Experienced Blues off to a good start

June 18, 2009 at 2:11 PM

The Superior Blues 16-year-old baseball team is off to a good start with a 4-1 record just two weeks into season.

The Blues are unique this summer. Most years the team consists of junior varsity members from the Superior High School Spartans, but this year's squad includes four SHS starters and three other players who also saw varsity time during the season.

The Blues are led by Dylan Ramage (P/IF), Rob Dembroski (C/IF/P) and Taylor Olson (IF), all award winners with the Spartans.

Ramage was the Spartans' pitcher of the year, Rob Dembroski, the Spartans' hitter of the year, and Taylor Olson, the Spartans' co-defensive MVP (along with senior outfielder Chris Blake).

Ramage was 4-2 with a 3.93 ERA for the Spartans, allowing 33 hits with 27 strikeouts and 13 walks in 35 innings pitched; Dembroski batted .348 with a team-high 24 hits in 69 at bats; while Olson committed just three errors (one throwing) in 43 attempts at second base.

Al Meehan (OF/P) is the fourth varsity starter while others seeing varsity time included Nick Sitek (OF/P), Spencer Koskie (OF), Zach Magdzas (IF) and John Edwards (C/IF).

Meehan batted .300 for the Spartans with 15 hits, including a home run and triple while Koskie finished with seven hits and seven RBIs. Sitek only batted eight times, but scored four runs, while Magdzas and Edwards joined the team for the playoffs, playing third base and catcher, respectively.

Remaining members of the Blues are Marty Manion (OF/P), Paul Edwards (IF), George Eisnemann (OF), Jordan McDonald (IF/P), Nate Halls (IF/OF), Sam Schiff (IF/OF) and Danny Kriedler (IF/P). Schiff plays high school baseball for the Northwestern Tigers.

The Blues are coached by Jamie Ross and Ryan Hendry.

The Blues's scheduled doubleheader at 5 p.m. Friday with Duluth Central has been postponed. They will be back at noon Sunday when they host Proctor for two games before hitting the road for games at Duluth Marshall on Monday and Duluth East on Tuesday.

Split with East

After opening the season with three wins, the Blues split a doubleheader with the Duluth East VFW Tuesday evening at Morrie Arnovich Field.

East won the opener 5-3 while the Blues rallied to win game two 4-3 as Koskie provided the tying and winning runs with a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Dembroski also picked up the complete-game victory, allowing five hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.

While East led 3-0 after batting in the top of the second inning, the Blues scored single runs in the second and fifth innings before Koskie's game-winning hit.

East's lead-off batter in the seventh reached on an error, but he was stranded at third base after Dembroski sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a pop out.

Dembroski singled and scored the Blues' first run then singled home Koskie, who reached on an error, in the fifth.

Scoring on Koskie's double were Kriedler, who walked, and Manion, who singled.

Other Blues' hits were by Sitek, Meehan, Olson, McDonald and Kriedler.

Mickie Kuening doubled twice and had two RBIs for East.

Kuening was also the winning pitcher in game one, allowing six hits with 10 strikeouts and two walks.

For Superior, Sitek doubled and Meehan, Dembroski, Ramage, Olson and Magdzas singled.

While the Blues rallied to win game two, they were unable to do the same in the opener as they left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Blues sweep Hermantown

Superior Blues opened the season by sweeping a doubleheader from the Hermantown VFW on Friday, June 5 at Morrie Arnovich Field.

The Blues won by scored of 8-2 and 13-1 in five innings.

Dembroski was the winning pitcher in the opener, allowing six hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.

Offensively for Superior, John Edwards doubled, singled and drove in two runs; Koskie hit a two-run single; Meehan doubled twice; Ramage and Magdzas doubled; McDonald hit an RBI single; Dembroski singled twice and Manion singled once.

Joe Muench, Brian LaBlanc, Andrew Gilberg, Tyler Carlson, Tayler Hanson, Matt Massinger had a hit each for Hermantown.

Meehan tossed a five-inning no-hitter with seven strikeouts and two walks in game two.

Superior banged out 10 hits. Koskie singled twice; Ramage doubled and knocked in three runs; Meehan and Hals had two-run singles; Olson and Eisemann had RBI doubles; Paul Edwards doubled; John Edwards hit a sacrifice fly and McDonald hit an RBI single.

The Blues also defeated West Duluth VFW by 10 runs on June 11. No information was available from this game.

2009 Superior Blues

Fri., June 5 home vs. Hermantown (W, W)

Thur., June 11 home vs. West Duluth (W)

Tue., June 16 vs. East VFW (L, W)

Fri., June 19 vs. Duluth Central (ppd)

Sun., June 21 vs. Proctor (2), noon

Mon., June 22 vs. Marshall at UMD (2), noon

Tue., June 23 at East VFW, 5 p.m.

June 26-28 Eskolsen Tournament

Mon., June 29 at Cloquet (2), 6 p.m.

Wed., July 1 vs. Ashland (2), 6 p.m.