Jordahl plays hero for Twins

When Sauk Prairie first baseman Mike Jordahl swung at a 1-0 pitch from Ashton reliever Carson Possehl in the bottom of the 12th inning, the sweet sound off his bat spoke volumes. It also punched the Twins’ ticket for their first trip to the Home Talent League Final Four since 2021. Jordahl blasted a solo home run to lift top-seeded Sauk Prairie to a 4-3 victory over the visiting and second-seeded A’s in 12 innings in the Northern Section championship game Sunday at Chuck Hall Memorial Field. “It was a fastball, right down the middle,” Jordahl said. “I knew it was gone as soon as I heard it.” With the meat of the Twins’ order coming up, Sauk Prairie player/manager Lucas Koenig said it was simply the Twins’ time to shine. “I was looking at my daughter and telling her to watch for the walk-off,” Lucas Koenig said. “I was looking for me to get the walk-off. But I turned and heard it and said, that works. “Mike had some tough at bats. Ashton was working him. He was trying to figure out what they were trying to do to him. But his power is huge, and he showed it there.” The victory sent the Twins (14-1) into the league’s championship round where they will host Southeast Section champion Evansville (11-5), a 2-1 winner over Fort Atkinson, in the first round on Sunday at 1 p.m. Possehl, the third Ashton pitcher in the game, was dominant for five innings after he hit Lucas Koenig with a pitch to open the seventh inning. The A’s right-hander retired the next 15 batters in row, striking out six. But Jordahl led off the bottom of the 12th inning with his booming blast for the walk-off victory. “We were in the dugout trying to figure him out. He’s a good pitcher, and his changeup was phenomenal,” Jordahl said of Possehl. “He was just attacking the zone, and we didn’t jump on him right away. We got down and then he had the advantage because his changeup was so good.”  Sauk Prairie defeated Ashton, 16-10, in a wild game on July 13. The Twins knocked Possehl out after 2 2/3 innings in that game when he allowed five hits and walked eight batters. But Possehl was unhittable until Jordahl ended the A’s season with one swing. “We faced him in Ashton, and he really struggled to get the ball over the plate,” Lucas Koenig said. “But I remember telling him ‘You’ve got good stuff.’ “So, the stuff was there, and he was mixing fastballs, a curveball and changeup, and they were all over the plate.” With the return of several starters, who were missing for both teams in that earlier matchup, both teams knew it would be a battle until the end. And they didn’t disappoint a standing-room-only crowd that was treated to a superb afternoon of championship-caliber baseball on a sunny afternoon. “Carson did an unbelievable job,” Ashton manager Logan Ziegler said of Possehl. “That was the first hit he gave up. He did a phenomenal job. He did everything we could have asked for. “But that’s a team that can go to the Final Four, the team that makes the plays.”  It was Sauk Prairie — which never led in the game until Jordahl’s winning blast — that made one more play that made the difference. Although the Twins finished with two errors, they made the right plays at the right time. “They brought it,” Sam Koenig said of the Twins’ defense, which featured several outstanding plays by Quinn Baier at third base, shortstop Alex Mayer and Jordahl at first base. “Mike made some unbelievable scoops. Having experienced first base, those are like a 10% scoop. Not a lot of times that’s finding the glove but fortunately they found his.” Ashton (10-5) didn’t waste any time taking an early lead. A’s shortstop Keegan Fleischman led off the game with a booming double to center field and scored when right fielder Shane Adler followed with a single to left field. But Adler was thrown out at second base on the play on a perfectly executed relay, the first of the Twins’ sparkling defensive efforts. Sauk Prairie tied the game in the bottom of the second inning when designated hitter Ty Brisky drew a one-out walk, moved to second on a passed ball and one out later scored when left fielder Tyler Prime laced a double to left field. Ashton quickly responded in the top of the third when Fleischman, Adler and first baseman Luke Ballweg delivered consecutive singles. Second baseman Dylan Carrington then lofted a ball behind second base, which dropped in when the Twins had four players converge on the popup only to collide and have the ball glance off right fielder Spencer Alisch’s glove for an error to score Fleischman. But Sauk Prairie starter Connor Leister pitched out of the jam, retiring Possehl on a foul ball and striking out designated hitter Liam Belleveau and center fielder Cooper Holewinski. “In a long game like that, it’s easy to forget what Connor (Leister) did early in the game,” Lucas Koenig said. “Bases loaded and nobody out, and the fly ball that drops. I thought it was infield fly rule. Quinn (Baier) was camped under it, but it hit Spencer’s glove. But Connor was able to buckle down and get out of it with no more damage.” Leister pitched six strong innings, allowing just three runs (two earned) on six hits with four walks and one strikeout. “To me, that was a spot where the wheels could have fallen off,” Lucas Koenig said of the A’s third inning. “But you know Connor, it’s not going to bug him. He’s going to go back and attack and make good pitches to get hitters out. He really picked us up there.” Meanwhile, Ashton starting pitcher Derrick Rothwell was on cruise control against the Twins. But after Rothwell walked Jordahl with one out in the fifth inning, right-hander Ben Collier took over and allowed an RBI single to Mayer to tie the game at 2-2. The teams traded runs in the sixth inning with Ashton regaining the lead after Possehl doubled, moved to third on a sacrifice by Belleveau and scored on Holewinski’s sacrifice fly to center field. Sauk Prairie tied the game up in its half of the frame when Alisch drew a walk to open the inning and later scored on Baier’s sacrifice fly to left field. The game then settled into a pitcher’s duel between the Twins’ Sam Koenig and Possehl until Jordahl’s game-winner. “Thankfully, Mike Jordahl is an exceptional hitter, and he was able to connect with one,” Sam Koenig said. “(Possehl) was rolling and mixing his pitches well. But there was no doubt about that one. When you hear the ball off the bat like that, it’s different.” Sam Koenig scattered three hits over six innings with five strikeouts and three walks to pick up the win. “That’s why he’s one of the leaders on the team. That’s why he’s here,” Jordahl said of Koenig’s work in relief. “You just feel comfortable when he’s on the mound, regardless of what’s going on. You always feel like he has composure and is ready to go. He was at his best. It’s easy to play behind him.” Sam Koenig allowed a two-out double to Fleischman, who had a game-high three hits, in the 11th inning. But Koenig then retired Adler on a ground ball to second to strand Fleischman.  Koenig, who threw 84 pitches, said he was determined to finish the game on his terms. “My old man asked me how many innings I had in me, and I said, ‘whatever it takes,’ ” Sam Koenig said. “I’m at that point in the season and in my career where I’m going to give it everything I have.” Mission accomplished. “Every time Ashton comes to town, whether it’s here or there, you know it’s going to be a big game, and you know it’s going to be a battle,” Sam Koenig said. “We have had their number in the past, but that doesn’t matter. Today, they’re a different team. It was a different battle, so we had to be together as a team.” Twins’ center fielder Chucky Schara paid Sam Koenig the ultimate compliment. “Sammy’s a dog. He really dug in,” Schara said with a smile. “He knew he wasn’t coming out.” Mayer added that Sam Koenig got stronger as the game went on, a testament to his drive and desire to excel. “Going out in extra innings, we knew we had our guy up there and he was going to throw strikes and keep us in it,” Mayer said of Sam Koenig. “He’s awesome. He’s fun to watch pitch.” After Possehl hit his second double of the game with two outs in the 12th inning, Mayer raced from shortstop into short left field to make a running catch on a ball hit by Belleveau to stymie the A’s once again. “That catch was huge,” Jordahl said. “You see plays like that where the ball will drop, and they will score a run. Credit to Mayer for putting the motor down and getting there and giving us a chance to walk it off.” Ashton outhit Sauk Prairie, 9-8, and played flawless defense. But for the third time in the last six years, Sauk Prairie hosted Ashton in the section championship game and earned a walk-off victory. “Hats off to them. They played great defense and made all the plays they needed to make,” Ashton catcher Brooks Kalscheur said. “Both teams played well defensively.” Collier agreed. “They played a great game, and we played a great game,” he said. “It’s a matter of time who was going to do it first. It was just one pitch, one swing after 15 (outs) in a row. (Possehl) just missed a spot and (Jordahl) made a good swing on it and put it out.” For the third straight week in the playoffs, Sauk Prairie found a way to pull out a victory after trailing early in the game. Jordahl said that was a product of playing several close games during the regular season. “It’s been like that all year,” he said. “We find ways to win. It brings the team closer together because you’re in games like this all the time, fighting for your life.” Mayer said he was looking forward to a return to the Final Four and an opportunity to win the Twins’ first HTL championship since 1966. “I appreciate my guys. I appreciate all the guys before us,” Mayer said. “We have such a good history and haven’t won it in so long. I love it for the older guys who still show up for the games and for the community. There’s no place I’d rather be right now.”   Aug. 11 Sauk Prairie 4,  Ashton 3 (12 innings) Ashton ...... 101 001 000 000 – 3 9 0 Sauk …...... 010 011 000 001 – 4 8 2 Pitchers (ip-h-er-so-bb) – A: Derrick Rothwell (4.1-4-2-2-2-2), Ben Collier (1.2-3-1-1-0-2), Carson Possehl (L: 5-1-1-1-6-0). SP: Connor Leister (6-6-3-2-4-1), Sam Koenig (W: 6-3-0-0-5-3). Leading hitters – A: Keegan Fleischman 3x5 (2-2B); Shane Adler 2x6; Carson Possehl 2x5 (2-2B). SP: Mike Jordahl 2x4 (HR); Sam Koenig 2x5; Chucky Schara (2B).