All that stood between St. Patrick’s bid for a berth in the state tournament’s semifinal round Saturday, Sept. 2, was an offensive juggernaut the Irish hoped would have an off day with the bats. It didn’t work out that way.

The members of New Prague High School’s volleyball team has strong expectations for this season.
“We know we can compete with anybody. We expect to be in a position to win every time we step on the court, and bring a tenacious, competitive spirit every day in both practices and games,” said head coach Greg Sayuk.

Be it improbable or expected, St. Patrick is one of the final eight teams remaining in the Minnesota Baseball Association’s Class B state tournament after a 5-3 win Saturday, Aug. 26, in the round of 16.
The Irish topped Baseball 365, 5-3, in Delano. They’ll face the Minnetonka Millers Saturday, Sept. 2, 11 a.m., in Litchfield. Minnetonka. The Millers won Saturday, 8-0, over the Metro Knights. They took advantage of a dozen walks, four hits and three Knights' errors in the win.

The Minnesota Baseball Association recognized the services of Eric Brever and Pat Goggins last month in St. Patrick with a pregame ceremony before the Irish faced Union Hill.

St. Patrick topped St. Paul while Veseli, Union Hill and Waterville suffered season-ending losses in the opening round of the Minnesota Baseball Association’s state tournament this weekend.
After defeating the St. Paul Capitols, 7-1, Saturday, Aug. 19, the Class B Irish will face Baseball 365 Saturday, Aug. 26, 11 a.m., at Delano. If the Irish win, St. Patrick will face the winner of the Metro Knights vs. Minnetonka Millers game Saturday, Sept. 2, 11 a.m., in Litchfield. A loss would be season-ending.

When the state amateur baseball tournament convenes this weekend in Dassel, Delano, Litchfield and Waconia, the Dakota, Rice Scott League, a group including two favorites and a long shot to make the Class C state field will be well represented.
Class C teams Faribault, Union Hill and Veseli earned state berths at the region tournament which concluded last weekend.

Montgomery and Shakopee both fall in Thursdays games fighting for the third spot in the state amateur baseball tournament. Veseli will play Lonsdale at Lonsdale on Sunday at 2 p.m.
More in the upcoming newspapers on August 17.

With four big runs in the third inning, Montgomery topped Union Hill, 5-1, Sunday, July 23, avenging an early-season loss in Montgomery.

With a win over crosstown rival New Market Friday night, they set the stage for Sunday’s milestone victory, the 1,100th victory in the coaching career for Elko’s Terry Fredrickson.

When he was 4 years old, Jay Williams introduced his son, Zack, to motocross racing. By the time he was 18, he won an amateur national championship. A year later, he turned professional and began racing for prize money.
He was initially attracted by the speed, the grit and determination of motocross racing. Later, Williams grew to appreciate the individual nature of the sport.
“You put the helmet on and it’s just you and the bike,” he said.

St. Patrick’s Trevor Divinski and Ryan Friedges combined for a shutout win over the Orioles Wednesday, June 28, in New Prague.
The Irish jumped to a 2-0 lead in the opening frame and held New Prague scoreless. St. Patrick added another three runs in the seventh inning. Ben Taxdahl led the Irish offense with a two-run home run while Joe Weiers drove in two RBIs.

Runners from New Prague and the area were well represented at Grandma’s Marathon and the Gary Bjorklund Half-Marathon earlier this month.
New Prague’s Garren Hamby, 43, finished the Grandma’s Marathon between Two Harbors and Duluth in 3 Hours, 20 minutes, 43 seconds. He finished 1,308 of 6,689 marathon runners.

Pounding out 15 hits, Union Hill thumped Shakopee, 12-1, Sunday, June 18, at Joe Schleper Stadium.
The Bulldogs blew the game open in the third inning after Nate Lee and Adam Giesen scored in the second inning and Eric Berg crossed the plate, upping the lead to 3-0 in the fourth. Union Hill added two more runs when Adam Giesen and Jack Giesen both scored to give the Bulldogs a 5-0 lead after five innings.

The New Prague High School baseball team capped off a great season Friday, June 16, with a 5-3 win over Mahtomedi in the Class AAA state championship game at CHS Field in St. Paul.

507s 6, Orioles 1 The New Prague Orioles hosted the 34th New Prague Oriole Invitational this past weekend, June 10-11. The Lyon's Pub Warriors out of Minneapolis were the eventual champions. New Prague went 1-2 against a few tough Class B teams. In round one they lost to the 507 club out of Mahtomedi. Matt Zweber, Jake Deutsch and Gavin Bergman all pitched well, but some good timely hitting by the 507s led to a 6-1 victory for the visitors. Ben Schmitz, Eric Wagner and James Fuerniss all had good days at the plate with hits and reaching base multiple times.

New Prague High School will face Mahtomedi in the Class AAA baseball state championship Friday, June 16, 4:30 p.m., at CHS Field in St. Paul.
The Trojans reached the championship game with a dramatic, come-from-behind 6-5 win over Monticello Wednesday, June 14, at the Mini Met in Jordan. The Zephyrs arrive at the title tilt off a 3-1 win over Grand Rapids Wednesday in Jordan.