Legion team pounds Minneota

MINNEOTA -- Breaking open a tight game with five runs in the third inning, the Worthington American Legion baseball team routed host Minneota 11-1 in five innings on Thursday.

The game was moved up from a July 8 scheduled date.

Brock Bruns was the winning pitcher. He walked two and struck out one while keeping Minneota off-balance through four innings of work. Damon Schutz shut out the host team in the fifth.

Tate Gaul was 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles. Kent Lais had two doubles and Nathan Van Orman singled twice.

Head coach Tim Gaul said his Worthington squad played excellent defense led by Tommy Lais at third base. Worthington committed only one error.

WHS tennis awards given

WORTHINGTON -- The 2021 Worthington High School boys tennis team has distributed end-of-season awards to players.

David Sternke was named most improved. Ezra Bonnett earned the best sportsmanship award. Ian Barber was named most dedicated. And Alec Langerud was named most valuable.

Langerud and Barber were named to the All-Big South Conference team and Ben Schrieber was awarded an honorable mention.

Wenninger steps down at Luverne

LUVERNE -- Highly successful baseball coach Mike Wenninger, who has led the Luverne High School program for 25 years, has officially retired from the position.

In a quarter of a century leading the Cardinals, only once has a Wenninger team finished with a losing record. The Cards won section championships in 2001, 2003, 2009 and 2013 and placed second in the state tournament in 2001.

Wenninger, 48, a former three-sport star at New Ulm High School who later starred at South Dakota State University, has coached Luverne VFW (now Jr. Legion) teams every summer since 1997. He plans to watch his son Cade (a 2021 LHS graduate) continue his baseball career at Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa, now that he’s cleared away more time. An older son, Skyler, is the current head coach of the Worthington Trojans baseball program.

$30K on the line at Jackson Motorplex

JACKSON -- The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models are coming to southwest Minnesota. It starts when the series visits Minnesota for the first time this season on July 9-10 at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson.

Billed as the most powerful late models on the planet, the Late Models will run two complete shows starting with a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win feature on Friday, July 9. Then, the series returns to Jackson Motorplex on Saturday, July 10, for a $20,000-to-win 50-lap feature.

Fans can enjoy a pre-race party, including happy hour in the beer garden, music, cornhole, and a driver meet and greet on Saturday afternoon.