You could not have scripted this final season coaching baseball at Pine Island better for head coach Craig Anderson.

The Pine Island Panthers have used some incredible pitching, impressive defense and timely hitting to advance to their first state high school baseball tournament in 23 years.

Pine Island Head Coach Craig Anderson
Pine Island Head Coach Craig Anderson
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The Panthers defeated Chatfield 4-1 in the only game needed to determine the Section 1 Class AA champion.

The game did not start out well for Chatfield, with two Pine Island runners scoring on bases-loaded walks in the first inning, and the Panthers never looked back.

Senior right-hander Aaron Gillard told Anderson he wanted the ball in the first game and didn't want to play a second and he was lights out good for Pine Island.

Gillard had a perfect game going through three innings before a one-out single in the fourth was followed by his first walk. Gillard also issued a two-out walk in the fifth and saw Chatfield open the sixth with back-to-back singles before, as Anderson put it, "the play of the game."

Shortstop Matt Lien fielded a ball and quickly threw it to second, where Brady Braaten turned and threw to first and Braden Aakre made a nice scoop to complete the double play.

Chatfield's next hitter, Ben Ihrke, then cranked an RBI triple before Gillard got out of the inning with a pop out.

The Gophers had a two-out double in the bottom of the seventh and Gillard got a ground out to end the game.

Gillard threw 99 pitches, 63 for strikes, and tallied five strike-outs and two walks while allowing five hits. He allowed just one hit through the first five innings.

Pine Island had their chances to break the game wide open on numerous occasions.

The Panthers left 12 runners on base, nine of them in scoring position. They had base runners left on base in all but one inning and base runners left in scoring position in each of those innings.

Drew Lohmeyer and Brady Braaten scored the two first-inning runs on bases-loaded walks to Bryce Hinrichsen and Derek Rucker.

No. 9 hitter Derek Fall scored Pine Island's third run on a wild pitch in the fourth after he walked to open the inning. Lohmeyer then stroked the third of his three hits and the day was done for Chatfield starting pitcher Riley Ahern.

The lefty threw 83 pitches in just over three innings, 44 for strikes, thanks in large part to a 41-pitch first inning. He had four walks and allowed five hits while striking out five. Junior right-hander Braden Brehmer then relieved him and allowed just one run the rest of the way while walking four and striking out three and giving up just two hits. Brehmer threw 68 pitches in his four innings of work, 35 for strikes.

Pine Island's last score came in the fifth inning.

After Rucker opened the inning with a walk, right fielder Matthew Huus stroked a ball over the right fielder's head for a double scoring Rucker.

Chatfield ended their season 14-10 and Pine Island goes to the Class AA state tournament in St. Cloud with an 18-7 record.

It's pretty cool to see after each game one of the first people giving Anderson a hug is one of his granddaughters, with a big smile for "Grandpa."

They seed the teams in the state baseball tournament in each class so I can't tell you when the Panthers play next Thursday in St. Cloud.

The game will either be at 10AM, 12:30PM, 3PM or 5:30PM, and depending on the time the game will be broadcast on either Power 96 95.9 FM or KDHL 920AM.

In other section baseball Tuesday night, Northfield is state tournament bound for the second straight year after losing to Albert Lea in the first game of their championship bracket 9-6 and then rebounding for a 9-0 win over the Tigers in the All Big Nine Section 1 Class AAA final.

The Raiders will probably get a top three seed and play Thursday at Dick Siebert Field on the University of Minnesota campus.

In Section 1 Class A, the Randolph Rockets saw their season come to an end when Lewiston-Altura didn't allow a second game by winning the first 7-0 at Mayo Field in Rochester.

In Section 2 Class AA, the Tri-City United Titans were a game away from the final section contest falling to the Fairmont Cardinals 9-0 after Fairmont defeated Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop in the other elimination bracket game 7-1.

Fairmont has to go back to St. Peter on Thursday and beat Belle Plaine twice to advance to the state tournament.

In Section 2 Class AAA, the Mankato West Scarlets will play New Ulm in New Ulm on Wednesday, with the Scarlets needing just one win to advance to state.

New Ulm bested Marshall 3-2 to advance to win the elimination bracket.

Section 1AA Champion Pine Island Panthers
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