Dundas, Minn. -- In a thrilling contest on Wednesday evening, the #1 Farmington Tigers secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over the #2 New Prague Trojans in ten innings. The game, which began at 5:00 pm, experienced a significant delay due to lightning at 6:15 pm, halting play for over two hours. Despite the interruption, the Tigers emerged victorious and will now compete for the Section 1 Class championship on Wednesday night at 5:00 pm at Dundas Memorial Field.
The Tigers and Trojans showcased strong pitching performances, with Farmington's pitchers striking out eight and New Prague's six. Farmington took an early lead in the second inning, capitalizing on an error to score the first run. New Prague's Sam Gilles tied the game with a double in the sixth inning. The Trojans then took the lead in the ninth with a single by Joey Friendshuh, making it 2-1. However, Farmington's Marshall Gordon responded in the bottom of the ninth, tying the game at two with a single.
The game reached a climax in the bottom of the tenth inning when Joe Larson's fielder's choice allowed the winning run to score, securing the walk-off victory for the Tigers. Carter Giesen earned the win for Farmington, allowing one hit and one run over four innings, with seven strikeouts and one walk. Joe Baldus started the game for the Tigers, giving up four hits and one run over six innings, with one strikeout and two walks. Tanner Nordrum started for New Prague, surrendering nine hits and one unearned run over seven and one-third innings, with six strikeouts and three walks.
Farmington amassed 11 hits in the game, with Gordon, Josh Berreth, Kelin Rasmussen, and Dalton Kesti each contributing two hits. Larson drove in two runs from the number nine spot in the lineup. Defensively, the Tigers were flawless, committing no errors, and Tanner Rezny made 12 plays.
For the Trojans, Gilles, Eric Berg, Sam Helgestad, Karder Schmoll, and Friendshuh each recorded one hit, with Gilles and Friendshuh driving in one run each.
With this victory, the Farmington Tigers will face the New Prague Trojans again on Wednesday night at Dundas Memorial Field for the Section 1 Class championship.
