Luverne first baseman Mark Remme flips the ball to pitcher Jared Pick to record an out during Saturday’s Section 3AA Baseball Tournament game against Montevideo in Windom. Luverne beat the Thunder Hawks 3-2 to earn a berth in tonight’s championship series in Windom.By John RittenhouseThe Luverne Cardinals assumed the driver’s seat in the Section 3AA Baseball Tournament by posting two one-run wins in winner’s bracket play.Luverne nipped Lac qui Parle Valley 4-3 in Grantie Falls Wednesday, May 28, in the tournament’s third round.The Cards traveled to Windom Saturday to play Montevideo in a clash between the tournament’s lone unbeaten teams. With a 3-2 win, Luverne earned a berth in the championship series that will be played in Windom today.Luverne, 15-9 overall and the winner of four straight one-run decisions, will play Jackson County Central at 5 p.m. A win would give the Cards a berth in the state tournament. A loss would set up a second game to be played later tonight.Luverne 3,Montevideo 2A pair of LHS relief pitchers tossed five and two-third innings of shutout ball to highlight Saturday’s one-run win over the Thunder Hawks in Windom Saturday.Jared Pick blanked Montevideo for four and two-thirds innings to earn the win. Adam Kurtz tossed a scoreless seventh inning to notch a save.Luverne starting pitcher Jake Studer ran into trouble in the second inning after blanking the Thunder Hawks in the first. Montevideo scored two runs in the second to tie the game at two. With the bases loaded and one out, Pick relieved Studer and escaped the jam when shortstop Zach Wysong snared a line drive headed to left field and threw to second baseman Aaron Schmidt in time to double-up a straying Montevideo runner.Pick limited the Thunder Hawks to one hit while fanning three batters over the next four innings. Kurtz allowed one hit and struck out two batters in the seventh.Luverne scored the game’s first two runs in the top of the second.Mark Remme beat out an infield single and Schmidt walked to start the rally. Adam Reisch singled to right field to chase home Remme with the first run. Schmidt scored on a single by Jesse Kuhlman.Luverne plated what proved to be the game-winning run in the top of the third, moments after Montevideo’s two-run rally in the second.Nick Uilk singled and scored from first base when Kurtz lined a double down the left-field line.Box score AB R H BIPick 3 0 0 0Uilk 3 1 1 0Johnson 0 0 0 0Studer 4 0 0 0Kurtz 3 0 1 1Remme 3 1 1 0Schmidt 2 1 1 0Reisch 3 0 2 1Kuhlman 2 0 1 1Wysong 3 0 0 0Luverne 4, LQPV 3The Cardinals won their third straight one-run tournament game when they nipped the Eagles Wednesday, May 28, in Granite Falls.Luverne scored four runs in the second and fourth innings and used three pitchers to protect a lead they never relinquished while snapping a three-game losing streak to LQPV.LQPV beat the Cardinals twice in last year’s section tournament and once during the present regular season.Luverne gained the upper hand in the game by scoring three runs in the home half of the second inning.Adam Kurtz and Mark Remme singled to start the rally. Adam Reisch, Joey Pick and Nick Uilk then singled home runs to give LHS an early lead.LQPV answered the challenge by scoring one run in the top of the fourth, but a stunning defensive play by the Cards kept the damage to a minimum.With one out and runners on first and second, a LQPV batter doubled to score a run. The runner on first prior to the double was gunned down at home plate when center fielder Jake Studer hit cutoff man Kurtz, who fired a strike to catcher Pick. After Pick tagged out the runner at the plate, he spotted the Eagle who doubled trying to reach third base. Pick threw the ball to third baseman Remme, who tagged out the runner to complete a unique double play.The momentum LHS gained with the fielding gem carried into the bottom of the fourth, when it loaded the bases with consecutive singles by Jesse Kuhlman, Zach Wysong and Pick. Uilk then drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Cards a 4-1 advantage.LQPV scored twice in the top of the fifth to make it 4-3, but Kurtz took the mound in the top of the sixth and blanked the Eagles without allowing a runner to reach base in the sixth and seventh innings to gain a save.Kuhlman walked five batters and allowed one earned run in a three-inning stint as the starting pitcher. Jared Pick surrendered five hits and two earned runs in relief of Kuhlman. Jared Pick picked up the win.Box score AB R H BIJo.Pick 4 0 2 1Uilk 2 0 1 2Studer 4 0 0 0Kurtz 3 1 1 0Remme 3 1 2 0Schmidt 2 0 0 0Reisch 3 1 1 1Kuhlman 3 1 1 0Wysong 3 0 1 0
