Wolfpack go 2-3 in Gopher Classic, return home to host Hibbing Tuesday

Grand Rapids 8, Huron, SD 2

Bemidji 4, Grand Rapids 3

Hopkins 3, Grand Rapids 0

Omaha North, NE 5, Grand Rapids 3

Grand Rapids 7, Forest Lake 0

HOPKINS — Grand Rapids Legion Post 60 took part in the largest Legion tournament in the country this past weekend. They played in the Gopher Classic, the largest Legion baseball tournament in the country where nearly 100 teams spread out in the Twin Cities for a weekend of summer baseball.

Grand Rapids landed at the Hopkins site, going 2-3 in five games over three days against teams from both in and out-of-state, starting with a win over Huron, SD.

The Wolfpack jumped out to a 6-1 lead after three innings against Huron. Nolan Svatos, Caleb Gunderson, and Sam Dick all collected multiple hits at the top of the order to lead the offense. Riley Matheson also had two base hits and eight of nine Wolfpack batters had at least one in the game. Gunderson was on the bump in the win, going a full seven innings, allowing two earned on six hits while striking out nine in an 8-2 victory.

They did not have the offensive output the next day against Bemidji, losing 4-3 to their Highway 2 rivals while only collecting three hits as a team. The bats were even quieter in the follow-up game against Hopkins, recording only one hit off the bat of Svatos.

The Wolfpack bats were active again in the fourth game against Omaha North from Nebraska. The Legion team was led by Svatos with two hits from the leadoff spot, and they had seven hits overall as a team in a 5-3 loss. Kaden Sweeney and Alex Wegwerth split duties on the mound versus Omaha North, with Sweeney taking the loss.

The team ended on a strong note against Forest Lake in a 7-0 win. Sam Dick was brilliant on the mound, pitching a 1-hit, complete game with seven punchouts to keep Forest Lake harmless from the plate. Svatos once again impacted the game from the top of the order, going 1-3 with a run scored in front of Gunderson in the 2-slot, who went 2-4 in the game.

Grand Rapids returned to Bob Streetar Field on Tuesday in a matchup against Hibbing. Results of the game were unavailable at publication.