Going into Wednesday's Class 2A championship baseball game, St. Cloud Cathedral was brimming with confidence. The opponent, La Crescent, was battling nerves.
Outcome decided.
With Andrew Thome pitching with economy and efficiency and a defense honed to a fine edge, St. Cloud Cathedral beat La Crescent 6-1. It was the seventh championship in 15 state tournament appearances for the Crusaders, all under the leadership of Bob Karn, who completed his 41st year as head coach and resident sage.
"It's all Mr. Karn," said Thome, who pitched a two-hitter, throwing only 74 pitches over seven innings. "He is the most respected man I've ever met. He always gets you ready to play."
For his part -- and one reason he's had the success he's had -- Karn deflected any praise aimed his way, preferring to focus attention on his players.
"What's unusual about this team, and probably its greatest asset, is the ability to learn from their mistakes," Karn said. "They learn and they get better."
It helped, of course, to have a pitcher such as Thome on the mound. Blessed with a long frame and a plus-fastball, Thome's biggest strength is his ability to throw all of the pitches in his repertoire for strikes. He set La Crescent down 1-2-3 in five of his seven innings and did not walk a batter.
"You could tell that he was going to have a good game in the bullpen during warmups," Karn said. "His fastball had a lot of life on it."
