2023 Baseball State Tournament: Day 2 Recap

All eight spots for Friday’s Prep Championship Series were filled on Wednesday, June 14 during the semifinals of the Minnesota State High School League’s Baseball State Tournament at four regional sites. The three remaining top seeds in the four enrollment remain alive in their quests for state championships: Esko (Class A), New Prague (Class AAA) and Rosemount (AAA).

Four championship games will be played on Friday at CHS Field in downtown St. Paul. Here are those matchups:

Class A

• No. 3 Lyle/Pacelli (24-1) vs. No. 5 Fosston (23-4), 10 a.m.

Class AA

• Perham (24-3) vs. No. 1 Esko (26-1), 1 p.m.

Class AAA

• No. 3 Mahtomedi (19-6) vs. No. 1 New Prague (23-3), 4:30 p.m.

Class AAAA

• No. 2 East Ridge (19-8) vs. No. 1 Rosemount (19-6), 7:30 p.m.

Here is a look at how the semifinals transpired in creating those championship pairings:

Class A

• No. 3 Lyle/Pacelli 6, No. 2 New Ulm Cathedral 1 --- Lyle/Pacelli erupted for six runs in the top of the third inning and that paved the way to a 6-1 victory over New Ulm Cathedral in the first Class A semifinal at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud. Senior left fielder Trey Anderson had a two-run double in the six-run spree. Junior pitcher Isaac Nelsen scattered four hits and struck out five.
• No. 5 Fosston 7, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 5 --- Senior infielder Carsen Boushee had two hits, two runs batted in and two runs scored to help send the Greyhounds past the Jaguars at Joe Faber field. Senior Thatcher Palubicki chipped in two RBIs. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa’s Luke Illies had three hits and an RBI.

Class AA

• Perham 3, No. 2 Fairmont 2 --- Unseeded Perham continued its postseason surge by upsetting the defending Class AA champion at Dick Putz Field. Senior catcher Ben Shumansky was 2 for 4 with an RBI for the Yellowjackets. Junior Nate Soelter and eighth-grader Josh Soelter had two hits each for Fairmont.
• No. 1 Esko 7, No. 5 Cannon Falls 2 --- Junior Isaak Sertich crushed a grand slam in the fourth inning to power the Eskomos past the Bombers.

Class AAA

• No. 3 Mahtomedi 3, Grand Rapids 2 --- Mahtomedi jumped in front with three runs over the first two innings and that proved to be enough to record a 3-2 victory over Grand Rapids in the first Class AAA semifinal on Wednesday, June 14 at the Mini Met in Jordan. Junior shortstop Josh Donna capped the early output with an RBI double to the left field gap in the second inning. Senior pitcher Seth Nelson cruised early until surrendering two runs to the Thunderhawks in the top of the fifth inning when they produced two runs on two hits and an error. Junior shortstop Kyler Miller and senior designated hitter Kyle Henke had two hits each. Mahtomedi has two Class AAA championships to its program resume: 2018 and 2021. Last season, the Zephyrs won the consolation game.
• No. 1 New Prague 6, No. 4 Monticello 5 --- Top-seeded New Prague faced a tall task throughout its semifinal matchup with Monticello. The Trojans trailed from the start, surrendering four runs in the top of the first and kept looking upward throughout as Monticello was on the verge of upsetting the Class AAA favorite. But as has been the theme during a storybook season, the Trojans, trailing by two runs in the bottom of the seventh, sent hearts stirring with a three-run outburst that paved the way to a stunning rally. Senior pinch hitter Jake Hemann capped the stirring comeback with an RBI single to cap an inning when the Trojans found a way to create three runs on four hits while avoiding the final out that would have sent the Magic to the championship game.

Class AAAA

• No. 2 East Ridge 4, No. 3 Minnetonka 3 --- Sophomore pitcher Luke Ryerse allowed just one hit after the third inning and ended with seven strikeouts in helping East Ridge record a victory over Minnetonka in the first Class AAAA semifinal on Wednesday, June 14 at CHS Field in St. Paul. Senior designated hitter Joseph Merchelewitz was 2 for 3 with the eventual game-winning RBI in the third inning. Junior catcher Benjamin Rudser also had two hits. Junior Hudson Poole was 2 for 3 for Minnetonka.
• No. 1 Rosemount 12, No. 4 Edina 2 --- The top-seeded Irish erased a two-run deficit with a 10-run outburst in the sixth inning that paved the way for a victory and berth in the big-school championship game. To that point, Rosemount had been held to just one hit. That changed quickly as the first 12 Rosemount batters reached base in the top of the sixth inning. Senior shortstop Carson Blume had an RBI triple in the sixth inning and later an RBI double in the seventh. Senior third baseman Cameron Richardson and senior catcher Jake Schimmel each had two-run doubles in the decisive sixth inning.