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Sports

Richfield Legion Baseball Team Set to Play in Gopher Classic

Richfield will begin play Friday against Albert Lea at North St. Paul's McKnight Legion Field.

The will compete in the 2011 Jim Hanus Gopher Classic tournament beginning Friday.

Richfield will compete as one of six teams in host North St. Paul’s pool and will play all of its games Friday through Sunday at McKnight Legion Field. Their fellow pool play teams will be North St. Paul, Coon Rapids, Albert Lea, West Fargo, ND, and Watertown, SD.

Richfield’s first game will be Friday at 2 p.m. against Albert Lea.

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Richfield was the last Minnesota team to win the Gopher Classic, doing so in 2008.

The Gopher Classic is the largest American Legion baseball tournament in the United States, according to the tournament’s official website. This season, the tournament expanded to 66 teams playing at 11 different sites. 

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Last year, the tournament had 48 teams competing at eight different locations.

The tournament begins with pool play Friday through Sunday, which consists of each team playing five games. All 11 pool winners and five second place finishers advance to Monday’s field of 16. The field of 16 and quarterfinal games are played at four locations—Red Haddox Field in Bloomington, Veterans Field in Minnetonka, Round Lake Stadium in Eden Prairie and Braemar Park in Edina.

The tournament semifinals are held at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Tuesday at Veterans Field, and the championship is held Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Veterans Field.

Napoleon, OH, won the last two Gopher Classic tournaments. Rosetown, based in Roseville, took runner-up in 2010 and was the top finishing Minnesota team.

Site 1: Apple Valley’s Legion Field 

Site 2:

Site 3: Bethel University (Arden Hills) Hargis Park Field

Site 4: Bloomington’s Red Haddox Field

Site 5: Chanhassen High School Field

Site 6:

Site 7: Eden Prairie’s Round Lake Stadium

Site 8:

Site 9: Minnetonka’s Veterans Field

Site 10:

Site 11: North St. Paul’s McKnight Legion Field

Championship round: Minnetonka’s Veterans Field

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