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A trip to Mankato and the state high school softball tournament was on the line last Thursday at Braun Park in Cloquet, so Hermantown coach Tom Bang had to be all bound up in knots. Not.
Bang looked a lot more at ease and less stressed than some of his Hawks parents, who probably would lapse into a state of shock if Hermantown did not end its softball season with a state tournament trip.
Pequot Lakes jumped ahead 2-0 early. Bang adjusted the big round ball bucket so he’d be sure to remain in the shade at his end of Hermantown’s third-base dugout. Bang, who retired from teaching five years ago but has continued coaching into this, his 36th season.
“We’ve made it three years in a row, and six of the last seven,” Bang said. “The kids work real hard, and they all enjoy the game. We’ve got a nice culture going here, and my assistant, Sue Van Loon, does a good job working with the Under-12 team in the summertime, so everyone knows what’s expected long before they get to our team.”
Well, not too long. The roster shows two seniors, four juniors, four sophomores, four freshmen, three eighth-graders, and seventh-grade Hannah Mihalik is getting valuable experience as the team’s fourth pitcher.
Bang’s calm demeanor does not mean he is taking anything for granted. It is never the same-old, same-old. “Every team is new and different,” Bang said. “We’ve got five returning regulars from last year’s team, and when the new players get to experience the state tournament, I almost enjoy it vicariously through them.”
Hermantown didn’t need any coach-applied fire to come back and tie the game 2-2, doing it almost in routine fashion. Back-to-back doubles produced one run, and the other scored on a fielder’s choice. But the Patriots weren’t going down easily.
The Hawks have had some intimidating pitching over the past six seasons - five of which ended up with state tournament appearances. “Usually, if we got to a tough situation, we could count on a strikeout,” said Bang.
“Kylie Hoff, our pitcher this year, is only a sophomore and she’s a different kind of pitcher. She’s gotten better as the year went on, but she doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts, so we’ve had to play better defense.”
Hermantown edged ahead 3-2, time for defense in the top of the fifth. Pequot Lakes got two hits and a threat was brewing with only one out. The next batter didn’t get solid contact on Hoff’s pitch, but sent the ball over the pitcher - a soft line drive that could load the bases. But Macy Francisco, one of only two seniors on this year’s team, darted in and, with a lunge, caught the ball and immediately shoveled it backhand to second for a double play. Threat, and inning, over.
The Hawks nudged another run in to go up 4-2 in the last of the fifth, and in the top of the sixth, the Patriots made their final bid. A hot ground ball was sent up the middle, headed for center field. Francisco, doing a female impersonation of Bryan Dozier, made a diving stab of the ball going to her right, came up on one knee and fired the ball to first for the out.
Last of the sixth, and Tess Johnson, another sophomore, smacked a two-out, opposite-field double to right, making it 5-2, and ninth-grader Jordyn Thomas followed with a single to make it 6-2.
Afterward, Bang agreed that Francisco’s two great plays at second base were as significant as any of the Hawk hits in winning the game.
“Macy Francisco is a big-time player, and she’s been making big plays on the big stage for us for four years,” Bang said. “She’s been our leadoff hitter for four years, too, and she’s been fighting a slump right now, but she didn’t let it bother her out in the field.”
Outfielder Allison Samberg is the other senior, but Bang doesn’t seem to see any problems with younger, less-experienced players. “Jordyn Thomas, our third hitter, might be our best hitter,” the coach said. “And Jillayne Gilbert has hit well.”
Thomas, one of four freshmen on teh team, and Gilbert, a junior, give an indication that the Hawks are not ready to yield the Section 7AA crown any time soon. And Tom Bang is not likely to give up his beloved coaching position, either. The two are, after all, related.

The Chance to Go to State is Worth It All

Putting the cart before the horse is not my favorite way to tell a sports story, but in the case of Duluth East’s baseball game, we can make an exception. The Greyhounds had battled Anoka through six innings of a 1-1 standoff in the first game of the double-elimination part of the Section 7AAA tournament, but the visiting Tornados took a 2-1 lead on what looked like a fateful sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh.
The aforementioned “cart” got into position shortly after that. In the last of the seventh, after Nathaniel Benson’s leadoff walk, Wes Anderson hit a shot to third that had double-play grounder written all over it, but the speedy Anderson beat the relay. Big Chris Olson came up next, against Anoka reliever Trevor Smith.
“He threw me a fastball, down the middle,” said Olson, who turned that first pitch into a sizzling line drive that carried over the center-fielder’s head and off the distant fence for a double.
“Chris is a big-time hitter, but he had been struggling the last couple weeks,” said East coach John Rudolph. “Wes Anderson is the best shortstop I’ve ever had and he’s our fastest guy, so when Chris put that ball off the fence, all I could think of was: ‘Go, Wes, Go!’ ”
Anderson sped around second and third and raced for home, sliding around the Anoka catcher to score all the way from first and tie the game 2-2, as his teammates leaped in unison off their bench.
Next up was Frankie Hanson, who had just watched Tobias Hanson, his twin brother, get helped off the field after twisting an ankle making a great catch in right field that advanced the runner to third who moments later scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly. Frankie Hanson strode to the plate and ripped a single to center.
It was, as they say, a “walk-off” single, because Chris Olson came around third and scored the winning run for a 3-2 East victory. The players streamed off the bench, and, appropriately, Wes Anderson and Chris Olson executed a high-flying hip-bump before being engulfed by their teammates - and before they realized they had to run out and congratulate Frankie Hanson, too.
“I’ve had a few big hits,” Frankie said, “but not bigger than that one. It was a fastball.”
Lost in the emotion of the moment was the brilliant pitching job turned in by junior Jake Turner, a lean and stylish righthander who gave up five hits and kept his earned-run average under 1.00 with his sixth victory in seven decisions. “We hadn’t been hitting much at all, so it was great to win this one with three straight hits,” said Turner, who insists he’s all of his claimed 150 pounds.
There are a few scant moments that define why coaches coach, and why ballplayers play despite late winters, short seasons and frigid conditions. A few of those moments all gathered themselves together on Duluth East’s field last week. The 7AAA tournament continued, rain and all, in Anoka. The Greyhounds won another big game, then lost, but stayed alive in the double-elimination setting to face Elk River in Thursday’s 7AAA final. But regardless of how that one goes, nobody in an East uniform will ever forget that spectacular last-inning comeback to beat Anoka.

STANLEY CUP FINAL

If you watched Game 6 of the Chicago Blackhawks Western Conference final against the Los Angeles Kings, you probably agree with me that it was a game worthy of a time capsule, to show how great NHL hockey can actually be. The Blackhawks, who had come from behind to win Game 5 in Chicago, did it again to beat the Kings in the second overtime of Game 6 in Los Angeles. Patrick Kane, held to one assist through four games, had four assists in Game 5 and put on a patented Kane Move to score the winner in Game 6.
Hopefully, you stayed around to watch the satellite/cable broadcast of the post-game press conference. It was LA coach Darryl Sutter at his best. I’ve been known to criticize media types for asking stupid questions, sound-bite questions, and “tell us about your emotion” questions, but this time, the media folks asked very good questions - but they were no match for Sutter, who reduced the attempted hype for Game 7 with a stunning economy of words.
First question:  “Darryl, your team blew leads in the third period of both Game 5 and Game 6 and lost both games, so now what can you possibly say to your players going into Gme 7?”
Sutter:  “Flight’s at 11.”
Actually, it was perfect. The media can pump up Game 7 all it wants, but Sutter remained poised, cool and collected, indicating his players know what’s on the line, and really they only needed to be reminded about when the charter was lifting off.
  Second question:  “Patrick Kane was unstoppable in Games 5 and 6, so how can you stop him in Game 7?”
Sutter: “We’ll do our best.”
Then he expanded on that: “They’ve got some really good players, and one of ’em made a couple great plays in the third period. So did some of our guys. Now there’s one game left.”
Another question:  “You went seven games to beat San Jose, then seven games to beat Anaheim, and now you’re going into the seventh game against Chicago. Is there any difference in the three series?”
Sutter:  “Third round...and a better opponent.”
Is there any wonder the Kings play poised and unruffled, even when falling behind, as they did in Game 7. If you missed it, the Blackhawks led 1-0, 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3. The Los Angeles Kings led only once - 5-4 after catching up all night and getting a goal in double overtime.
Now we get the New York Rangers against the Los Angeles Kings. Henrik Lundqvist against Jonathan Quick in goal; Ryan McDonagh against Dwight Doughty on defense; Martin St. Louis and Derek Stepan against Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik up front. I like the Rangers, as a team that has overachieved so far, but I like the Los Angeles Kings to win the Stanley Cup. Simply too much offense, too much defense, too much speed, and yes...too much Darryl Sutter.