No. 1 MCC 11, No. 4 Minneota 1 (6 inn.)

SLAYTON — Dugan Kluis’ grand slam highlighted the top-seeded Murray County Central baseball team’s postseason-opening 11-1 win over No. 4 Minneota on Saturday in the Section 3A Tournament second round.

The Rebels earned the top overall seed and a first-round bye after going 17-1 in the regular season, earning the chance to host a playoff game.

Kluis hit his grand slam in the fourth inning to continue MCC’s early momentum and helped put the score in mercy-rule territory. His hit scored Carter Hanson, Teague Meyer and Tristan Behrends, all of whom reached base on hits.

Continuing its trend of regular-season success, MCC got off to a hot start with 10 unanswered runs. The Rebels scored five runs in the first inning, and took a larger lead with another four in the fourth inning, with one more in the third.

The Vikings scored their lone run in the top of the fifth, yet the Rebels put together a quick response in the bottom of the sixth to score once more and end the game an inning early.

Logan Pohlen scored Minneota’s run off an Ian Myhre ground ball, and a Rebels’ defensive error allowed Myhre on base and Pohlen enough time to charge home.

Pohlen initially reached base with a line-drive single to center field.

Setting the tone early in their first plate appearance, the Rebels started their first-inning rally with a Krew Schneider fly ball to left field, and a Vikings’ error allowed Schneider the base as Kluis also had enough time to score from third.

Meyer also scored during Schneider’s at-bat on a passed ball.

Meyer had a leadoff single to left while field Kluis grounded into a fielder’s choice after.

The Vikings fought some early defensive struggles, as Levi Kopperud and Carson Lewis scored on errors during Gabe Tentinger’s at-bat, before Tentinger drilled an RBI double fly ball to left field to run in Cayden Veldhuisen for a Rebels’ 5-0 lead.

MCC carried much of the same momentum over the next few innings, as Kluis stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the fourth to extend the Rebels’ lead to 10-0 on his grand slam.

The Rebels’ final run was the result of a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth.

Schneider had another strong performance on the mound for MCC, tossing seven strikeouts through 4 2/3 innings, allowing two hits with no walks. Meyer stepped in the final inning for relief and wrapped up the day with a pair of strikeouts.

Mason Javers got the pitching start for Minneota through the first three innings and finished with one strikeout while allowing five hits and one walk. Carson Javers took over the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and three walks.

Both teams finished with four errors, while MCC had an 8-4 hitting advantage.

Minneota (11-7) drops to the elimination bracket and will next face No. 3 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (16-5) with the season on the line today at 7 p.m. at Yankee Field in Milroy. The winner will advance to Thursday’s elimination bracket quarterfinals.

MCC (18-1) will look to keep the momentum going when it takes on No. 2 Yellow Medicine East (10-11) today at the Irish Yard in Milroy at 7 p.m. The winner will move to the section semifinals, while the loser will drop to the elimination bracket quarterfinals.

BOX SCORE

MCC

BATTING

T. Meyer: 3-4, 2R; T. Behrends: 0-2. R; D. Kluis: 2-4, 2R, (HR) 4RBI; K. Schneider: 0-3, BB; C. Lewis: 0-2, 2R, 2BB; C. Veldhuisen: 0-2, R; D. Larson: 1-3, H, RBI; L. Kopperud: 0-0, R; G. Tentinger: 1-3, 2RBI, BB; C. Hanson: 1-3, R.

PITCHING

K. Schneider: 4.2 IP, 7 SO, 2H, R; T. Meyer: 1.1 IP, 2 SO, 2H.

MINNEOTA

BATTING

I. Myhre; 1-3; M. Javers: 1-3; C. Stassen: 1-3; L. Pohlen: 1-3, R.

PITCHING

M. Javers: 3 IP, SO, 5H, 4ER, BB; C. Javers: 2.2 IP, 3H, 2ER, 3BB.

No. 4 Minneota 1, No. 5 TMB 0

SLAYTON — The fourth-seeded Minneota baseball team staved off No. 5 Tracy-Milroy-Balaton for a 1-0 win to open the Section 3A Tournament in the first round on Saturday in Slayton. The loss ends TMB’s season, and the program graduates a trio of seniors.

Creed Stassen led the Vikings to victory with a complete-game shutout on the mound, where he tossed seven strikeouts and allowed just one walk with three hits. He also had Minneota’s largest hit of the day with a double.

Impressively, Minneota’s run came in its first plate appearance in the first inning as the rest of the game went scoreless by both teams, with the Vikings’ defense holding off the Panthers the rest of the way.

Carson Javers accounted for the Viking run in the bottom of the fourth, scoring from third on a Kaden Christensen sacrifice fly to center field. Javers got into scoring position with a walk, stole second on a wild pitch and then tagged the base and ran to third on an Ian Myhre pop fly.

Connor Lanoue ended his prep career with a competitive performance on the mound. He pitched a complete game and tossed four strikeouts while allowing just two hits and two walks.

Brayden Marron led the Panthers’ offense, going 2 for 3 at the plate.

TMB put together a winning season and surged ahead in the second half of the regular season. The Panthers entered the section tournament winning eight of their last 10 regular-season games, three of which were by 10 or more runs.

TMB ends its season 10-9 overall, and graduates Lanoue, Griffin Zick and David Schuh.

Minneota (11-7) fell short to top-seeded Murray County Central in the second round and will next face No. 3 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (16-5) with the season on the line today at 7 p.m. at Yankee Field in Milroy. The winner will advance to Thursday’s elimination bracket quarterfinals.

BOX SCORE

MINNEOTA

BATTING

C. Javers: 1-2, R, BB; K. Christensen: 1-2; C. Stassen: 1-2; L. Esping: 0-1, BB.

PITCHING

C. Stassen: 7 IP, 7 SO, 3H, BB.

TMB

BATTING

Con. Lanoue: 1-2, BB; Marron: 2-3.

PITCHING

Con. Lanoue: 6 IP, 4 SO, 2H, ER, BB.

No. 3S RTR 7, No. 6S Wabasso 2

ADRIAN — Tyler Wichmann’s strong pitching and Tyson Burns’ three RBIs set the tone for the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton baseball team in its Section 3A tournament opener on Saturday. Taking on No. 6 Wabasso, the third-seeded Knights held the Rabbits without an earned run in the game to claim an 8-2 win.

Wichmann pitched the game’s first six innings, striking out nine batters with no walks. He gave up four hits and a pair of earned runs before being relieved by Gavin Schreurs, who pitched a scoreless seventh to close out the win.

Garrett Elton drove in the go-ahead run in the second inning, hitting an RBI single to drive in Isaac Janish.

RTR pulled away with three runs in the ensuing inning. Tyler Wichmann hit a leadoff double and Levi Tommeraasen drew a walk to set the table for an RBI single by Kolby Louwagie. Janish got on base via catcher interference, loading the bases. Wabasso got back-to-back strikeouts, but BBurns and Schreurs drew consecutive walks to push across runs.

Burns went 3 for 3 with a walk at the plate on the day, while Wichmann went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. Jayden Remiger led Wabasso with a pair of singles.

Drew Kemp took the loss for Wabasso, giving up a pair of earned runs and three unearned runs on five hits and five walks over 2 2/3 innings. Cason Olson gave up another pair of earned runs on five walks and a pair of hits over 2 1/3, and Brady Baune surrendered one earned run on a hit and three walks over one frame of work.

With two outs in the sixth, Wabasso broke up the Knights’ shutout bid. Kemp reached base on an error and Baune followed with a single, and Jack Burns capitalized with a two-run single.

Still, RTR got those runs back and then some in the bottom of the frame. Louwagie and Janish drew consecutive walks to start the frame, and a wild pitch scored Louwagie. After a walk to Elton, Burns hit a two-run single to cap off the game’s scoring.

Wabasso finishes its season with an 8-13 record and graduates Remiger, Zack Skoblik, Christian Ricketts, Tavyn Larson and Zeke Olson.

BOX SCORE

RTR

BATTING

G. Schreurs: 0-1, 4 BB, SB; B. Chandler: 0-4, BB, RBI; T. Wichmann: 2-4 (2B), BB, SO; L. Tommeraasen: 0-2, 2 BB, R, SB, SO; K. Louwagie: 1-3, BB, RBI, 2 R, 2 SB; I. Janish: 1-2, BB, 3 R, SO; J. Kerkaert: 0-2, BB, HBP, SO; G. Elton: 1-3, BB, RBI, SB, 2 SO; T. Burns: 3-3, BB, 3 RBI, SB.

PITCHING

T. Wichmann: W, 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 9 SO; G. Schreurs: IP, 2 H, BB, SO.

WABASSO

BATTING

D. Kemp: 1-3, R; B. Baune: 1-3, R, 2 SO; J. Burns: 1-3, 2 RBI, SO; J. Remiger: 2-3; Z. Skoblik: 1-3, SB; A. Burns: 0-2, BB

PITCHING

D. Kemp: L, 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 SO; C. Olson: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 SO; B. Baune: IP, H, R, ER, 3 BB.

No. 2S A/E 8, No. 3S RTR 0

ADRIAN — The Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Knights weren’t able to carry their momentum from their postseason opener into their second-round matchup against No. 2 Adrian/Ellsworth on Saturday, falling to the elimination bracket with an 8-0 loss.

Kolby Louwagie was charged with the loss on the hill, surrendering four earned runs and three unearned runs on three hits and five walks over 1 2/3 frames. Brayden Chandler pitched the remaining 4 1/3 innings, giving up an earned run on two hits and seven walks.

The Dragons surged ahead with seven second-inning runs and added another in the third. Adrian/Ellsworth’s pitching and defense took care of the rest from there, limiting the Knights to six baserunners in the game.

Louwagie accounted for the Knights’ lone hit, a double with two outs in the fourth. Tyler Wichmann also drew a pair of walks while Schreurs and Colton Chandler each drew one.

RTR falls to 16-6 with the loss and next takes on No. 4 Minneota in an elimination bracket matchup at Yankee Field in Milroy on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

G. Schreurs: 0-2, BB; T. Wichmann: 0-1, 2 BB, SO; K. Louwagie: 1-3 (2B), SO; I. Janish: 0-2, HBP, 2 SO; C. Chandler: 0-2, BB.

PITCHING

K. Louwagie: L, 1.2 IP, 3 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 2 SO; B. Chandler: 4.1 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 7 BB, 3 SO.

No. 3N YME 12, No. 6N CMC 0 (5 inn.)

MADISON — Gunnar Fagen and Gavin Torvik threw a combined shutout in the No. 3 Yellow Medicine East baseball team’s Section 3A tournament opener on Saturday, leading the Sting to a 12-0 mercy-rule win over No. 6 Central Minnesota Christian.

Fagen threw the first four innings of the win, limiting the Bluejays to a single and two walks with four strikeouts. Torvik struck out the side in the fifth to close out the win.

The YME bats pounced right away, loading the bases in the bottom of the first with walks to Drew Monson and Hayden Kuehn and Fagen getting hit by a pitch. Lane Wohlman broke the game open with a two-run single and Caysen Lien hit an RBI single to bring the score to 3-0.

Lien led the YME offense with two hits for three RBIs. Monson also contributed a pair of RBIs on a double and three walks, while Wohlman logged a single and two walks for two RBIs.

A seven-run fourth inning put the mercy rule into play for the Sting. Leading 5-0, a Fagen double and walks to Wohlman and Torvik loaded the bases. Dane Hildahl, Lien and Drew Almich followed up with consecutive singles, one run scoring on Hildahl and Almich’s and two on Lien’s.

After a strikeout put one away, Monson hit a two-run double and Torvik drew a bases-loaded walk to push across the game’s final run before he struck out the side in the bottom of the frame.

Monson drew a walk in the second before scoring on a balk, and Torvik reached base on an error to drive in Kuehn to bring the score to 5-0.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

D. Monson: 1-1 (2B), 3 BB, 2 RBI, 3 R, 3 SB; H. Kuhen: 0-2, BB, HBP, 2 R, SB, SO; G. Fagen: 1-2 (2B), BB, HBP, SO; L. Wohlman: 1-1, 2 BB, HBP, 2 RBI, R; G. Torvik: 0-2, 2 BB, 2 RBI, R, SO; D. Hildahl: 1-3, BB, RBI, R, SO; C. Lien: 2-3, 3 RBI; C. Almich: 1-2, HBP, RBI, R, SB.

PITCHING

G. Fagen: W, 4 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 SO; G. Torvik: IP, 3 SO.

No. 3N YME 8, No. 2N LQPV 1

MADISON — Drew Monson homered twice and drove in six runs in the Yellow Medicine East baseball team’s second-round matchup against No. 2 Lac qui Parle Valley on Saturday, powering the Sting to the Section 3A quarterfinals with an 8-1 victory.

The Sting led 1-0 heading into the second when walks to Caysen Lien and Cal Almich with an Aaden Kuehn single in between loaded the bases. With one out, Monson blasted a grand slam over the left-field wall to give the Sting a 5-0 cushion.

Monson finished the day with three hits, two walks and six RBIs. Gunnar Fagen and Kuehn also logged a pair of hits each in the game, including a double and an RBI for Fagen, while Almich walked three times and scored a pair of runs.

Lane Wohlman pitched a complete-game victory for the Sting, limiting LQPV to one earned run on five hits and three walks. He also struck out six batters.

Monson scored the game’s first run when he led off the first with a single and went home on a Fagen double.

LQPV loaded the bases with one out in the fourth and broke up the shutout bit with a sacrifice fly. Yet, the Sting continued to increase their lead when Almich led off the sixth with a walk and Monson followed up with his second home run of the day to left field.

Hildahl capped off the game’s scoring when he drew a walk and scored on an error in the seventh, and the Sting’s pitching and defense took care of business in the bottom of the seventh to close out the victory.

YME improves to 10-11 with the win and nexxt takes on the North’s top-seeded Murray County Central in the 3A semifinals at the Irish Yard in Milroy on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

D. Monson: 3-3 (2 HR), 2 BB, 6 RBI, 3 R, H. Kuehn: 1-5; G. Fagen: 2-4 (2B), RBI; D. Hildahl: 1-3, BB, R; C. Lien: 1-3, BB, R; A. Kuehn: 2-4, R; C. Almich: 0-1, 3 BB, 2 R.

PITCHING

L. Wohlman: W, 7 IP, 5 H, R, ER, 3 BB, 6 SO.

No. 1N Dawson-Boyd 13, No. 8N Lakeview 0 (5 inn.)

DAWSON — Holland Schacherer’s five RBIs and Eli Olson’s shutout helped the top-seeded Dawson-Boyd baseball team run away with a 13-0 win over No. 8 Lakeview in their Section 3A tournament opener on Saturday.

The Blackjacks’ bats got active early with eight first-inning runs. A pair of singles from Colten Bothun and Nate Hansen, with a Kameron Sather walk in between, loaded the bases with one out and Schacherer took advantage of the opportunity with a three-run triple.

Aedyn Dahl drove in Schacherer with a single and scored when Eli Olson reached on an error to bring the score to 5-0. Aiden Olson reached on another error before Ace Larson hit a two-run double, and Larson scored on a Bothun ground out to cap off the big inning.

Olson struck out eight batters over his five innings on the mound, limiting the Lakers to a single and two walks.

Braylon Breyfogle was charged with the loss for the Lakers, surrendering eight earned and four unearned runs on 11 hits and a pair of walks over three innings. Chase Vogel threw the fourth, giving up one earned run on a pair of hits.

Teagan Neuman hit a single in the second to give Lakeview its lone hit of the day, but Hansen fielded a ground ball in the next at-bat and turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Dawson-Boyd strung together a three-run rally in the third to further pull away. Kyan Moseng was hit by a pitch and Buthun walked to put two on. With two outs, Schacherer hit a two-run double and scored on an Dahl single to bring the gap to 12-0.

Hansen singled in the second before scoring on an error, and he drove in Larson with an RBI single in the fourth.

Lakeview finishes its season at 1-13 and graduates Breyfogle, Landyn Listul, Easton Schmidt and Jared Louwagie.

BOX SCORE

DAWSON-BOYD

BATTING

K. Moseng: 1-2, 2 HBP, R, 2 SB, SO; C. Bothun: 1-3, BB, RBI, 2 R, 2 SB, SO; K. Sather: 0-3, BB, R, SB; N. Hansen: 3-4, RBI, 2 R, SB; H. Schacherer: 2-4 (3B, 2B), 5 RBI, 2 R, SB; A. Dahl: 2-3, 2 RBI, R, SB, SO; E. Olson: 1-2, HBP, R, SB; A. Olson: 1-3, R, SB; A. Larson: 2-3 (2B), 2 RBI, 2 R.

PITCHING

E. Olson: W, 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 8 SO.

LAKEVIEW

BATTING

B. Breyfogle: 0-1, BB, SO; T. Neuman: 1-2; L. Listul: 0-1, BB, SB.

PITCHING

B. Breyfogle: L, 3 IP, 11 H, 12 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO; C. Vogel: IP, 2 H, R, ER, SO.

No. 1N Dawson-Boyd 7, No. 4N Canby 5

DAWSON — The fifth-seeded Canby baseball team’s upset bid fell short against top-seeded Dawson-Boyd in the second round of the 3A section tournament on Saturday, with the Blackjacks coming up strong at the plate in the final innings to stave off the Lancers for a 7-5 win.

Kameron Sather threw four innings of relief to earn the win for Dawson-Boyd on the bump, surrendering a pair of earned runs on six hits and a walk. Nate Hansen threw the first three innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits and a walk.

Dawson-Boyd led 4-3 heading into the fifth when Sather and Hansen reached on an error and a walk, respectively, and a Holland Schacherer RBI double scored Sather and Hansen beat out the throw to add another run on an Aedyn Dahl fielder’s choice.

Canby responded in the sixth when Jace Rangaard singled and Morgen Tol doubled. Rangaard scored on a wild pitch, Matthew Zitzmann hit an RBI single to cut the gap to 6-5, and a Cash Antony single put the go-ahead run on base and the tying run in scoring position. The two runners advanced into scoring position in a wild pitch, but a shallow fly out and a ground out got the Blackjacks out of the jam.

Dawson-Boyd loaded the bases in the sixth with singles by Kyan Moseng and Sather, broken up by a Colten Bothun walk. With no outs, Hansen singled in one run to give the Blackjacks a two-run cushion. Yet, Cody Stoll struck out the next batter and Will Abrahamson caught a fly ball and turned a 6-4 double play to end the rally.

Sigler led off the seventh with a double for Canby, bringing the tying run to the plate, but Sather retired each of the next three batters to seal the win.

Tol threw the first five innings for Canby, giving up five earned runs on seven hits and a pair of walks to take the loss. Stoll threw the final frame, giving up one earned run on thre hits and a walk.

Hansen led the Blackjack offense with three hits, a walk and a pair of RBIs and Moseng contributed another pair of singles.

Trailing 3-0, Canby’s offense got into gear when Tol and Christianson hit back-to-back solo home runs to kick off the third inning. Still, Hansen retired three of the next four batters he faced to keep Dawson-Boyd in the driver’s seat.

Dawson-Boyd jumped out to an early lead when Hansen singled in Sather with two outs in the first. An inning later, the lead grew to three runs when Dahl doubled before scoring on an Olson single, and Olson scored on a passed ball.

Hansen got a run back for the Blackjacks after the Lancers’ two-homer inning when he hit a leadoff double and scored on a passed ball. Yet, Canby stayed within striking distance when Sigler and Ben Drietz led off the fourth with back-to-back singled and Rangaard hit an RBI double to cut the gap to 4-3. Still, a strikeout, a fly out and a pop out ended the rally with the go-ahead runs stranded on second and third.

Dawson-Boyd improves to 14-5 and takes on No. 2S Adrian/Ellsworth in the section semifinals at the Milroy Irish Yard on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Canby falls to 9-7 and aims to keep its season alive when it takes on No. 2N Lac qui Parle Valley in the elimination bracket at the same time at Milroy Yankee Field.

BOX SCORE

DAWSON-BOYD

BATTING

K. Moseng: 2-4, R, SB; C. Bothun: 0-3, BB, SO; K. Sather: 1-3, BB, 2 R, 2 SB; N. Hansen: 3-3 (2B), BB, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB; H. Schacherer: 1-4 (2B), RBI, SO; A. Dahl: 1-4, RBI, R, 2 SB; E. Olson: 1-3, RBI, R, 3 SB; A. Olson: 1-3, SB.

PITCHING

N. Hansen: 3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 3 SO; K. Sather: W, 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 2 SO.

CANBY

BATTING

C. Antony: 2-3, BB, 2 SB; C. Stoll: 0-3, BB; J. Sigler: 2-4 (2B), R; B. Drietz: 1-3, SO; J. Rangaard: 2-5 (2B), RBI, R; M. Tol: 2-4 (HR), RBI, R, SO; D. Christianson: 1-3 (HR), RBI, R SO; M. Zitzmann: 1-3, RBI, SO.

PITCHING

M. Tol: L, 5 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, SO; C. Stoll: IP, 3 H, R, ER, BB, SO.

No. 4 Canby 11, No. 5 MACCRAY 0 (5 inn.)

DAWSON — Jace Rangaard tossed a complete-game shutout for the No. 4 Canby baseball team in its postseason opener on Saturday against No. 5 MACCRAY. He limited the Wolverines to one hit with no walks and four strikeouts on the day, and the Lancer bats backed him up for an 11-0 win in five innings.

Rangaard was also impactful at the plate, leading Canby with two doubles, a single and four RBIs. Ben Drietz also drove in three runs on a double, a single and a walk while Cash Antony logged two singles and a walk for two RBIs.

Canby loaded the bases with one out on the first on an Antony single, Will Abrahamson getting hit by a pitch and Jace Sigler reaching on an error. Drietz and Rangaard took advantage of the opportunity with a two-run single and a two-run double, respectively, to give the Lancers a four-run cushion.

The Lancers led 5-0 heading into the fourth when they strung together a six-run rally to put the mercy rule in play. Dyllon Christianson walked and Matthew Zitzmann doubled to put two runners in scoring position, and Antony followed up with a two-run single.

With two outs, Stoll drove in Antony with a single. Sigler then singled to put two runners on, and an RBI double from Drietz and a two-run double from Rangaard brought the score to 11-0. Rangaard then retired the side in order in the top of the fifth, capping off the game with a strikeout.

Antony walked and scored on an Abrahamson sacrifice bunt in the second.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

C. Antony: 2-2, BB, 2 RBI, 3 R; W. Abrahamson: 0-1, HBP, RBI, R; C. Stoll: 1-3, RBI, R; J. Sigler: 1-3, 2 RBI; B. Drietz: 2-2 (2B), BB, 3 RBI, 2 R; J. Rangaard: 3-3 (2 2B), 4 RBI; D. Christianson: 0-1, BB, SO; M. Zitzmann: 1-2 (2B), R, SO.

PITCHING

J. Rangaard: W, 5 IP, H, 4 SO.