Chester Bird falls in Gopher Classic finale

Dan Labosky capped a 10-for-15 hitting

performance in the Gopher Classic by

going 4-for-4 with two doubles in the

finale.

Chester Bird took the initial lead but Eastview responded by scoring nine unanswered runs in the fourth through six innings and the Thunder claimed a 9-4 win to wrap up first place in Pool 2 and advance to elimination play in the Jim Hanus Gopher Classic.

Jimmy Heck worked three shutout innings on the mound for The Birds, who took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when Dan Labosky, Keaton Studsrud and Heck hit consecutive singles to load the bases. Joe Melles followed with a sacrifice fly to drive in Labosky, with Studsrud moving to third base, and Gabe MacDonald also recorded a sacrifice fly to plate Studsrud.

The Thunder came back with a five-run fourth inning, using five hits, two of which stayed in the infield and two more of which barely reached the outfield, a hit batsmen and an error to take a lead which they would not relinquish.

Eastview then added a single run in the fifth inning and three unearned runs in the sixth to put the game away.

Chester Bird rallied for two runs in the seventh inning as Sam Lynch singled with out and Labosky followed with a double. Studsrud's ground out enabled Lynch to scored and Labosky came home on Heck's double but Kevin Wobschall then got a strikeout to finish a complete-game effort to give the Thunder the win.

Labosky doubled twice and scored two runs while going 4-for-4 on the night to cap a 10-for-15 performance at the plate for the tournament, which included three doubles and two triples. Heck was 3-for-4 at the plate and finished 9-for-15 in five games during the tournament.

The Birds return to action Wednesday with an 8:15 p.m. game versus Hopkins at Big Willow Park in Minnetonka. Chester Bird, 4-3 in South Hennepin League play, needs one win to secure a berth in the District 10 tournament, which begins July 26.