Step II yields another shutout win! (VIDEOS)

Facing a considerably tougher opponent in their second game today in Morris, the B-B-E Jaguars baseball team earned a back-to-back shutout win by defeating No. 2-seeded Upsala/Swanville Area 5-0 in the third round of the Sub-Section 6A-south tournament. Earlier today, the Jaguars dispatched No. 5-seeded Hancock 10-0 in five innings behind the stellar pitching of junior Luke Illies, who recorded nine strikeouts with just one walk and one hit.

The two wins launch the Jaguars into the Section 6A winner's bracket final, also the section semifinal game, for the second straight year. (**This game will be at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4 in Browerville.**)

In 2022, the Jaguars lost in the third round to Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg before grinding back through the elimination bracket to land a spot in the Section 6A finals for the second time in program history. They were then defeated 10-4 by New York Mills. Last season, the Jaguars got revenge on NYM with a 5-4 win over the Eagles in the winner's bracket final. Next came Parkers Prairie, who the Jaguars beat 4-2 in the Section 6A finals for the team's first-ever trip to the state tournament.

Here's a clip featuring the end of the top of the fourth inning today against the Patriots:


The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, when the Jaguars plated two runs off of two hits. Brett DeRoo led off with an infield hit, and he was moved over on Kaden DeRoo's sacrifice bunt. Luke Dingmann followed with a single to left field. Ethan Mueller then crushed a deep ball to right field which resulted in a sacrifice fly that plated Brett DeRoo and Dingmann for the 2-0 lead.

And here's video from the bottom of the fourth today!


The tense game continued until the bottom of the sixth, when the Jaguars scored three more runs. Luke Illies hit an RBI-single to left field, and Owen Paulson followed that with a two run home run that sailed over the left field fence at a distance of over 330 feet.

**And here's a video featuring OP's two-run bomb!


Owen Paulson hung in there in the batter's box for over two minutes taking his swings. It was a perfect example of the tenacity of a great baseball player. The two runs were scored on two outs. Earlier, B-B-E's two runs in the fourth inning were technically scored on one out on a sacrifice fly, which was the second out of the inning.

Junior Ethan Mueller pitched a complete game, and the action ended in the top of the seventh after U/SA got two runners on but left both stranded on a harmless grounder to second. Mueller finished with 6 strikeouts, 2 walks and 4 hits (all singles). In addition to Paulson's home run, Ethan Mueller doubled, and singles were earned by Brett DeRoo, Luke Dingmann, Luke Illies, Ryan Jensen and Jack Lundberg.

NEXT! And this is BIG! the Jaguars (15-7) now face state-ranked Parkers Prairie next Tuesday, June 4 in the winner's bracket final. More details to follow after I review the bracket. What I'm reading at the MSHSL website is that the game will be played in Browerville. No time has been announced. UPDATE: the 6A winner's bracket final will be at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4 in Browerville. It appears that a second game could follow that day which represents the first game of the 6A championship series. I'll double check on that. For now, we know this: the big BIG game is at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4 in Browerville! Spread the word!!

In an elimination bracket game of Section 6A, Border West won 8-2 against Hancock. In the other 6A winner's bracket semifinal, Parkers Prairie blanked Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 6-0.

More to come (late) tonight. Video is uploading.

Area baseball playoff scores on May 31:
New London-Spicer 10, Minnewaska Area 4
Parkers Prairie 6, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 0
Breckenridge 11, Brandon-Evansville 6

In the Section 6A fastpitch championship series, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley won the winner-take-all game by a 5-1 score against New York Mills. The NYM Eagles burned through the elimination bracket of the tournament before beating C-G-B 8-5 in the first game today at Holmberg Field in Morris. This is C-G-B's first state fastpitch tournament trip since the 2004 season. I learned that at least two current C-G-B players have moms who played on that 2004 squad. That's pretty cool!!

In amateur baseball news...
The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team broke into the win column on Friday night by defeating Regal 4-0. The Saints out-hit the Eagles 9 to 4, with Jackson Peter and Gavin Kampsen each going 2-for-4. Riley Meyer got the win on the mound in 5 1/3 innings, firing six strikeouts with four walks and three hits. Wyatt Steffensen closed with 3 2/3 innings pitched while giving up just one hit with one walk and seven Ks. Next: the Saints host New Munich for a Stearns County League North clash on Sunday, June 2 at 1:30 p.m.