MANKATO - The BOLD Warriors are two-thirds of the way through their arduous path back to the state tournament after winning two games on Tuesday in the elimination bracket of the Section 2A playoffs at Franklin Rogers Stadium.
The Warriors exacted some revenge on Sleepy Eye-St. Mary’s - the team that knocked them into the losers bracket - when Trevor Nissen drove in the game’s only run with a seventh-inning double.
BOLD then earned its way back into the 2A title game with a 5-3 win over Mankato Loyola in Game Two.
The 19-3 Warriors - who needed to win six elimination games to get back to state - play New Ulm Cathedral at 5 p.m. Thursday in Mankato.
The defending Class A champions have won four of the six games and now must beat the Greyhounds twice to get back to the state tournament.
ADVERTISEMENT
BOLD will start ace lefty Logan Sandgren, who got the win Tuesday at SESM.
Sandgren outdueled SESM’s David Surprenant, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out 13. Surprenant also allowed just three hits but he walked four.
In the bottom of the seventh, with two outs, Trent Athmann and Lane Stadther drew walks and Nissen hit a rocket that one-hopped to the the fence in centerfield, scoring Athmann with the winning run.
“It was a great game,” said BOLD head coach Brian Kingery. “Both pitchers were dominant. We had a lot of guys on because (Surprenant) walk some guys but we couldn’t get a clutch hit until Trevor came through in the seventh.”
In Game Two, BOLD scored twice in the top of the seventh to take a two-run lead, and winner Brent Grund and Sandren, who earned a save, set down Loyola.
In the BOLD half of the seventh, Riley Kramer and Sandgren hit back-to-back singles, and Joel Erickson hit an infield single. Sandgren scored on the play and Loyola threw errantly to get Erickson, allowing Kramer to score.
GAME ONE
BOLD 1, SESM 0
ADVERTISEMENT
SESM 000 000 0 - 0 3 2
BOLD 000 000 1 - 1 3 3
HITTING – Sleepy Eye-St. Mary’s: David Surprenant 1-3, Jared Beltz 1-4, Mike Hirsch 1-3 … BOLD: Lane Stadther 1-2, Trevor Nissen 1-3 2b rbi, Riley Kramer 1-3, Trent Athmann 0-3 r bb
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) - Sleepy Eye-St. Mary’s: Surprenant (L) 6.2-3-1-1-4-6 … BOLD: Sandgren (W) 7-3-0-0-2-13
GAME TWO
BOLD 5, Mankato Loyola 3
BOLD 100 011 2 - 5 9 3
Mankato Loyola 100 110 0 - 3 4 4
ADVERTISEMENT
HITTING – BOLD: Lane Stadther 2-4 rbi, Trevor Nissen 2-4 2b, Riley Kramer 1-3, Logan Sangren 2-3 rbi, Tyler Lothert 1-3, Joel Erickson 1-3 … Mankato Loyola: Jake Peller 2-3, Mark Kortum 1-3 rbi, Taylor Barnes 1-3
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) - BOLD: Nissen 3.1-2-2-2-3-1, Brent Grund (W) 3.1-2-1-0-1-1, Sandgren (Sv) 0.1-0-0-0-0-0 … Mankato Loyola: John Fink (L) 7-8-5-1-3-5
