Confidence is huge in sports. It's really huge in anything in life.  When you do anything with confidence you do it better.  Right now the Fairbault Lakers are a confident team.  Friday night that confidence was fully on display with a 5-1 defeat of the Lonsdale Aces and a sweep of their best of three series.  Evan Knutson allowed just 5 hits while striking out 6 and walking only 1 for the complete game victory.  Dylan Valentyn led a 13 hit parade with a 4 for 4 night and the Lakers completed the sweep of Lonsdale.  Faribault is now 17-9 and doesn't have to play until Thursday in the six team double elimination tournament to determine four teams who head to the State Amateur Tournament being played in Jordan and Belle Plaine this year.  The team winning the six team double elimination tourney gets a first round State bye and doesn't have to play opening weekend, but Region 3 is stacked with good teams.  New Market (with a lot of Faribault flavor I might add), St. Patrick and St. Benedict were all seeded higher in the Region when the playoffs began, but only Faribault has clinched thus far.  Sunday at 7pm Montgomery hosts Union Hill and the rest of these games are 2pm Prior Lake at New Prague, Webster at St. Patrick, Shakopee at St. Benedict and New Market at Veseli.  Faribault should be playing at home Thursday night.  They probably won't be anything lower than a four seed.  The bracket says 8pm.

 

 

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