By Brian Hall, Contributing Writer
The list of accomplishments for the Savage Outlaws baseball team is impressive.
A 2008 season that includes a Cannon Valley League championship, an eight-game winning streak, the top seed in the Section 5B playoffs, and a first-round playoff bye is successful by any teams’ standards.
Of course, none of it might have mattered if Savage didn’t follow through in the playoffs. Right or wrong, it’s hard to shake a disappointing postseason.
The Outlaws knew it. They didn’t want that bad taste to linger in their mouths. So, after they finished off Apple Valley, 6-4, on Tuesday to earn a second trip to the state tournament since 2000, there was a sense of relief.
“This was a big win for us,” pitcher Travis Peterson said. “We wanted this really bad as an entire team. We reached a lot of milestones this year and accomplished a lot of goals. But, it would have left a real empty feeling if we didn’t finish things the right way. We got the job done, and it feels really good.”
Savage hopes to keep the good feelings going when it opens the state tournament on Sunday, Aug. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Joe Schleper Stadium in Shakopee.
The Outlaws enter as the No. 2 seed from Section 5B. Eagan earned the top spot with a pair of wins against Savage. In the Section 5B playoffs, the Outlaws opened as the No. 1 seed and won their first game, 6-5, against Burnsville on Sunday. Monday ended in an 8-1 loss to Eagan. But with the state tournament on the line, Savage came through to defeat Apple Valley 6-4. And on Wednesday, Eagan clinched the No. 1 seed from Section 5B with a 4-3 win against the Outlaws.
The victory against Apple Valley – and the trip to state – didn’t come easy.
Apple Valley took a 3-0 lead after three innings.
In the fourth, Savage came through with a pair of runs as Matt Mowry plated Adam Evanoff with a single and Garret Roach singled to score Chris Steenberg for a 3-2 game.
Tony Peterson started and battled through four innings. Brandon Walczak, who threw seven innings in Sunday’s victory, came on to finish the game and earn the win.
“Wally has been lights out for us, especially down the stretch,” Travis Peterson said. “He takes the ball in every big situation, and even when he doesn’t have his good stuff, he finds a way to get outs. When he’s on the hill, we’re a really confident team.”
The Outlaws finished the comeback in the fifth.
Zach King singled and Tyler Peterson reached on an error. Tony Peterson then hit a ball that went through the shortstop’s legs to score King. Evanoff then delivered the big blast – his fifth home run of the season for a 6-3 lead.
“Tony and Adam have led the way for us offensively all season, and they continue to get big hits and drive in runs in the postseason,” Travis Peterson said. “The important thing is that everyone else has raised their level of play as well. Hitting can be contagious. Those two lead the charge, but everyone else feeds off of them. Everyone in the lineup stepped up and had a crucial at-bat, and came up big for us at some point in these playoffs.”
Now, the Outlaws hope they aren’t done adding to their 2008 highlight reel.
“With each goal we have reached, we’ve raised the bar and set a new one,” Peterson said. “After capturing the regular-season title and earning a bye in the first round of the playoffs, we turned our attention towards getting to state. We’re there, but we aren’t going to be content with just being there this year. The goal now is to play solid baseball and aim to win a few games and see how far we can ride this out.”
State tournament notes
The Class B and C state tournaments will be co-hosted by Shakopee and Chaska this year, and play begins Aug. 14 running through Sept. 1. In the first round on Aug. 17, Savage will play the Section 7B champion. A victory would mean a game Aug. 23 in Shakopee at 7:30 p.m.
Following the section tournament, the Outlaws participated in the draft and selected three players. Jeremy Chlan and Kyle Sovde of Apple Valley, and Josh Threlkeld of Burnsville will join the state tournament roster. Eagan selected Matt Doornink, Tim Radmacher and Trevor O’Shaughnessy as their draft picks.