Sports

Monticello, Benilde-St. Margaret's, Austin, St. Thomas Academy win in Class 3A baseball quarterfinals

Reliever Ethan Bosacker held Duluth Denfeld to one hit in 5⅓ innings.

By Ron Haggstrom

June 14, 2019 at 2:40AM

Monticello’s Ethan Bosacker allowed one hit in 5⅓ innings as the Magic beat Duluth Denfeld 5-4 in the state quarterfinals. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Monticello seniors Ethan Bosacker and Alex Otto take turns bailing each other out on the mound when one runs into difficulty. It was Bosacker's turn Thursday.

The Xavier recruit gave up one hit over the final 5⅓ innings as the Magic, playing in its first state tournament, overcame an early four-run deficit to defeat Duluth Denfeld 5-4 in the Class 3A quarterfinals at Siebert Field on the University of Minnesota campus. Bosacker struck out seven and walked one.

"Ethan was extra sharp today," Monticello coach Cole Deibele said. "That was his best performance of the year."

Senior Carson Sawatzke broke a 4-4 tie with a run-scoring single with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Hunters (16-10) chased Otto with a four-run second inning. Matt Rukavina had a two-run double. Eric Gibson and Darren Shykes added an RBI double and single, respectively. Bosacker got out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam on a tapper back to the mound.

"I threw a lot of strikes, and that's what you have to do when you come on in relief," Bosacker said. "Alex and I always back each other up."

Monticello (19-5) got two runs back in the bottom of the frame. Calvin Schmitz hit an RBI single and Sawatzke scored on a wild pitch.

The Magic pulled even with two more runs in the next inning on Otto's sacrifice fly and Isaac Frandsen's homer.

Benilde-St. Margaret's 3, Marshall 1: Junior Blake Mahmood, who has committed to Tulane, tossed a four-hitter in leading the Red Knights to victory. He struck out 11 and didn't walk a batter. "It was a good performance, but not my best," said Mahmood, sidelined at the start of the season with a stress fracture in his back. "I'm starting to get back in the flow."

Ahead 1-0, the Red Knights got two runs in the seventh on Ian Bahn's RBI triple and a balk.

Austin 3, Hill-Murray 1: After striking out in his first two at-bats, the Packers' Teyghan Hovland had a two-run single in a three-run sixth as Austin rallied to beat the Pioneers.

St. Thomas Academy 3, Little Falls 1: Duke Coborn got the support he needed from the Cadets' bottom three hitters, who produced three runs in the fourth.

Coborn, a righthander, allowed three hits while striking out 11 in 6⅔ innings.

Charlie Berg opened the scoring for the Cadets (19-9) with a two-run double.

Nick Dunlap of Austin was tagged out at the plate by Griffin Varley of Hill-Murray in the sixth inning. The Packers won 3-1. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)