The Miesville Mudhens have done it again, this time in Gaylord, where they claimed yet another state championship in dramatic fashion. The perennial powerhouse delivered two of the most unforgettable wins in recent tournament memory, rallying late to stun opponents and cement their reputation as Minnesota’s most dominant townball club.
Saturday’s semifinal clash with the Minneapolis Warriors set the stage. The Mudhens looked dead in the water, trailing 8-1 midway through the game. Minneapolis had pounced early, with Brennan Swan sparking the third inning, followed by a sacrifice fly from Mike Weiss and a thunderous three-run homer from Dan Casazza. The Warriors later stretched the lead to 8-1 in the fifth, taking advantage of wild pitching and a bases-loaded walk.
But no lead is safe against the Mudhens. In the bottom of the fifth, Miesville roared back. Alex Hendrickson’s double plated two runs, Joey Werner launched a solo homer to right, and suddenly the gap was down to 8-5. In the sixth, Matt Van Der Bosch reached on an error, swiped two bases, and scored on an overthrow. Ronnie Sweeny added a solo shot in the seventh to make it 8-7, before veteran Deryk Marks tied the game with a majestic home run in the eighth.
It all came down to the 10th inning. With two outs, Marks and Van Der Bosch coaxed back-to-back walks, setting the stage for Lucas McNellis. The catcher lined a single to right, scoring pinch runner Eddie Peine, and the Mudhens poured onto the field in celebration of a 9-8 walk-off win. Marks, the 2016 tournament MVP, added to his legend by not only tying the game at the plate but also earning the win in relief.
That victory set up a Sunday championship showdown with the Champlin Park LoGators, a club with nine straight tournament appearances but no title to their name. For much of the day, it appeared the Gators would finally seize their moment.
After Joey Werner’s first-inning homer put Miesville up 2-0, Champlin Park answered with a six-run second inning highlighted by a bases-clearing double from Sam Riola. By the ninth inning, the LoGators held a commanding 9-3 lead, their fans poised for a long-awaited celebration.
Instead, they witnessed the full fury of Miesville’s championship DNA. Facing elimination, the Mudhens rallied again. Werner walked to start the inning, followed by hits from Sweeny and Evan Nelson. Brock Rinehart doubled in two runs, McNellis drove in two more, and Van Der Bosch worked a walk to load the bases. With the score 9-8, Champlin Park’s Charlie Hutchinson balked home the tying run, silencing the LoGators’ dugout and electrifying the Mudhens’ faithful.
Then, fittingly, Werner finished it. With the count in his favor, the longtime Mudhen slugger crushed a ball deep over the right-center fence. What had seemed like Champlin Park’s coronation ended as another Miesville masterpiece, an 11-9 walk-off victory that will be remembered as one of the most improbable comebacks in tournament history.
For the Mudhens, it was their eighth state championship and their thirteenth title game appearance, a staggering record of consistency in Minnesota townball. They remain a lightning rod for fans across the state, adored in Miesville for their swagger and fireworks, scorned elsewhere for the same reasons. But love them or loathe them, they continue to deliver drama and results.
In Gaylord this weekend, Miesville turned two games that looked lost into triumphs that will be talked about for years. The Warriors and LoGators walked off the field wondering how victory slipped away, while the Mudhens raised yet another championship trophy, their fans reveling in the magic of a team that simply refuses to go quietly.