Doing the little things well helped the Isanti Redbirds do big things in the Class C Region 1 tournament.
The Redbirds flew to the tournament title — and the top seed from Region 1 in the coming state tournament — thanks to a 3-0 victory over Princeton at Hinckley’s Brennan Field on Friday, Aug. 9.
But this year’s tournament title, Isanti’s fourth in the last five seasons, along with the state berth, the program’s fifth since returning to Class C in 2019, was claimed in a style far different from previous years.
“We executed, and everyone was on the same page,” manager Steve Allen said. “And we were alert: A couple of times we went from first to third on bunts where they didn’t cover third.”
Unlike the 2022 region champ Redbirds, a team that cruised to four wins by a combined score of 27-9, and the 2021 team, which bludgeoned four opponents by a combined margin of 48-1, this year’s squad leaned on good pitching, solid defense and timely hitting to beat its last three opponents 10-3 after opening with a 15-0 rout of Braham.
That style faced a tough test in the bottom of the first inning against Princeton when Isanti starter Phil Bray hit the first two batters he faced.
“They were leaning into pitches – I didn’t think those curveballs were that far inside,” Bray said. “They were on top of the plate and they were hugging the inside corner.
“My thought process was to keep throwing strikes and get outs.”
That’s exactly what he did, getting a strikeout, a groundout and an infield pop-up to escape the threat.
The game remained scoreless until the fifth, when Brent Tholen led off with a walk and Tommy Heifort laid down a sacrifice bunt. The Princeton third baseman mishandled the ball to allow Heifort to reach, and Tholen raced around to third base when no one covered the bag.
The next two Isanti hitters struck out, but Packy Lind blooped a two-strike pitch over the head of the second baseman for a run-scoring single.
“With two strikeouts before me, I was just looking to get the ball in play,” Lind said. “And then I got two strikes, so I shortened up and just wanted to hit the ball. When I did, it sure found a good spot. …
“I knew it was going to fall. I was happy that we got a run on the board and got a lead.”
That was all the scoring until the ninth, but that was not a problem for Bray. The lefty allowed just four hits and one walk while fanning seven.
“If the other guy is throwing well, good for him,” Bray said. “But that’s not going to change my approach. I want to throw strikes and hit my spots. Him throwing well has no bearing on what I’m doing.”
In the top of the ninth Isanti added two insurance runs on a fielder’s choice groundout by Lind and a hit-and-run RBI single by Jake Rantz.
Bray closed the door in the ninth when, with one out and a runner on first, he grabbed a line drive back to the mound and then doubled the runner off first for the final out.
“It was a nice way to end it,” Bray said. “I was still processing that I needed two more outs, so when you can double someone off it’s a great way to end it.”
It also capped an impressive tournament performance for Bray, who threw three complete-game shutouts in Hinckley. In 25 scoreless tournament innings, the left surrendered just 12 hits and four walks while striking out 24.
“As long as you get quality pitching, you’re going to have a shot to win every game,” Lind said.
It was a satisfying ending for the Redbirds as it also helped to remove the bad taste of the team’s 2023 tournament effort from their mouths.
Last year Isanti lost both of its tourney games to snap a string of four straight Class C state tournament appearances.
“Last year was so frustrating – ask any of the guys who were here last year,” Allen said. “The drive [for this title] was pretty strong. We didn’t play well in the tournament last year, and we were two and done. And then we lost all those players.
“There were a lot of people who didn’t expect us to be here. But we played well, and here we are.”
By winning the region, the Redbirds advanced directly to the second round of the Class C state tournament, where they will face the winner of a contest between the Courtland Cubs and the Richmond Royals on Sunday, Aug. 25, at Belle Plaine, with first pitch set for 11 a.m.
New faces
Teams advancing to the state tournament are welcome to select three pitchers from teams within their region that did not advance to the tournament.
The Redbirds have added pitchers Isaiah Brennan and Ben Sickler of Hinckley along with Derek Graves of Mora for their tournament run.
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