ELROSA -- Paynesville will face Melrose for the Section 6AA-South title after the team won their respective semifinal games Wednesday.
The Bulldogs (13-6) beat Sauk Centre 8-2 in the first game and Melrose eliminated New London-Spicer (5-14) 4-3 in the nightcap.
Paynesville 8, Sauk Centre 2
Paynesville connected for four hits in the second inning and got run-scoring from Riley Sampson and Brett Savelkoul in a four-run explosion.
Keegan Meagher smacked a two-run single in the fourth inning as the Bulldogs took an 8-0 lead.
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Brett Savelkoul and Nathan Nietfeld had two hits each.
Meagher allowed only three hits through the first six innings, then gave up two runs in the seventh inning. He finished with six strikeouts and one walk.
Sauk Centre 000 000 2 -- 2 6 3
Paynesville 041 300 x -- 8 10 1
HITTING - Sauk Centre: Isaac Uphus 1-for-3; Rogen Steven 1-for-2; Ted Hohorst 1-for-2; Tyler Berling 2-for-4, rbi ... Paynesville: Brett Savelkoul 2-for-2, rbi; Shane Kampsen 1-for-3; Keegan Meagher 1-for-3, 2 rbi; Corey Spanier 1-for-2, 3 rbi; Riley Sampson 1-for-3, rbi; Ted Hoffman 2-for-2; Nathan Nietfeld 2-for-2
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) -- Sauk Centre: Ethan Meyer (L) 3-6-7-5-2-0 ... Paynesville: Keegan Meagher (W) 7-6-2-2-1-6
Melrose 4, NL-Spicer 3
Melrose scored the game-winning run on a hit batsman with the bases loaded in the seventh.
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Jordan Tschida, who was hit by the pitch, also picked up an RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the fifth.
The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead in the third on a passed ball and Kevin Soine's RBI single.
NLS expanded the lead to 3-1 on an Ethan Illies single.
But two walks brought in two Melrose runs in the fifth to tie the game.
NL-Spicer 002 010 0 -- 3 7 4
Melrose 010 020 1 -- 4 4 0
HITTING - New London-Spicer: Kevin Soine 2-for-4, rbi; Ethan Illies 1-for-3, rbi; Taylor Dammermann 1-for-3; Jared Williamson 1-for-3; Luke Peterson 1-for-2; Luke Reiter 1-for-4 ... Melrose: Ryan Moscho 2-for-3, 2b; Jordan Prill 2-for-3, 2b
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) -- New London-Spicer: Skylar Wachter 4Xc-3-3-0-1-1, Kevin Soine 1Xc-1-1-1-2-1 ... Melrose: Andy Ulbrecht 6-7-3-3-3-3, Carter Sawyer 1-0-0-0-0-2
