Baseball: Alexandria one win away from fifth section title in team history after rolling over Willmar – Alexandria Echo Press

ST. CLOUD The Alexandria baseball team is one win away from securing its fifth state tournament entry in program history and first since 2018, and the Cardinals have two chances to get that win.

Alexandria is the lone unbeaten team left in the Section 8-3A playoffs after beating Willmar (15-7) 8-1 at the Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud on Saturday afternoon. Willmar, Sauk Rapids-Rice and Rocori were all eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday.

The Cardinals (18-5) will play sixth-seeded Little Falls (12-11) at 4 p.m. on Wednesday back at the MAC in St. Cloud. Little Falls beat Rocori 2-1 on Saturday and would have to beat Alexandria twice on Wednesday to win the section. Alexandria beat Little Falls 4-0 on May 20.

We cant overthink it too much with us beating them last time, Alexandria senior infielder Reed Reisdorf said. They have nothing to lose. We still have to put all our stuff out there and throw our best game at them.

Alexandria jumped on Willmar early with a second-inning, solo home run from senior JD Hennen.

Brock Lerfald and Caleb Runge drove in third-inning runs with a single and double, respectively, to make it 3-0.

Alexandria then blew the game open in the top of the sixth with four runs. Nate Hammerback doubled to lead off that inning with his third hit of the game. Reisdorf drove in a run with a perfectly-placed squeeze bunt, and Lake Hagen then cleared the bases with a three-run double to make it 7-1. Reisdorf singled in the games final run in the seventh.

That felt good, Hagen said of his sixth-inning double. There was an altercation the last inning, and it felt good to put it in their faces a bit.

Willmar scored its only run in the bottom of the fifth on an overturned call at the plate. Mason Madsen, Jason Malmgren and Carter Schow all singled for Willmar to load the bases with one out.

It was the first time all game that Alexandria senior pitcher Parker Jendro had been challenged, and he got Cullen Gregory to fly out to Grady Anderson in right field for the second out. Willmar sent the runner from third as Andersons throw home brought Hagen a little bit up the third-base line as he caught the ball and placed the tag.

The runner was initially ruled out to end the threat. But both umpires talked things over and ultimately ruled that the runner was safe.

Alexandria head coach Jake Munsch vehemently disagreed with the overturned call as he talked with the umpires before both teams got back on the field. Jendro struck out Brandt Sunder in the next at-bat to get out of the inning with two Willmar runners left on.

They said I was guarding the plate, Hagen said of the play at home. I was playing the ball and it came right to me. He slid into my leg and the call was overturned.

That could have been a big moment in the game for Willmar. Instead, Alexandria came right back and put up the four runs in their next half inning to all but end it.

For sure (it motivated us), Hagen said. We came into the dugout, had a little talk. I think it did motivate us, yes.

Eric Morken / Alexandria Echo Press

The eight runs were plenty for Jendro on the mound. The senior right-hander was dialed in from the get-go as he did not allow a hit until the fourth inning when Ian Koosman singled.

All five of the base hits Jendro allowed were singles. He struck out five and pounded the strike zone without allowing Willmar to make much hard contact all game.

After being used primarily as a reliever on the mound in 2021, Jendro has stepped up as a starter and become a huge part of an Alexandria pitching staff that came into Saturday with a team ERA of 1.93.

Jendro has now throw a team-high 37 innings this season, striking out 34 with an ERA of about 2.50.

Hes a beast, Hagen, Alexandrias catcher, said. He paints corners. He was painting them all day. He made me look good. He did his job today.

Eric Morken / Alexandria Echo Press

The win puts Alexandria in a good spot heading into Wednesdays championship round. If Little Falls were to win game one, the two teams would play again right after that to determine the Section 8-3A champion.

Alexandria won the regular-season matchup with Little Falls, but it was a 1-0 game through five innings before the Cardinals struck for three runs in the sixth. Flyers senior Zachary Gwost threw six strong innings that day to keep his team close, but JD Hennen and Jendro combined to allow just one hit with 11 total strikeouts.

They had a pretty good pitcher, Reisdorf said of Gwost from that game. We struggled with him right away, but once we got going a little bit, our team is really good at rallying around each other. Once one person gets going, everyone gets going.

1/4:Alexandria first baseman Nate Hammerback tosses the ball to pitcher Parker Jendro as Jendro covers the first-base bag on a ground ball during Alexandria's win over Willmar in the Section 8-3A playoffs on June 4, 2022.

2/4:Alexandria first baseman Nate Hammerback makes the catch against Willmar on June 4, 2022 with second baseman Brock Lerfald backing him up.

3/4:Alexandria's Caleb Runge fires a ball to first base for a double play after making a catch in left field against Willmar on June 4, 2022.

4/4:Alexandria's Brock Lerfald slides safely into second with a stolen base as Willmar's Cayden Hansen leaves his feet to try to haul in the throw in the Section 8-3A playoffs at the MAC in St. Cloud on June 4, 2022.

Alexandrias state tournament appearances have come in 1972, 1975, 2017 and 2018. This group is motivated to add another section championship to the record books going into Wednesday.

Its a dream weve all wanted to do, Hagen said. I think this will be our year.

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Baseball: Alexandria one win away from fifth section title in team history after rolling over Willmar - Alexandria Echo Press