If there's anything certain about Saturday's Class AAAA semifinal games at CHS Field in St. Paul, there will be a new state champion as the East Ridge Raptors scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning on errors to dethrone the defending champion Stillwater Ponies 6-5. They will face the New Prague Trojans who got four hits and two runs from Joe Weiers as they fought off a robust Rogers Royals comeback with five runs in the top seventh inning to advance to t heir first state championship game with a 12-7 victory.
EAST RIDGE 6, STILLWATER AREA 5 (8 INNINGS)
For the third time this season, the East Ridge Raptors and the Stillwater Ponies squared off, this time for a berth in the Class AAAA finals and it was the Woodbury based Raptors that clinched their first state title game berth as they scored two unearned runs to end Stillwater's championship reign 6-5.
The Raptors scored two runs in the top of the first inning on an RBI single by Roman Newitzki that scored Max Moris and Cam Hunter came home on a wild pitch by Will Frisch. Frisch, who will be playing for Oregon State next season, though drafted by the Twins, would settle down in striking out five consecutive batters.
The Ponies were not locked in their stable for long as they took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Mitch Novak's squeeze bunt just outside the batter's box scored pinch runner Noah Potter, followed by Gavin Zurn's RBI single that scored Peter King, followed by a ground out to second base by Jonathan Koehn that scored Novak.
East Ridge would tie the game at three in the top of the fifth as Ben North's RBI single scored Carter Seidl. The Raptors would go up 4-3 in the top of the sixth on Frisch's throwing error that scored Newinski. Stillwater sent the game into extra innings on Kade Peloquin's RBI single that scored Nicholas Seeman. On to the eighth.
The Raptors would score twice in the top of the eighth. North would cross the plate on an error Stillwater catcjer Logan Jordan and Joe Trollen would increase the lead, scoring on a throwing error by relief pitcher Matt Moore. The Ponies would score one run in the bottom of the eight as Koehn reached base on an error by third baseman Seidl but it wasn't enough to overtake East Ridge.
Frisch, in six innings would strike out 11 batters.
NEW PRAGUE 12, ROGERS 7
The cinderella story of the Rogers Royals, who came to St. Paul with an 11-13 record came to an end as New Prague, playing in their first state tournament since 1980 pulled away with five runs in the top of the seventh inning to beat the Royals 12-7.
Cade Pavek put the Trojans ahead in the top of the first on an RBI single that scored Drew Picka. The Royals took the lead with two in the bottom of the inning on RBI singles from Reed Olson and Carter VanEngel.
New Prague regained the lead in the top of the second as Austin Shingeldecker's throwing error scored Jake Deutsch and Weiers. They would add three runs in the top of the fifth, two coming on Pavek's double.
But Rogers would come close in the bottom of the sixth with five runs as Chase LaMotte doubled in two runs and a single from Jonah Mauerer accounted for another two to cut the lead to 8-7. Could there be another miracle for the growing northwest suburb?
The answer would be no as New Prague would add four runs to their ledge as Weiers got his fourth hit of the game with an RBI single, Spencer Kajer's single added two more and Collin Dorinski shut the door for the Royals with an RBI single.
The Trojans improved their record to 18-8 and the Raptors 20-6. They will play for the Class AAAA on Thursday, June 20 at 7 PM at Target Field. The Ponies fell to 23-3 and the Royals dropped to 12-14. They would meet in the third place game to wrap up the day's festivities.
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