Over the past two summers the Red Wing Aces roster has gradually gotten younger in age. Fifteen players on this year’s team are 22 years old or younger.
It was those players that supplied much of the energy and results on the field that led to the Aces claiming the Region 2B title at The Ath on Saturday with a 7-3 win over the Austin Greyhounds.
They led 2-0 through four innings, but were wanting to add on after scoring in the first and second. Leading off the fifth inning, Tyler Rodgers hit a solo home run to left field. The home run was key in getting the Aces rejuvenated.
Reid Hartmann followed with a sharply hit single, his third hit of the game to that point, which prompted pitcher Aaron Johnson to say “The Aces youth movement has arrived.”
“We’ve always looked forward to playing with the year ahead of us growing up. We were always really excited about getting the chance to play together,” Rodgers said. “Now, here we are. It’s been special to be a part of.”
Rodgers reached safely twice, scoring in the second after a walk, then a stolen base. His fifth-inning home run was his second of the summer, but first at The Ath.
“To be honest, I thought that was a pop up for sure. Thought I didn’t get all of that ball. I think I got a little gust of wind from the man upstairs,” he said. “I kind of blacked out around the bases there, as soon as I came across the plate is when I felt (my teammates) all erupt.”
Hartmann had a productive day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a walk. He stole two bases, drove in a run on a double in the second and scored three runs.
He said after the game, he hadn’t had a day like that in a while. His swing has improved greatly and the results this summer have been rewarding. Hartmann made slight adjustments to both his load and stance, both allowing him to swing with more power and keep the barrel of the bat in the zone longer. His RBI-double in the second inning was a few feet short of a home run, hitting near the top of the fence in the left field gap.
“It was good to get a couple different perspectives to help me with my swing that I’ve taken here to the Aces,” Hartmann said of his time at Augustana in the spring and at Spearfish last month. The Spearfish Sasquatch are an independent collegiate league. “I feel like I picked up where I left off. Even being gone for three weeks, I felt comfortable in the box and felt like I was seeing pitches well. Felt like I was going to put good swings on the ball.”
The other adjustment for Hartmann has been moving up to the leadoff spot in the lineup. He never really was a leadoff type growing up, but has thrived in the role.
“I like it a lot. My approach was just to get on base,” Hartmann said. “Get on base for the guys behind me because we have a lot of really good hitters in our lineup. If I can get on base, maybe steal a couple bags, they can knock me in.”
Following his terrific complete game against Stewartville, Drew Ball got the start against Austin. He pitched into the sixth inning with little issues, working around a hit or two, but maintaining control once again of his offspeed.
Ball got two outs in the sixth before being pulled. He finished with 11 strikeouts, two walks and three runs on six hits. The only cause for concern was the three-run home run hit by Austin’s Jordan Hart.
Seventeen-year-old Brodie Gibart came in to pitch in relief. Johnson and Aidan O’Brien were also getting ready later in the game just in case, but Gibart brought about a mound presence far better than most others his age. He stranded two on with two outs in the sixth. Gibart got the ground ball that began a double to end the seventh inning.
Gibart struck out a pair in 3 ⅓ innings, getting a double play to end the game. It was the third turned by the Aces.
“He’s got some great stuff,” Hartmann said of Gibart. “Basically I was there to calm him down and frame his pitches to make him look good. Honestly, he did all the work. He was on point today, pretty calm and collected.”
Hartmann summed up how the team values the younger players and what it has been like to feel that value, then prove it on the field.
“The knowledge and reps that I gained from the first year at college. This is my third year playing and I’ve had family members play. It feels good to be one of the guys and help this team go to state, and give this community a show,” Hartmann said.
“We definitely have the pitchers and we definitely have the hitters to win,” Rodgers added. “Any given day can be ours.”
Red Wing swept its way to the No. 1 seed to come out of Region 2. The Aces earned a bye in the Class B state tournament and will face the winner of the Cold Spring Springers and the Union Hill Bulldogs in Hutchinson on Saturday, August 23.
After defeating the Auston Greyhounds, the Rochester Roadrunners lost 6-2 to the Northfield Knights. The third and final game of the day at The Ath, which began at 9:30 p.m. and ended after midnight, was won by the Knights. They came back in the late innings to snatch an 8-6 victory over the Greyhounds to get the No. 2 seed out of the region.
The Aces drafted Tyler Schmitz and Brendan Baxter from the Stewartville Sharks to join the team at state.
Upcoming schedule
Saturday, Aug. 23 – vs Cold Spring or Union Hill (Hutchinson), 11 a.m.
