Blues ousted from district tournament

The Superior Blues VFW baseball team was ousted from the 17U Regional Baseball Tournament with an 18-17 loss to Hudson Friday evening at Morrie Arnovich Field.

Hudson, which also defeated Chippewa Falls 12-11 on Friday morning, advances to play River Falls, a 10-6 loss to Eau Claire on Friday. The winner of the Hudson-River Falls game, which is at 1 p.m. Saturday, advances to play Eau Claire in the championship game at 4 p.m. Saturday. A second championship game, if necessary, is at noon Sunday.

Hudson jumped all over the Blues with eight runs in the first inning.

Trailing 18-10 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Blues scored seven runs, most with two outs, in the bottom of the seventh.

Justin Lund had two hits and five RBIs to lead Eau Claire to a 6-2 win over the Blues Thursday evening at Morrie Arnovich Field.

Eau Claire, which also defeated Chippewa Falls 8-7 on Thursday, took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Pat Shoemaker walked and eventually scored on Lund’s ground out.

Nick Pederson’s sac fly and Lund’s two-run single gave Eau Claire a 4-0 lead in the third inning.

Superior’s runs came in the fifth inning with two outs. Will Mullens doubled, moved to third on Andy Glonek’s single and scored on Taavi Mattson’s double. Glonek then scored on Sean O’Neill’s single.

Joe Hebl replaced Eau Claire starting pitcher Sam Bockmeier and struck out Dane Sislo to end Superior’s rally.

Hebl pitched two more scoreless innings while Eau Claire added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh inning on Lund’s two-run double.

Bockmeier was near perfect early on, throwing four scoreless and hitless innings until running into trouble in the fifth inning.

Sislo suffered the complete-game loss for the Blues, allowing seven hits with six strikeouts and five walks.

Mattson and Jake Liable had two hits apiece and Glonek, O’Neill and Mullens had one hit each for the Blues.

17U Regional Baseball Tournament

Morrie Arnovich Field

Superior, Wis.

Thursday, July 19

Eau Claire 8, Chippewa Falls 7

River Falls 4, Hudson 1

Eau Claire 6, Superior Blues 2

Friday, July 20

Hudson 12, Chippewa Falls 11

Eau Claire 10, River Falls 6

Hudson 18, Superior Blues 17

Saturday, July 21

River Falls 9, Hudson 5

Championship Game

Eau Claire 7, River Falls 6

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