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Brewers soak Huskies in Metro league play
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Wednesday, 18 June 2008
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Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor
With the aid of last Saturday’s doubleheader victories over the Andover Huskies, the Forest Lake Brewers have crept over .500, and entered their June 18 game in Cambridge with a 4-3 record.
On the heels of their 5-1 and 13-5 wins, longtime Brewers head coach Adam Gallatin is beginning to see improvement.
“After a slow start this year, we are definitely starting to play better,” he said.
What could be helping in the win column is a young roster that may have needed a few games to gel. In addition to a handful of second-year players, like Eric Zentzis, Dave Gauerke and Kyle Johnson, Forest Lake has more than its share of recent high school graduates.
“We added a few new players this year, including Trip Schultz (’07), Pat Larson (’08) and Jed Hanson (’06),” Gallatin said. “It’s great because we have a pretty full dugout and one of the hardest things this season has been getting playing time for everyone, which is a great problem.”
Speaking of the relatively New Brew Crew, in Saturday’s Game 1 victory, it was Gauerke who went six innings and gave up only two hits to get the decision, before handing the ball over to Larson for the save.
Nick Bolin (formerly with the St. Francis Saints) was the ideal leadoff hitter, getting on base four times, with three hits (one double) and a walk, and scored once.
The Brewers put up three runs in the bottom of the first inning, and then added one more in the third, with the final run coming in the fifth.
In all, Forest Lake totaled 10 hits, as Hansen and Larson each got a pair of hits to go along with two RBIs a piece.
Game 2
If the early matchup felt a bit like Star Search, then the second game was more of a veterans’ showcase.
Chris Parent (6th year) got the start and the win, lasting four innings while allowing just one earned run (three total). In relief was Zach Guttormson (3rd year), going the remaining three innings, facing 13 hitters and giving up the other two runs.
Bobby Hager (3rd year) and Bolin had three hits each, which led a lineup that had eight different players collect at least two hits.
The Brewers took on Rum River (4-3) on Wednesday night, and then head to Ham Lake (0-8) on Saturday and East Bethel (3-7) on Sunday.
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