ROCHESTER — The fourth-seeded Caledonia High School baseball team lost a game on Saturday but recovered to keep itself alive in the MSHSL Section 1AA tournament.
The Warriors (18-7) dropped an 8-2 game to third-seeded Pine Island at Rochester Hudson before coming back and beating top-seeded Cannon Falls for the second time in a week. Caledonia handed the Bombers a 5-2 loss at Rochester Mayo to win the elimination bracket and force a championship game with Pine Island on Tuesday.
The Warriors will have to beat the Panthers twice on Tuesday to qualify for the state tournament. The first game begins at 5 p.m., and the second — if necessary — is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Caledonia scored twice in the top of the sixth inning to tie Cannon Falls and added three runs in the top of the seventh to win the elimination game.
The Bombers made two errors in the seventh. Second baseman Tanner Ginther and shortstop Tyson Ginther knocked in the first two runs on consecutive singles, and Tyson Ginther scored on the second error for the three-run lead.
The Bombers led 2-0 until center fielder Will Allen doubled with one out, and left fielder Jack Schmitz followed with a two-out home run to right field.
Senior Reid Klug pitched a complete game with six hits allowed, two walks and three strikeouts. He allowed two seventh-inning singles but retired the next three batters in order to finish the game.
Allen’s double was his second hit and gave the Warriors four of their five hits in the final two innings.
Caledonia also had five hits against Pine Island and was within 3-2 until allowing five runs in the bottom of the fifth. Allen and Tyson Ginther each drove in a second-inning run for the Warriors.
