A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Cloquet Legion first baseman Jack Sorenson stops the ball at first base in an attempt to get the West Duluth runner out in a game at Wade Stadium in Duluth Wednesday evening.
Cloquet Legion pitcher Noah Niemi releases a pitch during Wednesday night's game against West Duluth.
With summer in full swing and the Fourth of July in our rearview mirror, the Cloquet Legion baseball team is preparing for a district tournament right around the corner.
"We are a very young team," fourth-year head coach Bruce Baker said. "Our roster features only three seniors from the Lumberjack roster this season and one player, Tim Pokornowski, who graduated in 2018 from Cloquet."
Pokornowski - the former Cloquet three-sport standout and now a UMD football and baseball player - is a welcome addition to the Legion roster, especially on the pitcher's mound where the team has been short of arms this summer.
His support on the mound has been a boost for the team, but his bat has also given the team a much-needed jolt - he is currently leading the team with five home runs so far this season.
"We have had to use so many young players - often using some of the guys off the VFW team just to fill in," Baker said, adding that in addition to its youth, the team has also had several injuries. "With kids working, and injuries, vacations and more, it has been really tough to get a solid rotation and the same lineup on the field."
The Legion team features three 2019 graduates: Gavin Rasmussen, Noah Niemi and Nick Baker, who bring solid leadership with much experience to this young squad.
"We added Kaden Crane and Ryan Gray from Carlton to help fill out the roster, which has been nice, because they come from a solid program with great coaching over there," Coach Baker said.
With an overall record of 3-4 on the season, the Legion team is hoping for more consistency as the playoffs begin July 24 in Cloquet. Nine games remain in the Cloquet Legion's schedule - including five games this weekend in the Ely tournament - and they will finish up the season at home versus Hibbing Tuesday, July 16 and against West Duluth Thursday, July 18 at Cloquet's Ed Mettner Field. Both games start at 5:30 p.m.
The Legion district tournament runs July 24-27 with a double- elimination format. The teams will be seeded in the District 10 tournament on Sunday, July 21. Teams in the District 10 tournament include Cloquet, Hibbing, West Duluth, Thunder Bay, Hermantown, Grand Rapids, Nisswa, and Duluth Lakeview, which looks to be the favorite in District 10.
