Sobieski wins Town Ball championship game in front of record crowd

WACONIA, Minn. (FOX 9) - After three weeks and 65 games, the 98th annual Amateur State Baseball Tournament has come to a close. 

Sunday night, Chanhassen won the Class B tournament, and Monday marked the finals for Class C. The game in Waconia marked the culmination of months of hard work, and with record crowds on hand, all eyes were on the field for the matchup between Sobieski and Watertown.

Watertown hasn’t won a state championship in 70 years, so with a chance to change that, emotions were high.

"It’s just a tremendous atmosphere," Sobieski Coach Brad Czech said. "We say with amateur baseball there’s magic in this game. I think we put a showcase on today for the state of Minnesota."

Through 10 innings, the game was a stalemate on the diamond, until the top of the 11th. Still scoreless, Coach Czech's hitters finally broke through with three runs to secure a victory. 

"Extra innings… pressure on every pitch from the first inning on. It’s as good as baseball gets, I’m so proud of our guys," Coach Czech said.

After the game, Pitcher Caleb Strack was named MVP.

"I’m feeling is terrific. We worked really hard," Strack said. 

With 1,500 on hand today and a new record of over 21,000 throughout the tournament, it was a banner year for Minnesota Town Ball.