After a deep run in the playoffs, the B-B-E Jaguars baseball team came up just short in their bid for a second trip to the Section 6A championship series. In the section elimination bracket final today at Minnewaska Area high school, the Jaguars lost 10-4 to defending Class 1A state runners-up New York Mills. The Eagles lost to a stacked Hayfield team 7-4 in last year's state title game at Target Field.
The Jaguars finish the season with a record of 14 wins and 12 losses. They had a magnificent run in the playoffs! We are super, super proud of them. B-B-E has now gone at least five games deep in the section playoffs every season since the spring of 2016! They finished in third place in 2017 and took second place in 2019. B-B-E was a Section 6A Final Four team last season. This year the Jaguars finished 7-7 in the Central Minnesota Conference, good for a tie for fourth place with Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. The Falcons finished in third place in a very tough Section 3AA (more on that below).
**Here's action from the top of the third inning today:
In the third inning, B-B-E's defense posted a much-needed zero after the Jaguars fell behind 7-2 in the second inning.
*Here's action from the bottom of the third inning:
The Jaguars had a great opportunity to score runs on two outs, but they ultimately left two stranded in that bottom of the third inning.
Section 6A championship update: in the opening game of the section title series, New York Mills pounded Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 13-2 tonight to advance to a winner-take-all game. The Section 6A championship game will be played at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow (Friday) at Minnewaska Area high school.
State fastpitch tournament update: at Caswell Park in Mankato, the Maple Lake Irish won 4-1 in their state opener today against St. Cloud Cathedral, champions of Section 6AA. The Irish, who went a perfect 14-0 in the Central Minnesota Conference this spring, then suffered a crazy, crazy, hard-to-swallow 2-1 loss in 12 innings in the state semifinals to Proctor. Results of the Class 2A third-place game have not been reported yet.
Section 3AA baseball update: Paynesville Area's dream season came to an end today, as the Central Minnesota Conference champion Bulldogs suffered two losses to No. 1-ranked Fairmont in the Section 3AA championship series. The Bulldogs had upset the Cardinals last Saturday in the winner's bracket final by a 10-9 score. Fairmont (24-3) survived a scare from Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City on Tuesday this past week in the loser's bracket final by a 6-5 score in 10 innings. Today in Marshall, Fairmont beat Paynesville Area 6-0 to force a winner-take-all contest. In that nightcap, the Cardinals won 2-1 to advance to the state tournament. Paynesville Area finishes the season 21-2 overall; they were 14-0 in the rugged, blue collar CMC.
**Don't forget! the community of Brooten invites everyone to the upcoming Bonanza Valley Days celebration on July 7, 8, 9 and 10. You can read a small update on BVD 2022 at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website (short link): https://bit.ly/3O7I9Uc.
