Photo by Samantha Davis. Dawson-Boyd's Holland Schacheri scores the game's first run in the fifth inning to give the Blackjacks a lead against Lac qui Parle Valley in the Section 3A elimination bracket quarterfinals Thursday night at Irish Yard in Milroy. Dawson-Boyd defeated the Eagles 4-3 and advance to Saturday's elimination semifinals.

MILROY — On the hunt to make its second straight Section 3A championship appearance, the top-seeded Dawson-Boyd baseball team prevailed for a 4-3 win over No. 4 Lac qui Parle Valley in the elimination bracket quarterfinals Thursday night in a nailbiter at the Irish Yard in Milroy.

“We know they [LQPV] are a pretty decent team, and anything could happen,” senior Beau Johnson said. “But, I was pretty confident that we could win.”

After four scoreless innings, Dawson-Boyd scored two runs in the fifth inning before LQPV took a brief 3-2 lead in the bottom of the frame.

Johnson scored the game-tying run while Kyan Moseng gave the Blackjacks the advantage, and final score, in the top of the sixth inning while Dawson-Boyd had a pair of strong defensive final two innings to preserve its lead.

Dawson-Boyd finished with eight hits and two errors to the Eagles’ five hits and trio of errors.

The two teams have a deep-rooted history in the section playoffs the past two seasons, but it was the Blackjacks’ who came out victorious this time around.

“This win feels really good,” Johnson said. “Last year was a little rough for us, but it feels good to beat them this year.”

The win eliminates the Eagles from the postseason, who defeated Dawson-Boyd in last year’s section championship game to advance to the state tournament. LQPV won two straight games for the title, 3-1 and 7-2, to knock out the Blackjacks after Dawson-Boyd entered the double-elimination final without a loss.

Thursday also was the second time the two teams met in this year’s tournament, continuing their postseason battle off one another.

Dawson-Boyd initially sent LQPV down to the elimination bracket with a 7-2 win in the subsection semifinals, and came to face the Eagles again after suffering a 9-2 quarterfinal loss on Wednesday to No. 3 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, while LQPV beat No. 3 MACCRAY 6-2 in the elimination first round.

“It feels amazing. We [Dawson-Boyd and LQPV] always battle, and we will always have a good game,” Dawson-Boyd head coach Daren Swenson said. “We lost last year in the section finals to them … It was great to take it back tonight. Good game, the guys stepped up. A totally different team from yesterday … Totally better defensively today, and hit the ball well. We played good ball today.

To put Dawson-Boyd on top and score the game’s first runs in the fifth, Holland Schacherer ran home with an Eli Olson single, who also reached second base on the same play off an LQPV overthrow error to first base.

Schacherer initially got on base with a line-drive single to right field, and proceeded to steal second base.

Olson accounted for the second run after tagging third from a Colten Bothun sacrifice fly to center.

The Eagles got their offensive momentum going in the fifth inning as well with three runs to build a 3-2 edge.

LQPV got batters on first and third with one out, scoring a run off a sacrifice hit and brought in the next two off a pair of line drives to the outfield.

Swenson made a pitching change to Olson with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, to which shortstop Nathan Hansen ended the inning with an infield fly ball catch.

Bothun spent the first 4 2/3 inning on the mound, and threw four strikeouts with four walks while allowing five hits and three earned runs.

Olson finished his 2 1/3 innings of relief without allowing a hit or a walk.

Johnson’s game-tying run came in the top of the sixth inning from second base off a Schacherer single. Johnson first got on base with a single to center field.

Johnson said that the pressure began to build as the game got closer to the final inning, but he remained confident in the team and felt a weight lifted off his shoulders as he crossed the plate.

Moseng’s go-ahead run came across the plate quickly after for the go-ahead off another LQPV overthrow to first base with Olson’s hit to give Dawson-Boyd back the lead, 4-3, ultimately becoming the final score.

“That’s the best part, [the pressure]. We have a good group of kids. They’re all together, and we have good leaders,” Swenson said. “We know when we get down, but we don’t stay down. We’ll stay on top.”

Moseng was courtesy running for Collin Olson, who hit a ground-ball single to center field.

When their defense mattered the most as LQPV stepped up to bat in the bottom of the seventh inning looking for a walk-off, the Blackjacks completed a double play with second baseman Bothun fielding a ground ball and touching second for a force out while throwing down to first to force the hitter out.

Officially ending the game and keeping Dawson-Boyd’s season alive, Johnson had a diving catch in center field off a fly ball to advance the Blackjacks to the elimination bracket semifinals.

“[In that moment], I was like, ‘I better catch this ball or I’m in big trouble,'” Johnson said laughing.

Collin and Schacheri led offensively with two hits apiece, while Bothun, Eli and Schacheri each had an RBI.

Dawson-Boyd (17-3) next will face No. 4S Minneota in the elimination bracket semifinals on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Yankee Field in Milroy. The winner will advance to the elimination finals to play for a spot in the championship game.

“There’s a way to go, but we’re still confident and we’re still having fun,” Johnson said. “That’s what matters.”

Minneota defeated No. 1S Murray County Central Thursday evening 9-8 in the final inning.

“We’re in the long-haul now. We’ve had to get this one back in from what we did yesterday,” Swenson said. “We just have three more games to win now to get to our goal.”