The Minnesota Baseball State Tournament has been filled with drama and intriguing storylines, and the Miesville Mudhens have added to the excitement with a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the St. Paul Mudhens during the second weekend of the Class B State Tournament. Trailing 5-0 after the first half of the game, Miesville rallied to score eight runs in the second half, securing an 8-6 win in 10 innings.

In the tournament's opening round, Miesville dominated the Minneapolis Mudcats with a 10-0 victory in seven innings. However, the second round, held in Green Isle, presented a tougher challenge. Quinn Kruger started on the mound for Miesville, but St. Paul quickly capitalized on his early struggles. The Mudhens from St. Paul scored three runs in the first inning with a series of singles and a sacrifice fly by Alex Matchey.

Matchey added another sacrifice fly RBI in the third inning, and Blake Eckmann's solo home run gave St. Paul a commanding 5-0 lead after four innings. St. Paul maintained control thanks to a strong pitching performance by Cottage Grove’s Brady Drkula, who baffled Miesville’s hitters through five innings.

Former Raider Alex Hendrickson finally broke the scoring drought for Miesville in the top of the sixth with a home run over the right field fence, narrowing St. Paul's lead to 5-2. The Mudhens continued to chip away, adding runs in the top of the seventh and eighth innings to bring the score to 5-4.

In the top of the eighth, Miesville had two runners on base, but both were picked off by St. Paul’s Frank Volkers, with the final pick-off coming against Joey Werner, who voiced his displeasure as usual.

Entering the top of the ninth still trailing 5-4, Miesville's Matt Van Der Bosh led off with a single to left. Volkers quickly earned two outs, striking out Werner and inducing a pop-up from Deryk Marks. With two outs, Van Der Bosh stole second base, placing the tying run 180 feet away.

Brian Sprout then hit a blooper over the shortstop's head, forcing St. Paul’s centerfielder, Riley Schwellenbach, into a spectacular diving attempt. Though Schwellenbach’s dive nearly ended the game, the ball slipped from his glove, allowing Van Der Bosh to score and tie the game.

Evan Nelson, a former Raider, pinch-ran for Sprout at first base as Hendrickson stepped up to the plate. Despite St. Paul’s defense not adjusting, Hendrickson laced a double to the wall, scoring Nelson from first base and putting Miesville ahead 6-5.

St. Paul’s Eckmann responded with his second solo home run of the game, tying the score at six and sending the game into extra innings. In the top of the tenth, Ronnie Sweeny delivered a decisive two-run home run, sealing Miesville’s comeback victory.

With this win, Miesville will face the Hopkins Berries on August 31 at 1:30 p.m. in Jordan. The Mudhens are now just three wins away from clinching another state championship. A victory on Saturday will advance them to the noon game on September 1 in Belle Plaine, with a potential championship game later that day at 6:00 p.m.