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Area Lakes Clear of Ice for Fishing Opener
Our local area lakes are clear of ice, so if you plan to fish the walleye opener close to home on Saturday, May 10, you should have no problems.
The same can be said for lakes farther south, but if you plan to head north, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources advises you to check ahead.
The DNR Division of Trails and Waterways is making a special effort to ensure all DNR boat launches are ready by the opener, said Nancy Steward, the Public Water Access Program coordinator. She noted, however, that repairs to access sites depend on the weather and ice-out, which has been running two weeks behind normal.
Winter weather is always a challenge to Minnesota’s public water access, Steward noted. As ice expands during the winter months, it can push and buckle the concrete plank structures like an accordion. This phenomenon, called “ice jacking,” is caused by the pushing action of a lake’s ice sheet against the shore, which often leaves the boat ramp unusable. Crews repair damaged boat ramps by removing damaged planks and replacing them with new ones.
“Work crews are making good progress preparing public water accesses for the upcoming fishing season,” Stewart said. “However, many lakes still have ice that may hinder efforts to make repairs.”
Stewart offers these suggestions for the opener:
•plan to be patient and prepared at public water accesses and use extra care while launching and loading boats;
•inspect the ramp condition before using it; some of the worst ramp damage can be below the water line;
•in case your favorite lake access is unusable, be prepared to try another public access;
•operate boats carefully because there could be free-floating ice sheets on some lakes.
In addition to repairing ramps, as time allows, DNR crews install docks at many accesses to assist boaters in launching and boarding watercraft.
For public water access maps, boating information and lake ice-out status, go to the DNR Web site at www.mndnr.gov. Boaters who encounter problems should contact the local DNR office or call the DNR Information Center at (651) 296-6157 or 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367).
Lady Braves Stay Even for the Week
With the game tied, 1-1, in the seventh inning, Katie Miller ripped a shot to left field to bring home the winning run for a 2-1 Menahga victory over Parkers Prairie.
By Roy Rudderforth
Like softball teams everywhere, the Menahga Lady Braves have games to make up in a hurry. Back-to-back doubleheaders with the Parkers Prairie Panthers and New York Mills Eagles last week produced two wins and two losses, which dropped Menahga into third place in the Park Region Conference with a 7-3 conference record.
Ottertail Central is holding down the top spot at 7-0, and Verndale is in second with a 6-1 conference record.
Braves 2, Panthers 1
Not a run was scored for the first three innings, but then Menahga took a 1-0 lead in the fourth after Hannah Dissmore tripled and scored on a wild pitch.
Parkers Prairie tied it up, 1-1 in the fifth and it was still tied at one apiece in the eighth. That’s when Megan Cleveland led off with a triple and scored on a Katie Miller single to claim victory for the Lady Braves.
Menahga totaled seven hits for the game. Cleveland had three hits and Dissmore posted two.
Panthers 14, Menahga 3
This was a make-up game on a Wednesday, when most of the Lady Braves’ starters were already committed to working a blood drive. The players remaining gave it their best shot, but were no match for the veteran Panthers’ team. Parkers Prairie had an 8-0 lead in the first inning, then added six more runs in the later innings to close out the game in five frames.
The Lady Braves had five hits for the game. Kati Neisess posted two hits with single hits by Vanessa Burkman, Amelia Pho and Shaylah Stomberg.
Eagles 9, Menahga 1
The Menahga girls had 10 hits, but they were scattered over seven innings and yielded just a single run. As a result, New York Mills cruised to an easy victory after taking a commanding 7-0 lead in the third inning.
Dissmore, Pho and Leana Bruer each had two hits.
Menahga 11, Eagles 1
The Lady Braves bunched up their hits nicely in the second game of the doubleheader to knock down the Eagles in six innings.
Menahga led 5-1 after three complete innings. A single run in the fifth made it 6-1, then a five-run rally in the sixth frame iced down the victory.
Menahga tallied 12 hits total. Cleveland had three, including a pair of doubles, and Megan Miller also notched three hits. Neisess recorded two hits as did Pho.
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Braves Become Team to Beat
Alex Pederson threw a complete game in the Menahga Braves 9-3 win over New York Mills.
By Roy Rudderforth
A five game win streak pushed the Menahga Braves to the top of the standings in both the Park Region Conference and Section 6A.
The Braves are now 6-1 overall and 5-1 in PRC action after sweeping a doubleheader with New York Mills in Menahga last week (12-5, 9-3), then following up with a 7-0 home field win over Pine River-Backus on Monday.
Verndale is second in the PRC with a 5-2 record and Bertha-Hewitt is also within striking distance at 4-2. In Section 6A North, Hawley is right there with Menahga at a 5-1 overall, while Bertha-Hewitt (7-2) and Verndale (6-2) are also in the running.
Menahga 12, NYM 5
There was a lot of give and take early in the first game of the doubleheader in Menahga.
New York Mills took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but gave up a two-run homer to Tyler Ahlf in the bottom of the frame. Then Brandon Mickelson walked, stole second base and scored on a wild pitch to give the Braves a 3-1 lead.
The Eagles answered with two runs in the third to tie the score, 3-3, but Menahga would go ahead 5-3 in the bottom of the inning after Ahlf scored on a wild pitch and Brady Yrjo plated a run with a sacrifice fly.
New York Mills scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but the Menahga boys were still on top, 8-5, after five complete. The Braves scored two runs in the fourth. Alex Pederson singled, stole second, then came home on a base hit by Ahlf, who subsequently scored on a wild pitch. Then in the fifth, Dan Towers singled and scored a base hit by Pederson.
Menahga added a four-run cushion in the sixth to nail down the 12-5 win. A walk to Kasey Tyge and singles by Towers and Andrew Beck set up a three-run double for Pederson, who then scored on an Alex White single.
The Braves totaled 14 hits for the game with three hits each by Pederson, White and Towers. Ahlf had two hits, with single hits by Beck, Mickelson and Isaiah Davis.
Mickelson started on the hill and picked up the win. He struck out two, while getting tagged for four hits, five walks and five runs (four unearned) in four and one-third innings. Tyge recorded the save with four strikeouts, two hits and a walk in two and two-thirds innings.
Menahga 9, NYM 3
New York Mills again scored the first run, but the Braves manufactured the tying run on a Mickelson single and a Derek Pihlaja bunt sacrifice in the bottom of the second.
It was still a 1-1 game in the fourth, when Menahga seized control. Pihlaja started it off with a walk and a steal. Davis singled and Beck moved the runners along with a sacrifice. Pederson knocked in two runs with a double to make it 3-1. Then Ahlf and Mickelson both singled to drive in Pederson, while Ahlf scored on a wild pitch for a 5-1 Menahga lead.
Both teams scored a pair in the sixth with the Braves still on top, 7-3, then a two-RBI single by Sean Dormanen capped the 9-3 win for Menahga.
The Braves had nine hits for the game with three for Mickelson and two each by Ahlf and Davis.
Pederson went the distance to earn the pitching win.
Menahga 7, PRB 0
Pihlaja struck out eight batters while giving up just three hits in seven innings to post the shutout victory.
Menahga had a 2-0 lead through five innings, then shut the door with a five-run effort in the sixth.
The Braves tallied 10 hits for the game. Dormanen led with three hits and Towers had two, with RBI singles for Andy Floyd and Mickelson.
Andrew Beck singled to left field in the sixth inning of Menahga´s 12-5 win over New York Mills – the first game of a doubleheader. Later, Beck scored the third run of a four-run effort by the Braves in that frame.
Medalist . . .
United North Central golfer Stephanie Paulson was a medalist with a low score of 50 in a triangular meet at Blueberry Pines last Friday. Here she chipped onto the green at Wadena, where she posted an 18-hole score of 108.
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Trojans Slip Back
Three More Games Sebeka´s Alex Brockpahler beat out the pick-off attempt at first base in the Trojans´ 5-2 home field loss to Verndale.
By Roy Rudderforth
After scoring 22 runs in their first three contests, the Sebeka Trojans’ offensive firepower has been missing in action for the past four games and the resulting four losses have dropped them back to 3-4 for the season. Fortunately for them, there is a lot of season left to turn things around.
Bears 6, Trojans 2
Walks and errors tend to come back with a bite. In this case, the Bertha-Hewitt Bears took advantage of both to manufacture four runs in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead.
The Bears added a single run in the fifth, and then it was Sebeka’s turn to take advantage of some miscues in the top of the sixth. Austin Pulju reached first after getting hit by a pitch and Taylor Pederson singled. Then two passed balls allowed Pulju to cross the plate, while Pederson scored on a Jacob Brockpahler base hit. The Trojans, however, still trailed 5-2.
The Bears took one run back in the bottom of the sixth, then added an insurance run in the seventh to close out the 8-2 home field victory.
Verndale 1, Sebeka 0
For the second straight outing, Alex Brockpahler pitched great, but was saddled with the loss due to no run support. Brockpahler struck out nine and gave up four hits and two walks in seven innings.
Verndale starting pitcher Matt Moenkedick was also having a day with nine strikeouts, four hits and three walks.
The game turned on a one run fourth inning, when the Pirates used a walk, a base hit and fielder’s choice to take a 1-0 lead.
Joey Osborn had two hits with single hits for Pederson and Cody Pulju.
Verndale 5, Sebeka 2
Home field didn’t provide any particular advantage for the Sebeka boys in their rematch with Verndale on Monday.
The Pirates had a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the fourth when Sebeka took advantage of some Pirates’ miscues to score a single run.
Verndale matched that run with one of their own in the top of the sixth to stay on top, 5-1.
The Trojans tallied one in the bottom of the sixth after a lead-off single by Alex Brockpahler and a double by Cory Chouinard set up an RBI for Josh Kinnunen. Unfortunately the Sebeka rally fizzled, leaving the Pirates with a 5-2 victory.
Lady Trojans Tumble to 3-9
Sebeka’s Kendra Steinke had to scramble to get back to first base ahead of the tag in the first game of a doubleheader with Verndale.
By Roy Rudderforth
After a four game free-fall last week, the Sebeka Lady Trojans dropped to 3-9 overall with seven games left in the regular softball season.
Bears 8, Trojans 6
The Lady Trojans out-hit Bertha-Hewitt, 9-3, but a lingering case of “erroritus” presented the Lady Bears with five unearned runs.
Just a few more timely Sebeka hits might have turned the game around, and the opportunities were there. Coach Diane Pettis counted six runners in scoring position who were left on base at the end of innings.
Samantha Schermerhorn had three hits in four at-bats with two RBIs. Katrina tucker was 2-4 with one RBI and Taylor Schwartz was 1-2 with two RBIs.
“Kendra Steinke pitched a good game. That was a positive to take away from the loss,” said Pettis.
Verndale 11, Sebeka 0
Verndale 11, Sebeka 1
The Verndale girls looked very much like contenders in a doubleheader at Sebeka last week. Chelsea Olson, Maria Funk and Schwartz were the only Sebeka batters to get a hit in the two game series.
Panthers 14, Sebeka 3
Sebeka got off to a great start at Parkers Prairie. Singles by Schermerhorn and Funk set up a two-RBI triple for Schwartz.
Pitcher Chelsea Olson rode the lead into the fourth when the Panthers scored three runs on two hits an error and a walk. Then Sebeka’s wheels fell off in the fourth, when the Panthers put together a 10-run error-assisted rally to put the game out of reach.
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