher in the 5th. Brad Blumer provided an insurance RBI, scoring Brandon Hershey in the 6th.
-Wednesday, 6/27/07	Columbia Heights (canceled)		Tri-City Blue		6 p.m., Irondale	--	--
16-Friday, 6/29/07	Ballentine Blue	11	Tri-City Blue	10	4 pm (confirm w/coach), Pearl Pk	11	5
	Tri-City Blue committed 7 errors; 1 of the 11 runs allowed was earned. Offensively, Phil Wessberg hit for the cycle; he was 4 for 4 on the game with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI's.
17-Friday, 6/29/07 (from 6/22)	Ballentine Blue (6 innings)	12	Tri-City Blue	12	6 p.m., Pearl Park	11-	5-1
	Blue competed from behind to tie the score in a game called after 6 innings due to darkness. Ten walks and 4 unearned runs prevented Blue from victory. Matt Stoltman was 3 for 3 with a walk and 3 runs scored. Josh Balzer, Brad Blumer, Andy Gallagher and Jesse Nickols all had 2-hit games for Blue.
18-Monday, 7/9/07	Islanders (DeLaSalle)	2	Tri-City Blue	12	6 p.m., Irondale	12	5-1
	Andy Osborne got the win with 3 innings of scoreless work, including 6 strikouts. Ian Goldsmith had 3 hits and scored 3 runs. John Evangelist, Alex Hoffman, and Andy Osborne all scored 2 times for Blue.
19-Thursday, 7/12/07	Tri-City Red VFW	17	Tri-City Blue	2	6 p.m., Irondale	12	6-1
	Red's Hanson held Blue's offense in check, allowing 3 hits and striking out 9 over his 5 innings. Tri-City Red hit the ball (17 hits), and were also aided by 7 Tri-City Blue errors.
Chris Benz Tournament (New Hope)
20-Friday, 7/13/07	Tri-City Blue	14	Elk River	4	New Hope	13	6-1
	Phil Wessberg highlighted the 14 run outburst with 2 home runs in the same inning. Jesse Nickols was 2 for 3 with a walk, 4 runs scored and 3 RBI's, and Andy Osborne was 2 for 2 with 2 walks and 3 runs scored. Osborne closed out the game on the mound with 4 K's in 1 and 2/3 innings worked.
21-Friday, 7/13/07	Tri-City Blue	15	Ballentine Black #1	4	New Hope	14	6-1
	Andy Gallagher got the win with 5 innings pitched, striking out 8. Phil Wessberg homered for the second game in a row. Wessberg, David Freed, Brandon Hershey, Brad Blumer and Ian Goldsmith all had multi-hit games. John Evangelist and Josh Balzer each had 2 stolen bases.
22-Saturday, 7/14/07	Tri-City Blue	12	Brooklyn Center	5	New Hope	15	6-1
	Brad Blumer doubled twice to provide 3 RBI's, Brandon Hershey was 3 for 4 with a HR and 3 RBI's, and David Freed homered and had 4 RBI's to help lead another offensive outburst. The game was tight early, with Brooklyn Center leading 3-1 through the 3rd inning. Andy Osborne started and got the win; Phil Wessberg and Josh Balzer each pitched an inning of relief to close out the tournament victory.
League Play, District 7:
23-Monday, 7/16/07	Southwest	5	Tri-City Blue	10	6 p.m., Irondale	16	6-1
	Brad Blumer started and went 5 innings for the win; allowing 2 earned runs and scattering 4 hits. Gino Villella pitched 2 scoreless innings in relief to preserve the win. The offense was a balanced attack; John Evangelist leading the way with the lone multi-hit day. Jesse Nickols score 3 runs in 3 at-bats.
24-Tuesday, 7/17/07	Ballentine Black #1	2	Tri-City Blue	4	6 p.m., Irondale	17	6-1
	John Evangelist stayed hot at the plate, with the only mult-hit game. He also worked for 2 walks in the game. RBI's were provided by Andy Gallagher, Ian Gldsmith and Gino Villella. David Freed posted the win with 6 innings of solid work; scattering 8 hits and striking out 7. Phil Wessberg recorded the save with a scoreless inning; striking out 2.
25-Wednesday, 7/18/07	Tri-City Blue	8	Totino-Grace	2	6 p.m., Totino-Grace HS	18	6-1
	Jesse Nickols led a balanced offensive effort with 2 singles, a walk and 2 runs scored. David Freed also scored 2 runs. Jsh Balzer got the win with 5 innings of work, allowing 1 earned run. Gino Villella and Alex Hoffman each pitched an inning of scoreless relief to close out the regular season ending victory. GREAT LEAGUE SEASON, BLUE!

2007 Sub-District & District Tournament

Sub-District Tournament: The top team in each of the 4 divisions gets a bye from the Sub-District playoffs. All other teams play in the Sub-District, single-elimination tournament, vying for 4 District playoff spots.

26-Saturday, 7/21/07

Tri-City Blue

St. Anthony

6-1

Phil Wessberg got the win with 5 scoreless innings. Andy Gallagher relieved to preserve the win. Tri-City Blue played good defense; committing 1 error. Ian Goldsmith, Brandon Hershey, and Karl Eicher had multi-hit games. In winning the first single elimination subsection game, Tri-City Blue would advance to the 8 team Section tournament with a win on Sunday vs. DeLaSalle.

27-Sunday, 7/22/07

Tri-City Blue

DeLaSalle

6-1

Tri-City Blue advanced to the District 7 tournament with the win Sunday. David Freed got the win with 5 solid innings; allowing 0 earned runs. Gino Villella closed out the game with a 1-2-3 6th inning. Ian Goldsmith homered and doubled, accounting for 4 RBI's. Every starter had a hit; Karl Eicher, Phil Wessberg and Brad Blumer each had 2 hits.

Tournament Notes:

District Tournament: Eight-team, double elimination tournament, with the winner advancing to the State Tournament.

Tournament Notes:

Visit the VFW District 7 website at http://www.ballcharts.com/district7vfw2007 for additional info on the D7 Tournament, including maps to field locations!

28-Wednesday, 7/25/07

Tri-City Blue

Brooklyn Center

Schumacher Field, Forest Lk, 8 p.m.

7-1

Tri-City Blue lost a tight one in the bottom of the 7th inning. Brooklyn Center pitching shut down the Tri-City Blue offense, and they made some excellent plays in the field as well. Ian Goldsmith provided a diving catch of a line drive in CF for Blue. Brad Blumer had 2 hits, an RBI and a stolen base. Josh Balzer started on the mound for Blue and pitched very well in his 5 innings; allowing 1 earned run, striking out 8 and allowing only 3 hits. Andy Gallagher also pitched well in 2 innings of relief, with 0 earned runs, 0 hits, and 2 K's. Tri-City Blue now enters the losers bracket of the District Tournament and must continue to win to stay alive; beginning with Thursday night's game at Parade Stadium at 8:00 PM.

29-Thursday, 7/26/07

Chisago City

Tri-City Blue

Parade Stadium, 8 p.m.

7-1

Tri-City Blue's Andy Osborne kept his team in the game long enough for Blue to eventually produce 6 runs in the bottom of the 6th. It was a very tight 1-0 game in favor of Chisago City up until that point. Osborne's complete game victory with 12 K's was one of the team's best pitching outings this season. In the 6th, Ian Goldsmith led off with his 3rd hit of the game, and stole 2B. Brandon Hershey and Brad Blumer followed with singles to get Blue on the scoreboard and get the big inning started. Blue plays at 6:00PM at Parade Stadium on Friday to again attempt to stave off elimination in the District Tournament.

30-Friday, 7/27/07

Tri-City Blue

Holy Angels

Parade Stadium, 6 p.m.

7-1

Phil Wessberg got the win with 6 innings, 1 earned run, 0 walks, and 4 hits. Gino Villella provided a 6 pitch 7th inning to close out the game. Alex Hoffman threw out 2 Holy Angels runners attempting to steal - always big plays in the game, since you record an out as well as remove a baserunner! Blue was able to overcome 6 errors in the game. Villella had a double and single, and scored 2 runs. Brandon Hershey also had a multi-hit game with a single and a double. Blue will strive to win 2 on Saturday to get to Sunday's championship game. Saturday's first game is at 1:30PM at Parade Stadium.

31-Saturday, 7/28/07

Tri-City Blue

Forest Lake

Parade Stadium, 1:30 p.m.

7-1

David Freed scattered 8 hits over 5 innings to get the win. Andy Gallagher closed out the final 2 scoreless innings to record the save. Offensively, Blue again produced enough runs to outscore the opponent in a high scoring game. David Freed helped his own cause with 3 hits on the game.Ian Goldsmith, Brad Blumer, Brandon Hershey, Matt Stoltman and Phil Wessberg all had multi-hit games.

32-Saturday, 7/28/07

Tri-City Blue

Centennial

Parade Stadium, 4:30 p.m.

7-1

Blue jumped out to an early 11-1 lead after 2 innings, and Centennial competed very hard to come all the way back; threatening to win the game in the bottom ofthe 7th. Andy Gallagher started and picked up the win. Brandon Hershey, Ian Goldsmith and Gino Villella all logged innings for Blue. Josh Balzer closed out the game to get the save. Balzer's pick-off to end the 6th inning may have been a game saving play in ending a Centennial threat. A balanced offensive attack produced the 13 runs; all starters scored at least 1 run. David Freed was 4/5 with 3 runs and 2 RBI's; giving him 7 hits in Saturday's 2 games. In ending 4 teams' seasons by winning it's 4th losers bracket game in a row, Blue advances to the championship with the opportunity to do that which is rarely done - winning a championship after losing the first game of a double elimination 8 team tournament. It will be an all Tri-City championship as Blue will face Tri-City Red for the District championship - game at 2:00PM at Parade Stadium. Blue will need to defeat Red twice to win the championship.

33-Sun, 7/29/07-Champ.

Tri-City Blue VFW

Tri-City Red VFW

Parade Stadium, 2 p.m., DH if nec.

7-1

Tri-City Blue	0	0	4	2	0	0	0	6	7	2
Tri-City Red	0	1	0	3	0	1	0	5	6	3
Josh Balzer started and got the win with 4 solid innings. Andy Osborne pitched the final 3 innings, allowing 1 hit and 0 earned runs to get the save. Offensively, David Freed had 3 RBI's, Brandon Hershey had a pair of singles, and John Evangelist and Ian Goldsmith each scored twice. Tri-City Red had the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the 7th to end an exciting 1 run game. The win for Blue provided the opportunity for a rematch with Red for the District Championship.

34-Sun, 7/29/07-Champ.

Tri-City Blue VFW

Tri-City Red VFW

Parade Stadium, 5 p.m.

7-1

Tri-City Blue	8	1	2	0	0	0	0	11	12	3
Tri-City Red	0	0	3	3	0	0	0	6	8	1
Blue jumped to an early lead, scoring 8 runs in the first inning. Red competed hard and whittled away at the lead; closing to within 11-6 after 4 innings. Phil Wessberg closed out the final 3 innings for Blue to secure the District Championship in an all-Tri-City final. Offensively, Ian Goldsmith had 2 doubles, a single, 2 runs and 3 RBI's. Andy Osborne had a pair of hits and 2 runs scored. Karl Eicherand David Freed also had a pair of hits. Editorial: The bottom line is that Blue would not have won a District Championship without the many contributions of all 14 players. Lost in all the stats that are provided each game are the many "little" things that contribute to the team's success. Such as David Freed, Gino Villella and Andy Gallagher pitching/competing hard for 1-2 innings each to get the team to Phil Wessb!rg for the final 3 innings in the championship game. Or, Matt Stoltman stealing 2B on his own with 2 outs when he had the pitcher timed up to then be able score a key run earlier in the tournament. Or, John Evangelist showing great patience in pulling back on 2 consecutive bunt attempts to then be able to successfully execute the sac bunt on the 3rd pitch. And the list could go one and on... Championships happen when and only when an entire team effort makes it happen; especially when that team has to win 6 consecutive elimination games to do it. Congrats Blue! Coach Downey.

Tournament Notes:

CONGRAT'S BLUE, 2007 DISTRICT 7 CHAMP -- AND TO TC RED VFW, DISTRICT 7 RUNNER-UP! (Pictures will get posted as soon as time permits!)

The State VFW Tournament will be held at BEAUTIFUL Johnson Park (and adjacent Mueller Park) in New Ulm (5th Street North and North German Street), Thursday, 8/9/07 - Sunday, 8/12/07. Print a State Tournament Bracket here! On Wednesday evening, August 8th, a spaghetti dinner will be served to all players at St. Mary's Church Basement, 417 South Minnesota Street in New Ulm. Doors open at 5:45 p.m.; serving begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for parents and fans will be available at the door for $5.00 each. (Team check-in and birth certificate approval will also take place at this dinner.) A tournament team photo will be taken one hour before the first game.
35-Thursday, 8/9/07	Tri-City Blue VFW	6	Mankato	4	Johnson Park, New Ulm, 4:30 p.m.	27	7-1
	Blue defeated Mankato in the opening game of the State Tournament. Josh Balzer started and pitched a complete game for the win, surrendering only 3 hits. Offensively, Blue survived 4 pick-offs on the basepaths to score enough runs to win the game. Matt Stoltman was 2 for 2 with a walk and a run scored. Andy Osborne had 2 hits, and Andy Gallagher scored 2 runs. Blue now plays Redwood Falls at 2:00PM on Friday in a winners bracket game.
36-Friday, 8/10/07	Tri-City Blue VFW (5 innings)	23	Redwood Falls	3	New Ulm, 2:00 p.m	28	7-1
	Andy Osborne and Gino Villella pitched 3 and 2 strong innings respectively; each of them striking out 3 in an inning. Offensively, Blue had 10 hits in the 5 inning game, and also took advantage of several errors and walks by Redwood Falls. Multi-hit games were recorded by Andy Osborne (2 for 4 with a double and 4 RBI's), Karl Eicher (3 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI's), and John Evangelist (3 for 3 with 3 RBI's and 3 runs scored). Brad Blumer and Brandon Hershey both scored 3 runs for Blue. Blue takes on Ran View (Cretin) in Saturday's winners bracket game.
37-Saturday, 8/11/07	Tri-City Blue VFW	2	Ran View (Cretin)	3	New Ulm	28	8-1
	In arguably the best game of the year in terms of competitiveness, Cretin scored the winning run in the bottom of the 7th. Blue opened the scoring on a hit by Matt Stolman in the 4th inning, driving in Brandon Hershey who had singled. Ian Goldsmith had 2 doubles in the game, scoring the 2nd run for Blue to provide a 2-0 lead in the the 5th. Ran View capitalized on 2 bunt misplays by Blue in the bottom of the 5th to tie the game at 2. Andy Osborne started and went 4 and 2/3 innings, and Phil Wessberg finished the final 2 and 1/3. The loss puts Blue into a losers bracket game later in the day; the winner will advance to the championship on Sunday.
38-Sunday, 8/12/07	Tri-City Blue VFW	5	Redwood Falls	0	New Ulm	29	8-1
	David Freed went 6 innings to get the win, scattering 5 hits and walking none. Andy Gallagher closed out the 7th 1-2-3. Offensively, Blue jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the 1st, and then struggled to get things going from then on. Ian Goldsmith tripled and singled, scored twice, and had 2 RBI's. Brad Blumer had a multi-hit game as well with 2 singles. The win moves Blue into the championship game vs. Ran View (Cretin) at 1:00PM on Sunday. Blue needs to defeat Cretin twice to win the state championship.
39-Sunday, 9/12/07	Tri-City Blue VFW	3	Ran View (Cretin)	5	New Ulm, 1:00 p.m.	29	9-1
Championship Game	Cretin defeated Blue to win the VFW State Championship game behind some solid pitching and fielding. Blue had 7 hits, but couldn't string enough together. Blue had the bases loaded with 0 outs in the 3rd inning, threatening to extend it's 1-0 lead, but failed to score. Karl Eicher was 3 for 3 with 2 RBI's; Brad Blumer had a single, a run scored and an RBI; Jesse Nickols had a timely pinch hit double and scored a run; and Matt Stoltman reached base 2 times and scored a run. Josh Balzer started and faced the minimum through 3 innings. Cretin rallied in the 4th to score 4 runs. Phil Wessberg allowed only 1 run over the final 3 innings. Blue finishes the season as the State Runner-Up. Offense was the team's strength this season with a team batting average of .355, a slugging percentage of .493, and OBA of .457. Defensively, the team struggled at times, but improved through the season. The team ERA was a solid 2.96.
	FABULOUS SEASON, BLUE!!!!

Name	High School	Uniform #	Positions	Grad Yr
Balzer, Joshua	Mounds View	14	Pitcher, Outfield	2009
Blumer, Brad	Mounds View	7	Infield, Pitcher	2009
Eicher, Karl	Mounds View	15	Infield	2009
Evangelist, John	Mounds View	1	Outfield	2009
Freed, David	Mounds View	13	Pitcher, Outfield	2009
Gallagher, Andrew	Mounds View	3	Pitcher, Utility	2008
Goldsmith, Ian	Mounds View	4	Outfield	2009
Hershey, Brandon	Mounds View	9	Infield, Pitcher	2009
Hoffman, Alex	Mounds View	10	Catcher, Outfield	2009
Nickols, Jesse	Mounds View	11	Pitcher, Infield, Outfield	2009
Osborne, Andrew	Mounds View	16	Pitcher, Outfield	2009
Stoltman, Matthew	Mounds View	2	Infield	2009
Villella, Gino	Mounds View	12	Infield, Pitcher	2009
Wessberg, Phillip	Mounds View	20	Pitcher, Catcher	2008

General Manager:	Jeff Larsen
Team Manager/Head Coach:	Mark Downey, markdowney@charter.net
Assistant Coaches:	Jon Walsh, jonathan-walsh@bethel.edu	Eric Tullberg


Accomplishments	Official Team Roster	Coaching Staff
Regular Season	District Tournament	State Tournament

	For info or questions on Tri-City Baseball programs, e-mail info@tricitybaseball.org.
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2007 Season Notes & Accomplishments:

2007 Coaching Staff

2007 Regular Season Schedule

2007 Sub-District & District Tournament