Sub-Region 3 Semifinals: Proctor 9, Aurora-Hoyt Lakes 3
Rapids, Rail nines victors

Proctor upset Aurora-Hoyt Lakes 9-3 on the two-hit pitching of Dale Nikko, with Nikko yielding all three runs in the first inning. The Rails also scored three runs in the first, then added two runs each in the third, fifth and seventh innings. Proctor got a three-for-three effort from Ken Elnes at the plate to back up Nikko's pitching job. Elnes' hits included two doubles and a single, and he drove in three runs. Joe Gaboury had two hits and knocked in two runs.

 

Sub-Region 3 Championship: Proctor 7, Virginia 0
Proctor claims crown

VIRGINIA, Minn. -- Proctor used the four-hit pitching of Dale Nikko to defeat Virginia 7-0 Thursday in the sub-Region 3AA champtionship high school baseball game at Virginia. Proctor and Virginia played scoreless ball for four innings in the rain, but Proctor broke it open with a four run fifth inning. Joe Gaboury had the big hit, a two-run double. The Rails added two more runs in the sixth on a hit batsman, an error and Mike Hudspith's run-scoring single. Jeff Merling led the nine-hit assault with three hits and was on base four times.

 

Region 7AA Semifinals: Proctor 2, Grand Rapids 0
Proctor, Denfeld stack shutouts

DULUTH -- Dale Nikko fashioned a dramatic two-hitter to lead the underdog Rails. Proctor's win over Rapids was an upset if you go by the team records, the Rails entering the semifinal contest at 7-10 while the Indians had the best record of the field with a 15-3 mark. But that doesn't take in account the gutty performances turned in by Nikko and his teammates. Nikko yielded a first inning single to Lee Theis and another single in the fourth to shortstop Al Cleveland, but he used his burning fastball the rest of the time to keep the Indians' bats muffled. He struck out four and walked three. John Nelson, the Rails' designated hitter and leadoff man, scored what proved to be the winning run in the first inning by coming home on third baseman Jay Nelson's sacrifice fly to center. John Nelson reached first on an error by Cleveland on a ground ball and advanced to second on Jeff Merling's base hit to center. They both advanced on Mike Hudspith's bunt to set up Jay Nelson's first RBI. Jay Nelson flew out to center again in the fourth for the Rails' other run, sending in Merling, who had doubled off losing pitcher Tom LeMahieu. After Merling's double, LeMahieu got Hudspith to fly to right, but the Indians' rightfielder dropped the ball and LeMahieu left in favor of Rapids' ace Jim Jetland. Nelson hit Jetland's first pitch for the second run. Nikko, who on the mound appeared to be as cool as windswept Wade Stadium, said he was "tense the whole game. I was way up when it started and I never came down. But we weren't disappointed that they didn't start Jetland against us." Proctor coach Dave Anderson noted that Nikko has now thrown "20 innings of shutout ball, and we'll go with him against Denfeld. He can throw forever."

 

by Irv Mossberger

(Duluth News Tribune, June 3, 1976)

DULUTH -- Mike Hudspith, one of only four seniors on the Proctor team, had a four-word phrase running through his head as he waited for a ground ball hit by Denfeld's Russ Hellgren Wednesday night at Wade Stadium.

"We're going to state!"

His Proctor teammates erupted into a chorus of that phrase as the ball popped into Hudspith's glove and he threw to first baseman Ken Elnes for the last out of the game to give the Rails the Region 7AA baseball championship with a classic 2-1 victory over the Denfeld Hunters.

"That's all I could think of when I saw that ball coming at me," said Hudspith. "There was no way I was going to mess that up, it took an easy hop and it was right there."

Hudspith's play preserved the pitching win for gutty righthander Dale Nikko, a sophomore ironman who went the distance for the second straight day. Nikko fashioned a five hitter against the slugging Hunters after posting a two-hit shutout in the semifinals Tuesday against Grand Rapids.

Nikko's heroics, which came before an enthusiastic crowd of 929 - the largest paid attendance at Wade in recent years - didn't stop on the mound, however. He also delivered a crucial double down the left field line in the top of the last inning to drive in the tying run. He had prevented Denfeld from scoring its second run in the fourth inning when he charged off the mound to cover home plate after a wild pitch. Catcher Joe Gaboury retrieved the ball and fired it back to Nikko in time to catch Larry Tessier coming in.

Nikko was bowled over and took a hard shot on the play but held onto the ball.

"No, I didn't really get hurt on that," said the blond-haired sophomore. "In fact, I didn't get over the butterflies until I was hit. I had a little trouble settling down at the start of the game."

Denfeld scored its only run in the first inning, and it looked as if that run would hold up for the Hunters' Jim Watts, who suffered the defeat despite pitching a six-hitter and recording six strikeouts.

The Hunters' third baseman, Jim Mortinsen, scored the run by breezing home on Mike Castonguay's booming triple in right centerfield. Mortinsen had reached first on the only base on balls delivered by Nikko all night.

The Hunters threatened again in the third wen Mortinsen singled and moved to third on Jim Jago's base hit, but Nikko struck out Castonguay to retire the side. Nikko stopped Tessier's threat in the fourth, and the Hunters were throttled from then until the final inning.

Proctor, which came into the tournament with a 6-10 record, capped its rags-to-riches story in the seventh by scoring both its runs in the top of the seventh. Gaboury started the rally by knocking a grounder to the right side of the infield that the Hunters' first baseman, Tessier, had trouble hanging onto. By the time he secured the ball Gaboury had beaten him to the bag.

Bill Kuzas went in as a pinch runner, and went to second on Mike Grover's grounder to second. Castonguay, the Hunters' second baseman, was looking for the doubleplay but barely got Grover at first. Proctor coach Dave Anderson disputed the out, but Nikko's double, which skipped over the bag just out of Mortinsen's reach, sent in Kuzas with the tying run and settled down the Proctor club.

Nikko moved to third on John Baublitz' groundout, then scored on designated hitter Jon Nelson's sharp single to right center.

Nikko got the first two Hunters in the bottom of the seventh, taking Dave Crain's popup and striking out Brian Moe, but designated hitter Daron Johnson lofted a fly to right that carried over Cliff Grover's head for a triple. That final threat ended when Hudspith picked up Hellgren's grounder to end the game.

A dejected John Bergstrom, who like Anderson was looking for his first state-entry team (both are in their ninth year) admitted it was "An awful tough way to lose a ball game." But the Hunters' coach also appreciated Nikko's efforts.

"I've never, in nine years as head coach, seen a kid pitch back-to-back games like that," said Bergstrom.

"I wasn't kidding when I said he could throw forever," said Anderson of Nikko. "I told you he was a tough kid."

Nikko will be pitching again Monday in the first round of the state tourney against the Region 8AA champion at Wadena.

 

State Tournament: Little Falls 2, Proctor 0
Proctor blanked

WADENA, Minn. -- A Proctor rally fizzled in the seventh inning and so did the Rails' life in the Minnesota state high school baseball tournament in a first round Class AA game played here Monday.

Little Falls scored lone runs in the second and fourth innings to shut out the Rails 2-0. Pitcher Doug Fregin gave up only three hits to Proctor, which ended the season with an 8-11 record, and struck out eight.

Fregin, a junior, entered the game with an unimpressive 3-6 record but his team-leading earned run average of 1.50 bears out the number of hard-luck losses he absorbed during the season.

The Rails had the makings of a comeback in the last inning when, with two outs, pitcher Dale Nikko was hit in the head by a pitch. John Baublitz followed with a single and Proctor had runners on first and second.

But the Rails couldn't muster any more and Little Falls earned a second round berth against Marshall, which beat Rochester Mayo 1-0 in its quarterfinal contest.

Dennis Kazeck, the Flyers' designated hitter, got two of Little Falls' eight hits off Nikko and drove in both of its runs. Both hits were singles.

Steve Bzdok got on base in the second and Kazeck drove him in. And in the fourth, Mark Garrison singled, stole second and scored on Kazeck's base hit.

Jeff Merling and Nikko got Proctor's two other hits. Merling singled in the third and Nikko in the fifth.

Little Falls, 13-8, plays a Marshall team that sports a 20-1 record in Thursday's 2:30 p.m. game at St. Cloud's Municipal Stadium.

For the Flyers, champions of Region 8AA, this is their first state tournament appearance in baseball since 1971 when they lost to eventual state champion Richfield in the semifinals.

Nikko, the Rails' sophomore sensation, ends his season with a 7-5 record -- many of the losses one and two-run decisions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proctor has been a member of Section 7AA since 2004, having previously been in Section 7AAA.  All teams qualify for the Section 7AA Playoffs.  A team must win its first two playoff games to enter the double-elimination Final Four tournament.