Union Hill Upsets Top Seed Faribault in Region 3C Playoffs

The Union Hill Bulldogs scored a 2-0 victory over the Faribault Lakers at Bell Field in Faribault on Wednesday night and punched their ticket to the State Amateur Baseball Tournament.

Derek Masberg held the Lakers to four hits scattered over nine innings while striking out nine and walking nobody. He threw 121 pitches, 96 for strikes.

Jack Helgeson certainly pitched well enough for his Lakers to win. He pitched all nine innings and threw 108 pitches, 83 for strikes, with just one walk, four strikeouts and seven hits allowed.

Union Hill used small ball in the seventh inning to generate some offense and score the only two runs they would need on four hits.

Seven men would come to the plate for the Bulldogs in that inning and one would be thrown out at the plate.

Faribault never really had a threat to score in the game. Joey Grote had two hits to lead the four hit attack. He collected a two-out double in the first inning and a deep in the shortstop hole infield single in the fourth inning.

Kollin Hansen had a pinch hit single with two outs in the eighth inning and Blake Langerud clubbed a one-out single in the ninth.

The Bulldogs are now 16-8 and the Lakers 20-5.

Faribault travels to Shakopee for a 7:30PM game Friday and must win to continue their season. The winner of that game is also assured of a state tournament berth. Shakopee ended Montgomery's season with a 13-2 win in Montgomery on Wednesday night.

The Lakers were the top seed in the playoffs after winning the regular season championship and New Market was the No. 2 seed.

The other elimination bracket game finds New Market going to Prior Lake to play St. Patrick on Friday night at 7:30PM. The winner also punches their state ticket. St. Patrick beat Veseli in Lonsdale on Wednesday night 5-3 to end Veseli's season.

New Prague knocked off New Market 5-1 Tuesday evening in Elko to earn their state tournament berth. The Orioles host Union Hill on Sunday at 2PM in a winner's bracket game.

Four teams from Region 3C advance to compete at the state tournament being held this year in Hamburg, Green Isle and Norwood.