All three local Mon-Clair League baseball squads were busy this past weekend ahead of what looks to be another exciting Valmeyer Midsummer Classic at Borsch Park over the July 4 holiday. 

The Waterloo Buds (7-8) played five games over the weekend and were pleased to win three contests.

“It was a grind,” Buds manager Barry Grant said. “The boys where whooped, but it ended up being fun.”

Waterloo hosted all five games, starting with a Friday night tilt against the league leading Millstadt Green Machine. The result was a 10-1 loss for the Buds.

On Saturday, the Buds bounced back by downing the St. Louis Spikes twice, 13-6 and 8-4. TJ Williams was the offensive star for Waterloo, smacking two three-run homers on the day and driving in 10 total runs. 

“He was a beast,” Grant said. “TJ was a difference maker for us over the weekend.”

Also in Saturday’s win, Jack Roessler drove in a pair of runs to tie game two and also picked up the pitching win. George Schneider drove in the go-ahead run in game two.

On Sunday, recent Waterloo High School grads Max Oswald and Patrick O’Donnell collected four hits each in a doubleheader split with the Godfrey Hamms. The Buds won 13-3 in game one and lost 7-2 in game two.

Another recent WHS grad, AJ Sensel, combined with Nolan Veto for a solid pitching effort in game one, Grant said. 

Other highlights over the weekend for Waterloo, according to the manager, included the pitching of Erik Kaiser, “one of the best plays ever seen” at shortstop by Nate Albrecht, and “beast performances by our catching staff.”

Waterloo will look to repeat as Valmeyer Midsummer Classic champions, as the Buds downed the host Valmeyer Lakers in last year’s title game. 

The Lakers (11-7) won two of three games over the weekend. 

On Saturday, it was a 10-2 win over Godfrey. Evan Davis went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs. Cole Juelfs and Mark Nappier each had two hits. 

On Sunday, Valmeyer won 8-4 and lost 5-4 to the Belleville Rockies. 

In the game one win, Davis homered again and drove in three runs. Jacob Rowold went 3-for-4 with two runs. 

In game two, the Rockies plated three runs in the sixth inning to emerge victorious. Davis and Juelfs collected two hits apiece.

Jacob Thompson continues to lead the Lakers pitching staff this summer at 4-0 with a 1.81 ERA over 27 innings. 

Kameron Hanvey (.408, 14 runs) and Matt Helm (.408, 16 RBIs) are Valmeyer’s top hitters.

Millstadt (14-4) split its past four games. 

Last Wednesday, it was a 6-4 loss to the Rockies, who pulled ahead thanks to a three-run sixth inning. Cal Kossina and Tony Kossina each had two hits.

In Friday’s win over Waterloo, Nick Muskopf had two doubles and four RBIs for the Green Machine. Brian Lupa went 3-for-3 with three runs, and Jake Stedman went the distance on the mound with six strikeouts.

On Sunday, Millstadt won 12-4 but lost 10-6 in a doubleheader against the Spikes. 

In the game one win, Cal Kossina doubled and had three RBIs. Karl Peters went 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

In game two, brothers Cal and Tony Kossina each had two hits.

Leading Millstadt’s pitching staff this summer are Stedman and Evan Spears. Both are 3-0 with a 3.55 ERA. 

Lupa (.466, 10 RBIs) and Peters (.449, 22 RBIs) are the top hitters for the Green Machine. 

Midsummer Classic

In addition to five of the six existing Mon-Clair teams (Waterloo Buds, Valmeyer Lakers, Millstadt Green Machine, Belleville Rockies and St. Louis Spikes) others in this year’s Valmeyer Midsummer Classic are former Mon-Clair team the St. Louis Printers, along with the MoCo Tribe and STLMBL All-Stars.

The tourney kicks off at 9 a.m. Friday with the Buds taking on the Spikes, followed by Millstadt battling the Tribe at around noon, then Belleville taking on the St. Louis All-Stars at 3 p.m. and the Lakers hosting the Printers at 6 p.m. 

The games continue starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, then conclude with the championship game set for approximately 4 p.m. Sunday. 

Notable names playing in this year’s tourney include former minor leaguer and past Midsummer Classic MVP Lee Cruz, who was added to Millstadt’s roster.

As for the MoCo Tribe – a youth select program that has helped produce several local baseball standouts – key members on that roster for the Midsummer Classic include University of Kansas pitcher Dom Voegele and his younger brothers Mason and Xavier, WHS all-stater Patrick O’Donnell, recent former Columbia High School standouts AJ Mueller, Logan Mueller, Lucas Riebeling, Reed Drabant, Cash Bailey, Aidan Gaither and Brennan Weik, along with current Valmeyer High School stars Luke Blackwell and Chase Snyder. 

The STLMBL All-Stars are comprised of players from 10 teams in the St. Louis Men’s Baseball League. The Mon-Clair League All-Stars play the STLMBL All-Stars each year.

As for ceremonial programs taking place as part of this year’s tourney,  Dennis Knobloch and Dennis Kipping, longtime members of the Valmeyer Jaycees will be honored as  Jaycees are celebrating their 50th anniversary. They will be on the field at about 5:45 p.m. Friday.

“Their willingness to provide funding and help with park improvements over the years has greatly improved the player, team, and fan experience at Borsch Park/Luhr Stadium/Dennis Pieper Field,” tourney organizer Craig Hoffman said of the Jaycees. 

Mon-Clair League President Don Barton will throw out the first pitch ahead of the Lakers-Printers game Friday evening. A former all-star as a player, Barton has served as league president since 2013. 

Alan “Augie” Goldschmidt, a 1961 Valmeyer High School graduate,  will throw out the first pitch ahead of the championship game late Sunday afternoon. Goldschmidt began playing for Valmeyer in the Mon-Clair League in 1960, then was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1964 and served a 12-month tour of duty in Vietnam.

He played 17 years for the Valmeyer Lakers as an outfielder and infielder.