Hastings opened Section 3AAAA tournament play with the kind of week that keeps a season alive, even if it also pushed the Raiders onto the tougher road through the bracket. The Raiders finished the regular season 14-8 overall and 4-3 in section play, which made them the No. 4 seed in the eight-team section field. Hastings hosted No. 5 seed Burnsville on Monday, May 25, at Hastings High School in the championship bracket first round, then traveled to No. 1 seed Rosemount on Wednesday, May 27, for a championship bracket quarterfinal. After a loss there, Hastings moved into the elimination bracket and traveled to No. 3 seed Two Rivers on Friday, May 29. The Raiders went 2-1 for the week, beating Burnsville 4-0, falling at Rosemount 7-1, then answering with a 6-3 win at Two Rivers to keep their postseason going.
Hastings started the tournament with a strong all-around performance in the 4-0 win over Burnsville on May 25. The game stayed scoreless through the first three innings, as Carter Lundstrom kept Burnsville off the board and Hastings waited for its offense to settle in. Burnsville’s starting pitcher kept the Raiders quiet early, but Hastings adjusted as the game moved along. Head coach Ryan Stoffel said that was the message to the hitters after the first time through the order. “You gotta just learn from it, right? Learn from the at bat,” Stoffel said. “What did you see? What didn’t work right, were you too late, were you behind?” He said the players used that information in their next trips to the plate, and eventually the Raiders started to put balls in play.
The Raiders finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning, then added two more runs in the fifth to take control. Hastings scored one more in the sixth, giving Lundstrom a four-run cushion for the final inning. The Raiders did not need a huge offensive total, finishing with six hits, but they made their chances count. Cole Werner drove in two runs, Payton Perseke added an RBI, and Hastings also used two hit batters, four walks and two stolen bases to keep pressure on Burnsville. Zander McVicker and Joey Horton each stole a base, while Perseke and Colton McKnight each doubled. Stoffel said the win came from the way Hastings stayed with the game after a slower start. “It took us a little bit to figure out their starting pitcher,” he said. “Once we started seeing a few, second at bat, third at bat, we started putting balls in play, and were able to scratch a few runs there.”
Lundstrom handled the rest. He threw all seven innings for Hastings, allowing six hits, three walks and no runs. He struck out one and worked around traffic, as Burnsville left six runners on base. Hastings also turned two double plays, helping Lundstrom escape innings and protect the shutout. Stoffel said having Lundstrom on the mound gave Hastings the steady start it needed. “You get Carter Lundstrom out there doing what he normally does,” Stoffel said. “It gives us a chance every day.” The Raiders backed him up well, making the plays they needed behind him. The only Hastings error came from Luke Niederkorn, but it did not lead to any damage. For a first-round playoff game, it was a clean and steady win, built on pitching, defense and timely offense.
Hastings beat Burnsville 4-0. The Raiders scored one run in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth. Hastings finished with four runs, six hits, one error and six runners left on base. Burnsville had no runs, six hits, no errors and six runners left on base. Perseke led Hastings at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a double, a walk and one RBI. Werner went 1-for-3 with two RBI. McKnight went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored. McVicker went 1-for-3 with a stolen base. Gunnar Skov went 1-for-2 with a walk, while Austin Viall and Niederkorn each reached on a hit by pitch. Lundstrom threw seven shutout innings for Hastings, giving up six hits and three walks with one strikeout.
The win moved Hastings into a Wednesday matchup with Rosemount, the No. 1 seed in the section. After the Burnsville game, Stoffel said the Raiders planned to keep the next practice short and focused, with defensive work, fundamentals and hitting. He said the goal was to stay sharp without wearing the team down before the next playoff game. Stoffel also knew the Raiders were likely getting a difficult matchup. Hastings had played Rosemount the previous week and lost 6-5, a game where the Raiders had the tying run on second base late. Stoffel said Rosemount was athletic and had several pitching looks, including left-handed pitching and a harder-throwing right-hander. His message was that Hastings needed good pitching, clean defense and the right approach. “Take care of the baseball, stay with the game, let the game play out, good energy, good attitude,” Stoffel said. “You never know, you come down that last inning, you might give yourself a chance.”
Hastings traveled to Rosemount on May 27 for the championship bracket quarterfinal, but details from the game are limited because the scoring tablet malfunctioned. The final score showed Rosemount taking control in a 7-1 win. That result moved Hastings off the winners side of the bracket and into the elimination side, where one more loss would end the season. Even without full scoring details available, the result changed the path for the Raiders. Instead of staying in position to advance through the championship bracket, Hastings had to turn around two days later and win on the road to keep playing.
Hastings responded well at Two Rivers, scoring early and holding on for a 6-3 elimination bracket win. The Raiders opened the game with four runs in the top of the first inning, setting the tone right away. Brady Hendrickson, Luke Niederkorn, Cole Werner and Zander McVicker all scored in the game, and the top of the order gave Hastings a strong push. Hendrickson had three hits, including two doubles, and scored twice. Niederkorn had two doubles, scored once, drove in a run, walked once, was hit by a pitch and stole two bases. McVicker went 2-for-3 with two RBI, a walk, a run scored and two stolen bases. Hastings finished with 11 hits and played error-free defense.
Two Rivers did not go away after the big first inning. The home team scored one run in the second, one in the third and one in the fifth to cut into the Hastings lead. The Raiders added a run in the fourth and another in the sixth, which helped keep the game from getting too tight. Hastings led 4-0 after the top of the first, 4-1 after two innings and 4-2 after three. The Raiders made it 5-2 in the fourth, Two Rivers answered in the fifth, then Hastings added its final run in the sixth for a 6-3 lead. Lundstrom again worked a complete game for Hastings, this time allowing three earned runs on eight hits. He walked one, hit two batters and struck out five. He also threw 92 pitches, with 65 strikes.
The win over Two Rivers showed the Raiders could respond after a difficult loss. Hastings had contributions throughout the lineup. Gunnar Skov went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Payton Perseke went 1-for-4 and drove in two runs. Joey Horton went 1-for-3 and added a sacrifice bunt. Austin Viall was hit by a pitch. The Raiders also stole five bases, with Hendrickson taking one, Niederkorn stealing two and McVicker stealing two. That pressure helped Hastings extend innings and keep Two Rivers from settling in. Defensively, Hastings committed no errors and turned one double play.
Hastings beat Two Rivers 6-3. The Raiders scored four runs in the first, one in the fourth and one in the sixth. Hastings finished with six runs, 11 hits, no errors and nine runners left on base. Two Rivers had three runs, eight hits, no errors and five runners left on base. Hendrickson led the offense, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and a stolen base. Niederkorn went 2-for-2 with two doubles, one RBI, one run, one walk, one hit by pitch and two stolen bases. McVicker went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, one walk and two stolen bases. Skov went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run. Perseke went 1-for-4 with two RBI, and Horton went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt. Lundstrom threw seven innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with one walk and five strikeouts. After the win, Hastings stayed alive in the section tournament and moved to the elimination bracket semifinal.
The Raiders faced the second seeded Eagan Wildcats in the elimination bracket on Monday, June 1 at 4:45 p.m. at Alimagnet Park in Burnsville in the Section 3AAAA semifinal. Hastings fought hard but was eliminated by a score of 6-1, ending their season. We will have a full recap of that game in next week’s edition of the Hastings Journal.