HASTINGS (20-8) vs.EDEN PRAIRIE (21-7)
When: 10 a.m.
Where: Midway Stadium, St. Paul
Outlook: Hastings is hunting for a third state title -- the Raiders previously won in 1967 and 1999 -- and is making its fourth appearance. Hastings has a team ERA of 3.08 and a team batting average of .343. Senior Trent Vedders set school records for most pitching victories (12) and strikeouts (124). Senior Jake Engelmeier (.444, 28 RBIs) is the Section 1 champions' top hitter. ... Eden Prairie, which won Section 6, is returning for a fourth time. The Eagles won the title the last time they qualified in 2004. Senior Danny Miller (.494, 17 RBIs, 46 hits) wields the most productive bat and also went 9-1 with a 1.20 ERA.
DULUTH EAST (16-8) vs. ROCORI (19-7)
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When: 12:30 p.m.
Where: Midway Stadium, St. Paul
Outlook: East returns after a two-year absence for its sixth tournament appearance. The Greyhounds topped No. 1-seeded Duluth Central twice to win Section 7. The Greyhounds, whose team batting average is .321, scored 144 runs on 222 hits during the regular season. Skyler Murray (.419, 22 RBIs) has hit all three of his home runs during the playoffs. Sam Patnoe (.402, 22 runs, 15 RBIs), Matt Kilpo (.338, 24 runs), Jake Kinney (.319), Ryan McKowski (.310) and Carlson Keuning (.302, 15 RBIs) all batted over .300. McKowski (6-1, five saves, 2.74, 60 strikeouts) has figured in 21 of East's 29 victories the past two seasons. Adam Zwak (6-1, 3.85) gives the Greyhounds a second quality starter. ... Rocori is making its second consecutive and fifth overall appearance. The Spartans went 0-2 a year ago. The team batted .313 and had 113 RBIs during the regular season. Senior Brad Olson (.441, 21 RBIs) is the top hitter for the Section 8 champions.
DASSEL-COKATO (19-5) vs.MAPLE GROVE (20-7)
When: 10 a.m.
Where: Siebert Field, Minneapolis
Outlook: Dassel-Cokato made its only other state tournament appearance in 1983. Junior Luke Peterson (.394 batting average) and senior Daniel Raisanen (19 RBIs) led the Chargers to the Section 2 title. ... Maple Grove returns after a five-year hiatus for its fifth overall appearance. The Crimson outhit opponents 251-172 during regular-season play and went on to claim the Section 5 title. Senior Matt Butorac set a school record with 34 RBIs and also had 38 hits.
CRETIN-DERHAM HALL (23-4) vs.HILL-MURRAY (21-5)
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When: 12:30 p.m.
Where: Siebert Field, Minneapolis
Outlook: This quarterfinal is a rematch of a regular-season game between the St. Paul-area schools that Hill-Murray won5-4. This is Cretin-Derham Hall's second consecutive and 19th overall appearance. The Section 3 champion Raiders have won 10 titles and were runners-up last year. They won in 1981, '82, '86, '89, '90, '92, '96, '97, '98 and 2001. This year's squad batted .348 and scored 203 runs, led by junior Jacob Esch (.511, 48 hits, 45 RBIs). ... Hill-Murray is in the tournament for a sixth time, but first since 1990. The Pioneers won the 1976 title. Senior Matt Reisdorf, who has a batting average of .400, went 8-1 with a 2.01 ERA for the Section 4 titlists. As a team, Hill-Murray has a .319 average and 2.47 ERA.
