Lightning baseball hasn't run out of time

Six-game winning streak propels Eastview to state tournament

During Eastview’s postgame huddle, one of the biggest cheers was reserved for coach Pat Strey’s announcement that there would be no practice the next day.

If anybody deserved a day off, it was the Lightning. After five games in four days, and six games of backs-to-the-wall baseball overall, they were ready for a break. But it wouldn’t be for long, as Eastview prepares for the school’s first trip to the state baseball tournament in six years.

Eastview’s improbable six-game winning streak – which came after they lost their opener in the Class 4A, Section 3 playoffs – happened because the Lightning started to play like they believed they could all along, senior Cooper DeSutter said.

“Growing up we were always one of the top teams, so we knew we had it in us,” said DeSutter, whose solo homer started a nine-run ninth inning in Eastview’s 14-5 victory over Eagan in the Section 3 final June 6 at Memorial Park in Prior Lake. “It finally started to come together the last few games of the regular season, even though we didn’t win them all.

“Then we kind of woke up in the sections and went on a run. We’ve been hitting and been dominant on the mound.”

DeSutter said the Lightning knew they could play successful postseason baseball. Last year the Lightning dropped their first section game, then won four in a row before losing to Rosemount in the finals.

This year’s postseason winning streak lifted Eastview’s record to 14-13 and put the Lightning above .500 for the first time in almost two months. Their next assignment is taking on defending Class 4A champion East Ridge in the Class 4A quarterfinals at 1 p.m. Thursday at CHS Field.

The last of the Lightning’s six consecutive section victories was the wildest. Eastview jumped ahead 2-0 in the top of the first inning, but the lead disappeared in the bottom of the first thanks to a grand slam by Eagan sophomore catcher Brandon Lunneborg. Eagan led 5-2 after four innings before Eastview scored one run each in the fifth through seventh innings to tie the game.

The top of the ninth was chaotic. DeSutter led off and hit the first pitch over the fence in left-center to give the Lightning their first lead since the opening inning. Eastview then loaded the bases with one out and two of those runners scored on a throwing error. Two more runs scored on a sacrifice fly and bloop single, and it was 10-5.

The bases were loaded again for junior shortstop Ben Schmitz, batting for the second time in the inning. Schmitz said he had never hit a home run at any level, so of course his first was a grand slam that blew the section championship game open.

As happy as Strey was to see Schmitz’s first career homer, he was even more impressed with a defensive play his shortstop made in the seventh inning to keep Eastview in the game.

The first two Eagan batters in the bottom of the seventh reached base, bringing up Lunneborg, who also had a double in the game to go with his grand slam. Intentionally walking him wasn’t an option, Lunneborg smoked a one-hopper to Schmitz’s right that he backhanded and turned into a double play. If the ball had gotten by Schmitz, it likely would have drove in the winning run for Eagan. Instead, the Lightning got out of trouble and took the game to extra innings.

“That was a big-time play, and to have the courage to go for two in that situation is pretty impressive,” Strey said.

Eastview pitcher Jacob Haagenson held Eagan scoreless over the final six innings to earn the victory.

One day earlier, Charlie Riedl pitched a two-hitter with eight strikeouts as Eastview defeated Eagan 2-1 at Alimagnet Park in Burnsville to stay alive in the section tournament. A second game was to follow immediately, but thunderstorms caused it to be delayed one day and moved to Prior Lake.

Eastview had just five hits, but a sacrifice fly by Ryler Kronberg in the top of the seventh scored Luc Maccarone, who led off the inning with a single.

Eagan sophomore William Mitchell also pitched a complete game, allowing one earned run on five hits and striking out five.

The consecutive losses to Eastview ended Eagan’s chances for a storybook section championship. The Wildcats lost their first five games of the season, tied for seventh in the South Suburban Conference and entered the playoffs with a 7-13 record. Then they won their first three section games, including a 4-3 victory over Eastview in the first round. But the two losses to Eastview ended Eagan’s bid for its first state tournament appearance since 2009.

The Lightning, meanwhile, are anxious to see if they can continue their good play in the state tournament.

“A lot of our guys have been playing together for a really long time,” Strey said. “After we didn’t quite have the season we wanted and lost the first playoff game they decided, hey, this is our last shot.

“We started to swing a little bit, and that helped. We scored a bunch of runs in the playoffs (45 in the six Section 3 tournament victories). It’s a good time to get hot, and that’s kind of what’s happened for us.”