NEW MUNICH – The Spring Hill Chargers have a little contest among its hitters, a game within the game if you will.

 

The left-handed hitters and the right-handed hitters compete to see who has the most home runs.

 

After Sunday, the left-handers are up two.

 

One of them, Cody Eichers, hit a grand slam in the eighth inning to lift the Chargers past the New Munich Silverstreaks 7-5 in the Stearns County League finale.

 

“It’s a fun, little competition,” Eichers said. “It’s just for bragging rights.”

 

The victory leaves Spring Hill with the best record in the league. The Chargers are 12-1 and the top seed in the North Division playoffs, which begin Sunday.

 

Spring Hill plays host to Meire Grove at 1:30 p.m.

 

Second-seeded Elrosa plays host to third-seeded New Munich in the other North Division game.

 

The winners play the next Sunday for the top seed in the Region 15C tournament in Elrosa. The loser gets the second seed.

 

The losers play an elimination game, with the winner earning the third seed.

 

Spring Hill had the North Division championship wrapped up long before Sunday. Eichers, however, said the Chargers’ late rally was a good sign heading into the playoffs.

 

“It’s good to end the regular season with a comeback,” said Eichers, 21, a 2011 Melrose High School graduate. “We haven’t had too much adversity this year. So that’s a good way to end it.”

 

Spring Hill manager Randy Schoenberg views Sunday’s win over the Silverstreaks (7-6) as a wake-up call. New Munich led most of the way, getting a quality start from Jim Thull and taking advantage of eight walks issued by Spring Hill pitchers.

 

That won’t work in the playoffs, Schoenberg said.

 

“That’s not good; that’s a no-no,” Schoenberg said. “Everyone’s good enough in our league that they’re gonna make you pay for that ...

 

“It was one of them games where we didn’t throw strikes. Throw strikes and play defense. That’s what we do. We didn’t do that today.”

 

Spring Hill led 1-0 in the top of the first. Eric Terres led off with a double and eventually scored on a ground out by Shawn Schoenberg.

 

The Silverstreaks got three runs in the third. Chad Funk walked. Nick Stangler and Grant Johnson each singled, with Johnson’s hit driving in a run. And then John Goebel slugged a two-run triple.

 

New Munich made it 4-1 in the fifth, taking advantage of four walks, including a bases-loaded one drawn by Darren Funk.

 

The Chargers picked up a run int the sixth on Nathan Terres’ RBI double.

 

Then came Spring Hill’s five-run eighth with the key blow supplied by Eichers, a home run off a high fastball from reliever Andrew Gieske. It was Eichers’ fourth of the season

 

It was a tough weekend for New Munich, which lost 3-2 to Lake Henry on Saturday.

 

“We’ve got to hit better with guys on base,” New Munich manager Paul Sand said. “In the playoffs, that’s going to be the difference.

 

“Walks are one thing. But if you don’t do anything with them ... You can’t go up there looking for a walk. Let’s put it that way.”

 

The Chargers definitely weren’t. That’s six homers for the lefties (Corey Schoenberg has two) in league games.

 

“It’s fun,” Eichers said.

 

(St. Cloud Times)