Saturday 7/25/20 –

Newman Catholic, Mason City 6, St. Albert, Council Bluffs 5

Down 5-2 after five innings, three-time defending state champion Newman Catholic rallied to take the lead and then held off late-inning threats by Council Bluffs St. Albert for a 6-5 win in a thrilling Class 1A first-round game Saturday at Principal Park. Freshman Max Burt started the game — batting second for the Knights — with a towering home run to left field. He finished the game on the mound, pitching the final two innings to pick up the win.

The sixth-seeded Knights — the lowest seed in their 15 appearances at Principal Park — advance to the semifinals at 18-5. Newman is now 27-8 in state tournament games at Principal Park. St. Albert (21-2) was the third seed in their fourth trip to Principal Park and 11th state tournament appearance overall. Newman took a 1-0 lead on Burt’s home run, but the Falcons rallied for a 3-1 lead after three. Newman scored in the fourth to close within 3-2, but St. Albert scored twice in the fifth for a 5-2 edge.

Newman took a 6-5 lead in the top of the sixth with four runs on three hits. Burt had a two-run double to cut the gap to 5-4, then Sam Kratz crushed a two-run double off the left field wall to put the Knights ahead 6-5. The Falcons left two runners on base in both the sixth and seventh innings. Burt’s home run was the 59th hit at Principal Park during state tournament play.

St. Mary’s, Remsen 11, Notre Dame, Burlington 1 (5 inn.) 

Blaine Harpenau tossed a three hitter as second ranked Remsen St. Mary’s cruised to an 11-1 win over Burlington Notre Dame in a 1A quarterfinal. The Hawks improve to 2-0. Remsen St. Mary’s took advantage of five Notre Dame errors. It was Notre Dame’s first trip to the tournament in 18 years and senior third baseman Drew Chiprez says given everything that has happened he appreciates it even more.

Friday, 7/24/20

Kingsley-Pierson 3, Martensdale-St. Marys 2 Kingsley-Pierson (8 inn.)

Eighth-seeded Kingsley-Pierson rallied from a 2-0 deficit and stunned top-seeded and top-ranked Martensdale-St.Marys 3-2 in eight innings in the Class 1A opener of the 2020 state tournament on a hot, steamy, sweaty Friday afternoon at Principal Park. The Panthers advance to the semifinals at 16-2. MSTM ends at 26-2.

Don Bosco, Gilbertville 3, South Winneshiek, Calmar 1

Fifth-seeded Don Bosco broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the top of the fifth inning to defeat fourth-seeded South Winneshiek 3-1 in a Class 1A first-round game at Principal Park. The teams’ pitchers combined for 20 strikeouts.

The Class 2A Quarterfinals take place Monday, July 27th at Principal Park in Des Moines:

10:30—Van Meter vs. Treynor

1:30—Mid-Prairie, Wellman vs. West Lyon, Inwood

4:30—North Linn, Troy Mills vs. Durant

7:30—Dike-New Hartford vs. Des Moines Christian