The Alexandria Cardinals baseball team saw their season come to end in the Section Finals on Wednesday night losing to Bemidji 4-1. On a beautiful cool evening at Dick Putz Field the crowd was privileged to watch two good baseball teams play an exciting Section Championship game. Bemidji was able to score four early runs that proved to be enough to secure a trip to the State Tournament for the Lumberjacks. The Cardinals gave a tremendous account for themselves coming back from a disappointing night on Tuesday.

The Cardinals played with great determination and fire up to the final out as we left six runners stranded on base which proved to be the difference. Senior pitcher Nathan Nelson got the start on the mound for the Cards. Nathan has pitched these last couple of weeks through some soreness and gave his teammates all he had as he gave way to AJ Anderson in the top of the 3rd. AJ was brilliant on Wednesday night as he held a very good Bemidji hitting lineup to just one hit through five innings and gave the Cardinals every opportunity to come back. It was a defining moment for AJ as a pitcher and his performance sets the stage for him to be the Cardinal ace on the mound in 2012.

The Cardinals managed six hits on the night with two from Seniors Chris Vogeler and Eric Carlsen. Jordan Domine drove in the lone Cardinal run on a RBI ground out in the 4th inning. During a season in which the Cardinals struggled in the field at times, the team played error free baseball including turning three double plays. The Cardinal infield of Erich Murphy, Dalton Leuschke, Aaron Billberg, and Eric Carlsen were extremely sharp all night.

The Cardinals end their season with a record of 15-10 and a second runner-up finish in three seasons in Section 8AAA. Nine Cardinal Seniors hold their heads high as they end their high school baseball careers. These nine young men played the game the right way all year demonstrating respect for the game as they provided a blueprint to future teams for how things should be done. We have no regrets as the entire team knows that success is not always measured in wins and losses. Success for us is knowing that we did our very best at all times and gave all we had to our teammates.

The Cardinals were led in 2011 by our Seniors who were voted the team MVP in voting done at the end of the regular season. Our pitching staff set the tone for the team this season ending the year with a team ERA under 3.00. Our two catchers Luc Beireis and Jordan Domine did an outstanding job behind the plate proving to be the best two catchers in the CLC and Section. Throughout the season our hitting made up for any struggles we may have had in the field. Dalton Leuschke has been selected to the play in the Lions All-Star game and will represent the Cardinal program very well in Chaska. Seniors Chris Vogeler and Eric Carlsen put together a playoff run at the plate that will be remembered for some time. Senior outfielders Parker Giroux and Chris Curry provided great defense and a spark on the base paths with their speed and grit. Senior pitchers Nathan Nelson and Jordan Hirsch took the ball down the stretch every time they were asked to and set an example for the underclassmen to follow. Chris Fields rotated at third throughout the regular season with Erich Murphy and accepted his role and contributed to the Varsity success in the field and at the plate.

It is never ease to see the season come to an end especially when we came so close to realizing the dream of playing in the State Tournament. The Cardinals will continue to knock on that door to the State Tournament. The experiences and memories shared and made during the 2011 Cardinal Baseball season will be remembered long after the pain and disappointment of tonight is put to rest. Congratulations and best wishes to a fine group of young men and a very successful baseball team.

Bemidji             112 000 0        4 8 0
CARDS            000 100 0        1 6 0

LP – Nelson

Alex Hitters: Carslen 2, Vogeler 2, Leuschke, Billberg.