Mounds View upsets Wayzata in boys state baseball semifinal

Mounds View ended Wayzata’s bid for an undefeated season with a 5-4, 8-inning victory in the Class 4A semifinals at CHS Field in St. Paul.

Wayzata had sent the game to extra innings on the strength of a run-scoring two-out single by Gaard Swenson in the bottom of the seventh, only to give it back when Mounds View responded with two in the top of the eighth for a 5-3 lead.

Wayzata battled back in the bottom of the eighth, closing the gap to 5-4 when James Hansen singled in Adam Deselich with two outs, but Kieran Leatherman’s high foul was chased down and snagged by Mounds View’s Aiden Bale to end the game.

Mounds View pitcher Tyler Guerin, the 2024 Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year, impressed despite his typical pregame nerves.

“I’m a nervous player. I throw up pretty much every game I pitch,” Guerin admitted. “I was in the bathroom for two innings during the game, yakking in there.”

He may have been a bundle of nerves off the field, but on it he was dominant. He held the potent Trojans to just three runs and eight hits in seven innings with his 94-mph fastball and a nasty slider.

Wayzata was trying to become just the sixth team to finish a baseball season undefeated — and only the second in the large-school class — since the MSHSL went to multiple classes in 1976. The Trojans were 25-0 before the loss.

Mounds View’s victory sets up an all-Suburban East Conference Class 4A championship game. The Mustangs (20-8) will face East Ridge Monday at Target Field.

“We know we play in the best [baseball] conference,” said Mounds View coach Nik Anderson. “What it means is that we’re battle-tested.”

East Ridge 10, Forest Lake 1

Surrounded by top-flight talent, East Ridge senior Will Preimesberger couldn’t imagine a better situation.

Preimesberger started and pitched three scoreless innings for the Raptors (20-6), helping them get off to a fast start en route to victory over Suburban East conference rival Forest Lake in the Class 4A state tournament semifinals.

“It’s pretty fun,” Preimesberger said of being a part of a staff that includes three big-time Division I arms. “We all work together every day and help each other every day.”

While Preimesberger, who will play at South Carolina-Lancaster next season, was shutting down Forest Lake (14-12) on just one hit, the rest of the defending state champion Raptors were engaged in starting fast.

They scored three runs in the top of the first inning — two on a triple by Alex Mezzetti — and topped it with four in the top of the second. They led 7-0 before Forest Lake managed a base hit.

“That takes the pressure off,” Preimesberger said.

Mezzetti said the early runs have been a point of focus all season.

“That’s what we do. We always talk about having fast starts,” he said. “That’s my job as a team leader to help get us started.”

It was the third time East Ridge defeated Forest Lake this season.

Mahtomedi 5, Grand Rapids 3

Grand Rapids coach Bill Kinnunen has seen enough of Mahtomedi.

The Zephyrs ousted his Thunderhawks in the state tournament for the third time in the past four years, beating Grand Rapids in the Class 3A semifinals Friday at Chaska Athletic Park.

“It seems like we see them every year,” Kinnunen said. Mahtomedi topped the Thunderhawks in the semifinals in 2023 and championship in 2021. Grand Rapids beat the Zepyhrs in the quarterfinals in 2022. “That’s the way it always ends up.”

The Thunderhawks (18-9) struggled to get timely hits off Mahtomedi senior starter Max Strecker and junior reliever Andrew Sokoll. They left 11 on base, including five in a scoreless first two innings.

“We couldn’t get the big hit,” Kinnunen said. “In a big game, that will cost you.”

The Zephyrs (22-4), who are tops in the coaches association rankings, also turned a phenomenal double play with a 4-2 lead and the bases loaded and one out in the top of the fourth inning. Senior third baseman Thomas Becker fielded a high hopper and stepped on the bag before bouncing a throw to stretching, scooping classmate Jack Erickson at first base.

“For the third baseman to even get that ball, make the play and make the throw,” Kinnunen said shaking his head. “That was a big play.”

Sokoll came out of the bullpen to induce the double play. He allowed one run on three hits in 3⅔ innings of work out of the bullpen to pick up the win.

“Oh my God!” Sokoll said. “That was crazy. That is something you dream about.”

Erickson helped the Zephyrs get off to a quick start with three runs in the first. He delivered a run-scoring single, his fourth consecutive hit in the state tournament, and later scored on a passed ball. Junior center fielder Ethan Felling plated the first run with a groundout.

“The first at-bat is the most important of the game,” Erickson said. “It gets you locked in.”

Strecker delivered an RBI single in the second to make it 4-0. He also walked twice.

Grand Rapids got on the scoreboard in the third on losing pitcher senior Dominic Broberg’s double to right-center field. The Thunderhawks pulled within 4-2 in the fourth on Caleb Gunderson’s bloop single down the right field line prior to the double play.

“That was a momentum changer,” Erickson said.

Mahtomedi added an insurance run on senior Josh Donna’s squeeze bunt in the sixth.

Grand Rapids closed to 5-3 in the seventh on senior Easton Sjostrand’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, but once again stranded two runners.

“There was a lot of pressure, but I felt good,” Sokoll said. He didn’t pitch the first half of the season due to an elbow injury. “I wanted to get to Target Field.”

Totino Grace 2, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 0

Colin Blake flipped the game ball to Jake Rantz.

Rightfully so.

Rantz threw a masterpiece three-hit shutout as Totino-Grace blanked No. 2-ranked Benilde-St. Margaret’s in the semifinals of the Class 3A baseball state tournament Friday.

“I’ll be keeping this one,” Rantz said of the ball.

The junior righthander mixed his fastball and curveball perfectly throughout the game, keeping the Red Knights hitters off balance. He sporadically added a changeup to his repertoire.

“Jake was in control the entire game,” Eagles coach Mike Smith said. “He kept his poise in the last couple of innings.”

That was until Colin McGie flied out to deep center field with a runner aboard for the final out. He had one of three singles for the Red Knights (21-4).

“I wanted to stay calm and not let anything get to me,” Rantz said. “I was breathing a little heavier.”

Rantz worked entirely out of the stretch while throwing 76 pitches. He struck out two and walked one.

“They are a great team and are a good hitting team up and down the lineup,” Rantz said. “Every first pitch was big for me. I needed to get ahead of their hitters.”

The Eagles (18-8) provided Rantz with all the support he needed with two runs in the third inning. Blake delivered a run-scoring single and Tommy Heifort had a sacrifice fly to right field after Noah Hill doubled to left-center field, putting runners on second and third.

The Eagles are now one game away from a state championship, a far cry from the 0-5 group that started the season.

“It wasn’t like we were playing bad,” Smith said. “We just weren’t doing the little things, extra things it takes to win. We stayed with the process and started to trust and believe in each other. That’s the difference.”

Rockford 7, Le Sueur-Henderson 3: Rockford pulled away with a pair of runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings for the victory in the Class 2A state semifinals at Dick Putz Field in St. Cloud.

Patrick Binnebose hit a one-out single to score Joseph Evans and Riley Moran to give the Rockets a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Colton Lundberg and Wilson Sanderson hit run-scoring singles in the fifth inning to extend the Rockets’ lead.

Aiden Smith homered in the first inning with Harrison Edwards on first base to give the Rockets (25-5) a 2-0 lead. He also pitched the complete game allowing three hits, one walk and three unearned runs while striking out eight.

Samuel Gupton led the Giants (20-7) with two hits, a run scored and an RBI.

Jacob Eisentrager reached on all four of his plate appearances with two hits, including a double, and two walks. Owen Schuster, William Haas and Moran had two hits each for the Rockets.

Foley 4, Esko 0: Trey Emmerich pitched 6⅓ shutout innings to help the fourth-seeded Falcons knock off top-seeded Esko. He allowed six hits and three walks while striking out 13 before exiting when reaching his pitch limit.

Noah Gapinski came on and retired two of the four batters he faced to complete the shutout. Josiah Petersen had two hits, one RBI and one run scored for the Falcons (23-4). Dylan Marciulionis had two hits for Esko (26-4).

Springfield 4, Cherry 2: Fourth-seeded Springfield scored three runs in the fifth inning to break the game open. Noah Neperman drove in two runs with a single to give Springfield (24-2) a 3-1 lead at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud. Lucas Milbrath followed with a sacrifice fly to provide insurance. Kade Nachreiner pitched the complete game, allowing five hits and one earned run while striking out six for Springfield. Noah Asuma had two hits and a run scored for Cherry (21-4).

Parkers Prairie 7, Sacred Heart 1: The second-seeded Panthers jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and cruised past the Eagles. David Revering led the Panthers at the plate and on the mound. He had three hits with an RBI and a run scored as a hitter and allowed one run while pitching a complete game. Nolan Steidl added three hits and three RBI and Cohen Noska had two hits and two RBI for the Panthers (25-1). David Larson had three hits and Josiah Sundby had two for the Eagles (21-4).