Worthington 3, Luverne 2
Worthington used three unearned runs to nip the Cardinals by one counter during Saturday's championship game at Redbird Field.
Luverne made six errors in the game, and three of them led to runs for the District champions.
Three errors by Luverne in the bottom of the third inning allowed Worthington to take a 2-0 lead.
After the Cards battled back to knot the score at two, Andrew Harberts singled and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning on a wild pitch.
Harberts, who limited Luverne to a pair of hits while tossing a complete game, blanked the Cardinals through four innings before allowing single runs in the fifth and sixth frames.
Adam Kurtz walked, stole second, advanced to third on Kuhlman's sacrifice bunt and scored Luverne's run in the fifth when Tim Boen bounced into a fielderÕs choice.
Schmidt reached base on a fielder's choice, went to second on a passed ball, stole third and tied the game at two when Jordan Kopp got caught in a run-down between first and second base in the sixth inning.
Schmidt started the game on the mound and pitched into the seventh inning before giving way to Kuhlman. Schmidt took the loss.
Box score AB R H BI
Studer 3 0 0 0
Pick 3 0 1 0
Schmidt 3 1 1 0
Kopp 2 0 0 0
Reisch 3 0 0 0
Kurtz 2 1 0 0
Kuhlman 3 0 0 0
Goembel 1 0 0 0
Boen 2 0 0 1
Luverne 7, Edgerton 5
The Cardinals advanced to Saturday's championship game by besting Edgerton by two runs at Redbird Field Thursday.
Luverne never trailed during its tournament opener, but Edgerton remained close enough to the Cardinals to keep things tense for most of the game.
In the end, a two-RBI performance by Jordan Kopp and a nice pitching effort from J.T. Top gave the Cardinals a berth in the championship game.
Top worked six and one-third innings in extreme heat while picking up the win. He allowed five runs. Kopp replaced Top in the seventh inning and recorded the final two outs of the game to earn a save.
Kopp singled home runs in the first and sixth innings, joining Jake Studer as the Cardinals who had two hits in the game.
Luverne opened a 4-0 lead through four innings by plating single runs in the first and fourth frames while adding two more in the third.
Studer singled and gave the Cards a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first after Kopp slapped an RBI single.
Luverne loaded the bases in the third with walks to Jesse Kuhlman and Adam Kurtz, and Aaron Schmidt being hit by a pitch. Top drew a walk to force home Kuhlman. Schmidt scored on a wild pitch.
Tim Boen walked, advanced to second base on a fielder's choice, moved to third on a balk and made it a 4-0 game in the fourth when he scored on a wild pitch.
Edgerton broke through for a run against Top in the fifth inning, but the Cards got the run back in the bottom of the fifth.
Top walked and scored on Boen's RBI single to make the difference 5-1.
Edgerton climbed to within one run (5-4) of the Cards in the sixth inning. Luverne, however, answered the challenge again by scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 7-4 game.
Studer tripled and scored on Schmidt's triple for the first run in the sixth. Schmidt trotted home on Kopp's single.
Edgerton scored once before Kopp closed the door on the guests in the top of the seventh.
Box score AB R H BI
Studer 3 2 2 0
Kuhlman 3 1 1 0
Schmidt 3 2 1 1
Kopp 4 0 2 2
Reisch 3 0 0 0
Kurtz 2 0 1 0
Top 3 1 1 1
Goembel 3 0 1 0
Boen 2 1 1 1