With its undefeated South Hennepin League record on the line, the Excelsior American Legion baseball team knew it would need a strong starting pitching performance if it wanted to get past Hopkins on Tuesday, July 7. Luckily for manager Rob Hager, Anders Dzurak delivered exactly that.
Dzurak threw a five-hit, complete game shutout as he kept the Hopkins hitters off balance and his defense behind him on their toes by keeping a swift pace on the mound. Excelsior used Dzurak's gem of a performance to squeak out a 2-0 victory.
"Anders was as sharp as we've seen him and that was really good to see," Hager said. "He was so on just attacking the zone, hitting the corners, and he ended up striking out nine."
Dzurak only encountered a minor threat by Hopkins in the top of the sixth inning when Hopkins' Matt Rowley led off with a single and then advanced to second on a passed ball.
Rowley advanced to third on a strikeout when Excelsior catcher Mitch Oakes was forced to throw to first to complete the out after Dzurak's pitch bounced in the dirt.
Rowley wound up stranded at third however, as Dzurak proceeded to strike out Hopkins' Kyle Dalton and Chris Anderson to end the inning.
In the seventh inning, with a runner on second and two outs, Dzurak got Hopkins' No. 2 hitter Max Forster to fly out to right field to end the game.
Excelsior didn't exactly have its best game at the plate either, but it was able to score single runs in both the second and sixth innings against Hopkins pitcher Sean Borman to earn the victory.
First baseman Elliot Powell singled home the first run and designated hitter Josh Mensch drove in the second run with a sacrifice fly to right field.
"We scratched two runs across against Borman who is one of the better pitchers we've seen all year," Hager said.
Excelsior followed up the victory over Hopkins with a 5-4 victory over Bloomington Gold the next day. Mensch pitched five innings to earn the victory on the mound and Kurtis Host earned his fourth save of the season by pitching the seventh inning.
The two victories in league play moved Excelsior's South Hennepin League record to 11-0 with just two games left to play. Eden Prairie, which Excelsior defeated earlier in the season, is the only other team in contention for the league title at 8-1.
"We have Wayzata and Bloomington Blue next week and if we can win one of those two we're guaranteed first place, which was our goal from the beginning," Hager said. "First win the league and then move on from there."
Excelsior participated in the 48-team Jim Hanus Memorial Gopher Classic over the weekend.
They started the tournament with a dramatic 7-6 victory over Alexandria during pool play on Friday, July 10.
Trailing 6-4 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, Excelsior rallied for three runs to pull out the victory.
Kyle Dahl and Mensch got back-to-back singles with one out to put two runners on base. After Oakes flew out to centerfield, Tommy Lundquist kept the team's hopes alive with an RBI double down the left field line.
Then Powell came to the plate and delivered a game-winning, two-run hit to right field to finish off the rally. It was Powell's second game-winning RBI of the week.
"Elliot has really come on as of late," Hager said. "He's as good of a defensive first baseman as I have ever had and now he is really starting to come around with the bat. He's one of those guys who doesn't really fold under pressure and as a senior its nice to see that."
Excelsior finished 4-1 in pool play after losing to Detroit Lakes and defeating Grand Rapids, Rapid City, S.D., and St. Louis Park. The team's overall record for the season is now 29-7.
The 4-1 record in pool play was good enough to advance the team into the tournament's quarterfinal round, which was scheduled to be played on Monday, July 13.
