Century ace trumps champs

Rochester Century's star righthander Mitchell Brown already had put together an impressive season coming into the opening round of the state tournament, strapping the Panthers on his back all year and going 10-1 with a 0.93 ERA.

Thursday, he added another gold star to his résumé, looking absolutely unhittable in his complete-game, two-hit performance as he and Century overwhelmed defending champion and favored Eden Prairie 3-0 at Midway Stadium.

"There's a lot of people that thought we were underdogs and we probably were, but our coach has been telling us all week long ... we've got a chance to beat anybody," said Brown, who struck out 10.

From the start, it looked to be a duel from the mound, with both Brown and Eden Prairie starter Adam Bray dominating the offenses. But the Panthers ended the stalemate and took a 2-0 lead in the fourth, thanks to a couple of well-placed balls to the left side of the infield that put runners on. That set up Brown's run-scoring line drive and Nick Merges' sacrifice bunt.

"I thought it would fire our guys up, but there wasn't a lot of enthusiasm at the beginning of the game," Eagles coach Mike Halloran said of facing Brown. "To make a run at this, you've got to be hungry at the first pitch."

Instead, Eden Prairie looked smothered. Brown faced only three batters in each of the final five innings, helped out by a double play and a fine throw by left fielder Josh Denisen when Ryan Maenke tried to stretch a single -- the second of the Eagles' two hits of the game -- into a double.

Century's Calvin Bjerke sealed the victory in the seventh, with a solo home run. Brown, who headed into the seventh with a pitch count at 97, finished what he started, inducing three fly balls to end the game and send Century to the semifinals.

Maple Grove 14, Bloomington Kennedy 7: Maple Grove might have been caught off guard at times, but the Crimson players still managed to do what they do best, gutting through a slugfest to beat Kennedy.

"I felt there was a great energy coming in," Maple Grove designated hitter Shay Torgerson said. "During the bus ride, it was all about team chemistry -- and we did what we do every game."

The Crimson initiated the carnage and gave every indication that they would lead the day's third blowout, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding five on seven hits in the second to take a 7-0 lead and knock starter Austin Nordby out of the game. But the Eagles weren't ready to go down without a fight. After Crimson starter Mitch Bauer struck out the first two batters in the second, he hit a batter and then gave up four consecutive hits that cut the lead to 7-4. The Crimson added four runs in the third, but Kennedy came with two of its own as Bauer -- who finished with 13 hits, seven runs and three hit batters in seven innings -- looked suddenly very hittable.

In the end, the Crimson settled down and the Eagles couldn't close. Brady Jacobs led the Crimson with three hits and four RBI.

Burnsville 13, Bemidji 0: After one round, there doesn't appear to be much to correct for Burnsville. The Blaze exploded for 15 hits and nearly got a no-hitter from its starter as it set down Bemidji early.

The Blaze was set down in order in the first, but went off in the second, unloading on Bemidji starter Zach Solheim for five runs on seven hits, sending 10 hitters to the plate in the inning. The Blaze continued the barrage in the third, batting around again and adding seven more runs.

Meanwhile, Burnsville starter Quinn Johnson pitched a no-hitter through 4 1/3 innings, striking out seven, until Cody Rutledge broke up the bid with a sharp liner that Blaze shortstop Adam Goff couldn't handle. Johnson finished with a two-hitter with nine strikeouts and no walks.

"I thought he did an excellent job out there," said Hellquist, who led the Blaze with three hits and three RBI. "What more can you ask from your pitcher?"

Stillwater 9, Forest Lake 0: The beginning was like déjà vu. Same game, same matchup, same starting pitchers.

"It was basically the same game," Ponies leadoff batter Pad Getchell said.