HIGH TOSS — Blue Earth American Legion Post 89/Winnebago Post 82 runner Parker Meyers slides safely into second base with a stolen base as Truman Post 115 infielder McKenna Benck leaps to catch a high toss during a Division 2, Sub-District ‘C’ elimination baseball game Saturday in Blue Earth. (Photo by Charlie Sorrells)

BLUE EARTH — “The first inning has NOT been our friend throughout this tournament,” a grinning Blue Earth American Legion Post 89/Winnebago Post 82 baseball coach Paul Neinaber said in reference to the Division 2, Sub-District ‘C’ event held Thursday through Saturday at Veterans Field.

Despite trailing Truman Post 115 after the top of the first — 3-0 — and down 1-0 and 5-0 after the first and second frames, respectively, to Madelia Post 19 in Saturday’s elimination games, Blue Earth/Winnebago rallied both times to earn a spot in the Southwest Sub-State tournament by claiming the No. 3 seed.

Blue Earth/Winnebago erupted for nine third-inning runs to pace an eventual 18-4 rout over Truman in five innings on Saturday, while plating five fourth-inning runs to snap at 5-all tie with Madelia en route to a 10-6 triumph in the final elimination contest.

Ironically, BEW trailed Madelia in the tourney’s first game 3-0 Thursday and United South Central in action on Friday, 4-3.

Sub-state host St. James rolled by USC, 11-1 in five innings, to garner the Sub-District ‘C’ top spot. USC then doubled the score on BEW, 6-3, on Saturday to secure the No. 2 seed.

Blue Earth/Winnebago opens sub-state action against Sub-District ‘B’ champion Springfield at 11 a.m. Thursday in St. James.

In Thursday’s other first-round sub-state games in St. James, Sub-District ‘A’ champion Luverne faces Sub-District ‘B’ runner-up Windom at 2 p.m.; USC plays Sub-District ‘A’ runner-up Russell-Tyler-Ruthton at 5 p.m.; while St. James takes on Sub-District ‘B’ third seed Jackson at 8 p.m.

The Division 2, Southwest Sub-State tournament continues on Friday and Saturday before concluding on Friday, July 22, and Saturday, July 23 — all in St. James.

Tate Becker reached base on an error and later scored on a throwing error while stealing third base to account for Madelia’s 1-0 lead over BEW on Saturday.

Garrett Reed’s single, Eagan Rathman’s RBI double, a walk to Becker, Blake Altenburg’s single and Tony Zaleski’s two-run double — in conjunction with a BEW throwing error — accounted for a 5-0 Madelia lead after one and a half innings.

The Sub-District ‘C’ host, however, did not hit the panic button as starting pitcher Caleb Langager and defense limited Madelia to a solo run in the fifth while the BEW offense put a combined 10 runs on the board from the second to fourth frames.

BEW converted Nick Barke’s infield hit and Carson Sturtz’s RBI fielder’s choice into a solo run in the second before manufacturing four runs via three walks, Jimmy Allis’ infield hit and two Madelia miscues during the bottom of the third to tie it at 5-all.

Sturtz then drew a leadoff walk in the BEW fourth before courtesy runner Levi Osborn reached third base on a stolen base and an overthrow. Osborn later slid safely ahead of Madelia pitcher Eric Anderson’s scooped toss to the plate on Langager’s well-placed suicide-squeeze bunt to grab a 6-5 lead.

Parker Meyers and Logan O’Hara each followed with RBI singles to center before Barke drilled a run-scoring double to the left-center gap. Allis delivered BEW’s 10th overall run with an RBI groundout.

Zaleski then doubled to lead off Madelia’s fifth at-bat before scoring on Anderson’s RBI groundout to narrow the final score to 10-6.

Langager allowed six runs — only three earned — on six hits, struck out five, walked four and hit one batter in five innings of work to earn the complete-game victory.

Barke went 2-for-3 with one RBI and three runs scored for BEW, while Meyers went 2-for-2 with one RBI and crossed the plate twice.

Zaleski and Eagan Rathman each produced two of Madelia’s six hits on the game, while teammates Garrett Reed and Altenburg added singles.

Earlier Saturday, Welcome Post 553/Sherburn Post 356 forfeited to Madelia in their elimination game that was suspended in the fourth inning on Friday due to rain. Madelia then awaited the winner between Truman and BEW.

Truman combined McKenna Benck’s single with a double-steal by Carter Brudelie and Benck, one BEW error and five first-inning walks — capped by a bases-loaded one to Carter Langford — to build a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.

BEW, however, answered by combining four first-inning balks with two walks and Logan’s O’Hara’s RBI single for three runs in the home half of the first.

Brudelie legged out an infield hit, swiped both second and third, and scored Truman’s solo run in the second inning on Benck’s RBI groundout. BEW matched the solo run in the last of the second when Abram Kokos reached on a miscue and later crossed the plate on Taylor Davids’ RBI groundout.

BEW sent a baker’s dozen to the batter’s box to generate nine runs on six hits during the home half of the lead to grab a 13-4 lead. Allis singled home one run, Colton Hubly and Kokos each knocked home two teammates apiece with back-to-back hits, while Davids added a single. Soren Fering plated a run with a fielder’s choice groundout, Langager singled home another run, while Meyers lofted a sacrifice fly to cap the offensive outburst.

Langager, who scored three runs against Truman, lined a two-run single, Logan O’Hara duplicated the feat two batters later before Peyton O’Hara delivered a pinch-hit RBI single for an 18-4 lead.

Davids fanned the side in the top of the fifth for three of his game-best 10 strikeouts. The right-hander allowed one run on two hits and walked two in 4 2/3 innings of relief to garner the pitching win.

Logan O’Hara went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and scored two runs for BEW.

MAD 140 01 — 6 6 4

BEW 014 5X — 10 7 3

Eric Anderson (LP), Tate Becker (4) and Garrett Reed. Caleb Langager (WP) and Carson Sturtz.

LOB–Blue Earth/Winnebago 4, Madelia 4. 2B–Parker Meyers (BEW), Nick Barke (BEW), Tony Zaleski (MAD), Eagan Rathman (MAD). SAC–Caleb Langager (BEW).

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TRU 310 00 — 4 3 3

BEW 319 5X — 18 10 1

Carter Langford (LP), Keegan Hastad (3), Carter Brudelie (4), Owen Haefner (4) and Luke Kester. Abram Kokos, Taylor Davids (1, WP) and Carson Sturtz.

LOB–Truman 5, Blue Earth/Winnebago 4. SF–Parker Meyers (BEW).