After dropping an extra-inning game at the state Division II American Legion baseball tournament at Redbird Field in Luverne on Friday, Jackson played two more tight contests on Saturday.
The Tarantulas opened the day with an 8-6 win over Chatfield in the consolation semifinals before Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton scored two in the bottom of seventh to edge Post 130 7-6 in the consolation championship game.
“That just shows how competitive we are with the best teams in the state,” said Jackson Coach Blaise Jacobsen. “Our program is in good shape. I’m excited to see what will happen with them next year.”
After the tough opening-round loss on Friday, Jackson came back and played two more nail-biters on Saturday
“We had to play at nine in the morning. We didn’t even hit because we would have had to do that at like 6:30 so we said let’s just get to the ballpark on time and we did and we got a win. Trace threw great for us and then Andrew Boyum got us through the end of that game and that made a big difference for Brett Rossow to be able to pitch in that third game because we needed every pitch he had. We maxed him out.
“He was at 104 after the sixth inning so he had one pitch left and you can finish a batter so we put him back out there and he struck out the guy who had hit a home run against him earlier so that was a good revenge at-bat for him.”
The state tournament brings an end to Jacobsen’s time coaching Legion baseball.
“I’ve done it for a while and my daughter (Harper) is getting older,” Blaise said. “I just want a little more time with the family. Easton Bahr and Alex Bretzman are two guys that are really interested in coaching. Alex has been with me the last couple of summers and Easton was a little when he could this year. The team is going to be in good hands next summer.”
Andrew wins ‘Battle of the Boyums’
In the Chatfield game, Jackson led 8-3 going to the bottom of the seventh before claiming the 8-6 win.
Andrew Boyum came on in relief of Trace Michelson after he reached his pitch limit with one out in the sixth.
“It’s a trend where we’re up in the last inning but we keep it close for our fans. It’s all for entertainment purposes,” Boyum joked.
“The first guy was the four hitter so I had to mix it up a little so that’s maybe why I hit him. I didn’t want him to hit a bomb for sure. And then I did the same thing with the five hitter. Once I got deeper into the lineup I focused more on getting a ground ball.”
As it turned out, he did get a strikeout for the final out as he won the “Battle of the Boyums” as he fanned Chatfield’s Caden Boyum, who is a distant relative.
Caden’s great grandfather is Bertram Boyum, who is Andrew’s grandfather’s cousin. Andrew’s father, Kevin, is originally from that area in southeast Minnesota.
“I had a feeling that was going to happen,” Andrew said. “It was a cool duel to face him and then get the strikeout to give is another game. I kind of had a sigh of relief there when we got it done.”
Andrew graduated from Jackson County Central High School this spring and will be attending Iowa Central Community College and will compete in cross country as well as track and field for the Tritons.
The Legion tournament was the fourth state event Andrew has competed in. He qualified for the state cross country meet last fall, was on the wrestling team that won the state tournament in the winter, and qualified in two events at this spring’s state track and field meet.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Andrew said. “I finished off wrestling with a state title and then going to state in baseball. I won’t be playing those two sports after today. To be ending my career is unreal. I never thought this would happen, but hard work pays off.
“I’ve had great teammates and coaches and parents around me to help me out. I’m so happy to end my Jackson career on a really awesome note”
Bertram Boyum
Here’s a little more about Bertram Boyum of Rushford, who was mentioned earlier as the link between Andrew and Caden.
He's still at it and now he's Minnesota's oldest auctioneer at 103 years old.
Bertram was already 92 when that video was made in 2010:
He worked on a farm for 15 years but decided he wanted to do something different with his life. He started doing auctions at a church bazaar. That's when an aunt told him a person could make a buck or two in the business.
Times have changed, Bertram told the Winona Daily News. The auction-attending crowd has gotten soft. Few auctions are held outside anymore. When they were, he told the Bluff Country News, if you bid first, he'd "get you out of there" and move on to the next item.
He doesn't do regular auctioneering anymore. He still does some "freebies," however.
“I can still sell. My voice is still good,” Boyum said.
Not everyone can be an auctioneer, something some of the whippersnappers don't get.
“There’s one thing that really bothers me with today’s auctioneers — you can’t understand them. That’s a disgrace to the auction profession,” he said.
TOURNAMENT NOTES
Wadena defeated Morris 14-0 in five inning in the tournament’s championship game. Sibley East beat Tri-Town/Atwater 13-2 in the third-place game.
Wadena did not allow a run in 27 innings in the tournament. Post 171 defeated Luverne 1-0 in 15 innings and Tri-Town/Atwater 4-0 to reach the championship game.
Payton Rondestvedt of Wadena was awarded the Tony Sipe Outstanding Player Trophy. He was 7-for-11 at the plate with six runs batted in (including two game-winning RBIs), one triple and one home run. He also won one game as pitcher.
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton received the Rocky Wedin Sportsmanship Trophy.
Next year’s state Division II tournament will be held in Roseau.
Division II state tournament
At Redbird Field, Luverne
Friday
Quarterfinals
Upper bracket
Sibley East 5, Jackson 4 (8 innings)
Morris 8, Chatfield 2
Tri-Town/Atwater 7, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 4
Wadena 1, Luverne 0 (15 innings)
Saturday
Consolation semifinals
Jackson 8, Chatfield 6
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 7, Luverne 1
Consolation championship
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 7, Jackson 6
Semifinals
Morris 4, Sibley East 1
Wadena 4, Tri-Town/Atwater 0
Sunday
Championship
Wadena 14, Morris 0 (5 innings)
Third place
Sibley East 13, Tri-Town/Atwater 2
Division II state champions
1987 - Barnesville
1988 - Swanville
1989 – LaCrescent
1990 - Glencoe
1991 – Benson
1992 – New York Mills
1993 - Sebeka
1994 - LaCrescent
1995 – Pine Island
1996 – Big Lake
1997 - LaCrescent
1998 - Milroy
1999 – Nashwauk-Keewatin
2000 – Sacred Heart
2001 – Parkers Prairie
2002 – LeSueur-Henderson
2003 - Paynesville
2004 - Sebeka
2005 - Jordan
2006 - Jordan
2007 - Jordan
2008 - Jordan
2009 – Eden Valley-Watkins
2010 - LaCrescent
2011 – Eden Valley-Watkins
2012 - Plato
2013 - LaCrescent
2014 - Plato
2015 - Foley
2016 – Minneapolis
2017 - Pierz
2018 – LeSueur-Henderson
2019 – Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
2020 – Season canceled
2021 – Sacred Heart/MACCRAY
2022 – Wadena