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U.S. Bank Stadium Preps For 1st Baseball Game

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings' new stadium is preparing for its first baseball game.

Century College of White Bear Lake plays Iowa Central at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis Friday in a doubleheader that starts at 6 a.m. It will be the first baseball game played in the $1.1 billion stadium that opened last summer. More games follow that day — Grand View vs. Jamestown University in a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. and Minot State vs. Minnesota-Crookston in a doubleheader starting at 10 p.m.

Crews have been converting the stadium's football configuration to a baseball configuration. That involves removing dirt and two layers of plywood, protective barriers and turf cover, retracting 36 rows of seats that make up the outfield and installing dugouts, pitcher's mound and home plate.

The final field painting takes place Thursday afternoon.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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