Sports
Burnsville's State Baseball Final Moved To Wednesday
Potential inclement weather forced the Minnesota State High School League to move the state title game to Wednesday, when the Blaze will face Maple Grove at 6 p.m. at Target Field
All season, the Burnsville baseball team worked hard to get another shot at a state championship.
Now, the Blaze have their chance, but they'll need to wait an extra day to win the title.
Burnsville will face Maple Grove in the Class AAA championship game at Target Field in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Due to an inclement weather forecast, the Minnesota State High School League decided to move the three state baseball championship games to Wednesday from their original start time on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
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If the poor weather continues on Wednesday, the games will be moved to Thursday.
The Blaze (25-3) lost to Eden Prairie a year ago in the state title game by a 7-5 margin. Like last year, Burnsville will face a one-loss team for the championship.
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The Crimson (26-1) are seeking their first baseball title in school history. Maple Grove played in its only other state championship game in 1999, when they lost to Hastings 4-2.
Tuesday’s matchup will be a clash of two teams capable of putting up big offensive numbers while shutting down the opposition with strong pitching and consistent defense.
The Blaze entered the state tournament outscoring their opponents 204-73. That boils down to a 2.68 team earned-run average on the mound and a .365 batting average at the plate.
In the state quarterfinals, Burnsville pitcher Quinn Johnson threw 4 1/3 innings of perfect baseball against Bemidji, and he finished the game with a two-hit shutout.
But Maple Grove is just as capable of handling the opposition.
The Crimson batted .330 as a team this year, and in their run to the state tournament they outscored opponents 195-77. Maple Grove belted 18 home runs as a team this year, the most in school history.
Their lone loss came in the Section 5AA semifinals to Coon Rapids, but Maple Grove rebounded and defeated the Cardinals twice in the section championship to earn a trip to state.
This is Burnsville’s fifth overall trip to state. The Blaze have never won a state title, and heading into Tuesday’s game have a 4-4 all-time state tournament record.
