Prep Blog: Section Baseball Playoffs In Full Swing
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- May is almost over, and that means we are in the thick of the spring playoff season in high school sports.
We have a state tournament field set in boys tennis for both teams and individuals in Class A and AA. The next tournament to be figured it will be in baseball, where section playoffs are well underway and state teams will be decided across Minnesota by next weekend if the weather allows.
We stay on the baseball scene for our featured games this week, with CHS Field, the new home of the St. Paul Saints, being a busy place for prep baseball. There are four games this weekend that could go a long way in determining a state champion a few weeks from now, though a lot can happen in that time.
Here are this week's featured games:
Friday Boys Baseball: Mounds View (20-2) vs. Maple Grove (16-6), CHS Field
Two of the top teams in Class AAA happen to be in the same section and will meet Friday night in St. Paul as No. 1-ranked Mounds View faces No. 4-ranked Maple Grove. The winner automatically advances to the Section 5AAA title series and would be one win away from the state tournament. The two teams did not meet during the regular season.
The Mustangs are looking to repeat as state champions and have gotten this far by beating Osseo and Centennial in a pair of one-run games. The Crimson has done the same with one-run victories over Champlin Park and Coon Rapids. Mounds View has won five straight and 13 of 14, while Maple Grove has won four of its last five.
Friday Boys Baseball: Blaine (15-9) vs. Centennial (14-8), CHS Field
We stay in Section 5AAA but head to the consolation bracket as two other teams are trying to stay alive for a shot at the state tournament. Blaine will meet Centennial Friday, with the winner facing the Mounds View/Maple Grove loser on Monday. The loser's season is over, and it's a rematch from an earlier playoff game in this bracket.
Centennial earlier lost to Mounds View in the playoffs, but kept its season alive with a win over Champlin Park. The Cougars have won five of their last seven games entering the contest. Blaine is looking to avenge a 1-0 playoff loss to Centennial and followed with wins over Osseo and Coon Rapids. The Bengals have won seven of their past nine games.
Saturday Boys Baseball: Minnetonka (15-9) at Chanhassen (19-4)
It's an elimination game Saturday at Athletic Park in Chaska as Minnetonka will face Chanhassen in the Section 2AAA Playoffs. The winner will face the Chaska/Waconia loser, and the loser's season is over. The two teams met once during the regular season, with Chanhassen winning 4-2. It's a big match-up in one of the best playoff regions in the state. Chanhassen is coming off two wins by a combined margin of 23-3 over Shakopee and Hutchinson. Minnetonka beat Mankato West and Eden Prairie to get this far.
Saturday Boys Baseball: East Ridge (14-9) vs. Mahtomedi (17-3), CHS Field
It'll be a big game at CHS Field Saturday night in the Section 4AAA Playoffs as East Ridge meets No. 6-ranked Mahtomedi. The winner has a one-way road to the championship series while the loser has to battle its way back into contention. The two squads didn't meet during the regular season. The Zephyrs have made their playoff lives easy with wins over Roseville and Woodbury, which came in eight innings. The Raptors have won five of their last seven games and have playoff wins over Tartan, Cretin-Derham Hall and North St. Paul.
Postseasons are also continuing in boys and girls lacrosse, girls softball and will soon get underway in boys and girls golf.
Tune into WCCO-TV's High School Sports Rally at about 10:20 p.m. Friday as Mike Max, Frank Vascellaro and David McCoy will have all the action covered.
