Photos: FOX 9 Town Ball Tour kicks off in Cologne
COLOGNE, Minn. (FOX 9) - FOX 9 kicked off its 2022 Town Ball Tour at Fritz Field in Cologne, home of the Hollanders.
Cologne, town of about 2,200 people, loves its amateur baseball. The Hollanders, a moniker giving a nod to Cologne's Holland and German heritage, pride themselves on having the "best cheese curds in baseball." And they were quite the popular item on Wednesday, hundreds of orders served.
WATCH: FOX 9 Town Ball Tour: 2022 starts with Fritz Field, home of the Cologne Hollanders
As part of Wednesday night's festivities, FOX 9 broadcasted live from Fritz Field Wednesday night and handed out free Minnesota Nice Cream ice cream from the FOX 9 Ice Cream Social truck. And the Hollanders passed buckets around to fans for donations to Special Olympics Minnesota, eventually presenting a check for $2,500.
As for the game, the BlueJays scored three runs in the fourth on an RBI double and two-run homer to take a 3-0 lead. The Hollanders answered with a run-scoring hit in the bottom frame to get within 3-1. Plato got the 7-1 win behind starting pitcher Drew Hedtke. The MSU-Mankato freshman tossed a complete game with 18 strikeouts.
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Next up on the 2022 FOX 9 Town Ball Tour is Veseli on May 25, followed by Plato on June 1, and then Watertown on June 8. You can find the full Town Ball Tour schedule here.