DULUTH — Three Northland baseball teams are set to conclude the 2022-23 prep athletic season at the state baseball tournament beginning Tuesday at three sites around Minnesota.
Among the most intriguing matchups in Tuesday's quarterfinal round features Grand Rapids in Class AAA. The unseeded Thunderhawks (16-6) were drawn against third-ranked Mahtomedi (18-4) in a rematch of the 2021 AAA final, won 20-3 by the Zephyrs at Target Field. The return bout is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Chaska Athletic Park.
The first two rounds of the bracket in AA will take place at Dick Putz Field in St. Cloud. Duluth Marshall (17-5) was seeded third and will play Roseau in an all-northern quarterfinal at 5:30 p.m. The 17-6 Rams, who last made state in 2012, have extensive experience with several Section 7 teams, defeating Hibbing, Cloquet and Proctor, but losing to Esko and Hermantown.
In Class A, South Ridge will also meet a team from Section 8, Sacred Heart. The East Grand Forks-based parochial school is the higher (fourth) seed for the 1 p.m. matchup at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud. South Ridge, seeded fifth, is in its fourth consecutive state tournament, but the Eagles are at state for the first time since 2006.
Semifinal matchups in all classes will take place Wednesday at the same sites as the quarterfinals. All four state championship games are Friday at Target Field in Minneapolis.
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