MINNEAPOLIS — Nerves and a tight strike zone often come with championship games.
Turns out, Mahtomedi handled those two things a little better than Mankato East.
“We didn’t control some of the things we usually can control, but I don’t think we ever stopped competing,” East coach Micah Degner said. “We get past those first two innings, and it was a pretty even ballgame.”
Mahtomedi scored four runs on just one hit in the first two innings, building an early lead that led to a 6-2 victory over East in the championship game of the Class AAA baseball tournament Saturday at Target Field.
Mahtomedi was the runner-up at last season’s state tournament, while East won the consolation championship.
“The nerves were pretty high,” senior pitcher Caeden Willaert said. “I couldn’t get the ball where I wanted.”
Willaert, who had some control issues in the first inning, allowed a run on one hit, two walks and a hit batter, but he stranded three runners.
Willaert tied the game in the bottom of the first with an RBI single, but East also left the bases loaded.
“This was a sweet experience,” Willaert said. “We had a lot of fun getting here, but it didn’t go the way we wanted it to today.”
Three walks and a hit batter started the second inning for Mahtomedi, which plated three runs without a hit. Mahtomedi added single runs in the fourth and sixth innings to build the margin.
“We talked about getting the momentum early because that’s what happens at the state tournament,” Degner said. “But they got the momentum first.”
Things got interesting in the bottom of the seventh inning as Mason Diede singled, Jack Hansen doubled and Carson Hart was hit by a pitch, but only one run scored.
“A lot of guys on this team are goofballs, but we have a lot of fun playing together,” senior infielder Zach Bosse said. “We played really well to get here. Our goal was to win a state championship, but we came up a little short.”
Bosse finished with three of East’s seven hits. Willaert took the loss.
East finishes the season at 23-4 and with the best finish in the state tournament in program history.
“I think this was a continuation of something that has been building the last couple years,” Degner said. “I think that all the work and effort and culture that the players, coaches and the community have built is pretty awesome. Hopefully, we still haven’t reached our potential yet.”