Duluth East defeated St. Francis 7-5 in a Section 7AA high school baseball quarterfinal game Friday in Cloquet. Jayce Paulseth (right) and Max Medlin had three hits apiece, and Neal Walsh and Mickie Keuning contributed two timely hits each, for the Greyhounds.
Duluth East starter Riley Grandson scattered eight hits in five innings, and Zach Farmer allowed no runs and one hit in two innings for the save.
“I struggled a little bit (against St. Francis), but my team was able to bail me out,” said Grandson (below right). “Their leadoff hitter got a hold of a ball and took me deep, but I got some help from my offense and we were able to pull it out.”
Duluth East (14-7) will face Andover in the sectional final four on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in Chisago Lakes. Top-seeded Forest Lake will play host to Grand Rapids at 4 p.m., also Tuesday.
“The win against St. Francis was one of our best games of the season,” said Walsh. “We came from behind to win, something we’ve been working on all season. We also came together with clutch hits, from Mickie and Jayce. Riley settled down after the second inning for a great game, and Zach came in to shut the door.
“Grand Rapids is definitely the team to beat in the final four. They played one of the toughest schedules and are a strong team with (Kyle) Kleinendorst and (John) Skrbec leading the way. We’re young, strong and we have a great chemistry. We have a winning attitude, and once we get hot we’re a hard team to beat, Hopefully we’ll stay hot — with our whole order hitting lately — and will advance to state.”
Grandson agrees that Grand Rapids is the team to beat in the final four.
“Grand Rapids is always tough and they bring their ‘A’ game, so we have to be ready,” said Grandson. “It’s a pretty good section final four overall, and I don’t think there’s one clear-cut favorite. As a team, we’ve all had our strengths. Jayce Paulseth has really hit the ball well — and so has Brody Olson. Our defense is very solid. Tanner Murray is a great shortstop, and nothing gets by him at short. He’s saved us a lot of runs. And we have two quality catchers Neal Walsh and Zack Farmer.
“We’re a very young team, and we have proved that we can compete with anyone that they throw at us. And another benefit we have is our team chemistry. Everyone really gets along well — and I think that’s a crucial element of a good team.”
Said Olson: “The quarterfinal game was a game we had to win, period. But after the Saints scored five runs, three of them on a home run, I bet I wasn’t the only one fearing the end of our season. But our team came through and now we move on to Andover on Tuesday. We had lost to Andover earlier this season, but I strongly believe we have become a stronger team through the season. If we play like we can we won’t have to sweat it. I hope both teams come to play. The playoff game against Grand Rapids is probably the most anticipated game of our season; its always a great one to win.”
Photos — Top, Jayce Paulseth had three hits Friday to lift the Greyhounds past St. Francis in the Section 7AAA quarterfinals, Middle, lefty Riley Grandson is one of the top pitchers in the area. Bottom, Greyhounds hitting star Brody Olson juggled three baseballs in Wade Stadium first base dugout prior to a game earlier this season. Howie Hanson/GoDuluthSchools.com
STAY IN TOUCH
June 6, 2010 at 4:58 am
Nice!