NORTH MANKATO — Two-time defending Class AAA champion and No. 1-ranked Mankato East erupted for 14 hits and eight stolen bases Tuesday to get past St. Peter 8-3 in a Section 2AAA elimination game at Caswell Park.
Junior shortstop Emily Hacker went 4 for 4 with four RBIs and two runs scored as the Cougars (18-4) advanced to Thursday’s 5 p.m. championship round against No. 3-ranked New Ulm. East, seeking to capture a third consecutive state title, would have to beat the Eagles (19-3) twice after falling to New Ulm 7-3 in last Saturday’s winner’s bracket final.
“We got off to a great start and when you do that it makes it tough for the other team,” East coach Joe Madson said. “I thought we relaxed a little bit with that 8-0 lead and sort of tuned out a little bit. We had such a good start that it made things easier. Give St. Peter credit, they swung the bats better in the later innings but it’s survive and advance time now.
“We’ve got a nice team, but it’s all about timing and getting the big hits and handling situations, whether it’s making the plays defensively or hitting your spots as a pitcher. We’re going to get a little work in tomorrow and get ready for Thursday.”
East tallied four runs in the bottom of the first and two more an inning later to grab a 6-0 advantage. Eighth-grade right fielder Kenley Staunton singled to start the game before a walk to winning pitcher Kylinn Stangl set up Hacker’s two-run double down the right-field line. Junior second baseman Carlie Wendinger and freshman first baseman Ella Fugazzi followed with RBI singles.
Senior center fielder Maddy Beaty’s infield single sparked the second-inning surge. Stangl bounced a single through the hole before Hacker and senior third baseman Jayda Swalve delivered run-scoring base hits. Stangl allowed three runs on seven hits while fanning 11 and walking four. Swalve and freshman catcher Harper Stangl collected two hits apiece for the winners.
“We wanted to get back to hitting so we were ready for New Ulm,” Hacker said. “Our team hit well and that gave us back some confidence. We were smarter today and everyone did their own job to make it come together at the end. We knew if we lost we were done so that definitely fired us up. Madson said it’s sweeter coming through the loser’s bracket so this is something new for us.”
Hacker and Swalve laced run-scoring singles in the fourth to expand the margin to 8-0. St. Peter (12-11) batted around an inning later to cut the deficit to 8-3. Nora Whipps and Courtlyn Spessard drove in runs with singles, while Auden Anderson drew a bases-loaded walk. Lily Filand led the Saints with a trio of hits
“We started putting the ball in play and having some real good at bats the last three innings,” Saints’ coach Heidi Niemeyer said. “We weren’t going to roll over and die, so we showed the tenacity we have all year. We struggled a little bit at the beginning until we found our footing but we rallied through everything.”
East left seven runners on base compared to the Saints’ eight.
“Everybody was ready and we showed that by coming out and scoring four right away,” Harper Stangl said. “We were all looking for the right pitches and we got them. We started out big and that carried us through the game.”