The game was stopped after five innings because of the 10-run lead rule.

Vander Plas, who threw just 54 pitches in the game, walked just one and permitted only one MCW player to reach base. That player was Lucas Larson, who walked in the first and had a leadoff single the fourth.

The Mavericks saw their season end at 3-13. Larson also got the start on the mound and went 2 1/3 innings. He was charged with eight runs on nine hits and fanned one.

Kaden Peterson and Josh Carlovsky each had three hits, with Jensen Gerdts and Aiden Eckberg each adding two hits.

Satff photo by Travis Rosenau Minnesota Valley Lutheran’s Jensen Gerdts celebrates after legging out a triple in the fifth inning of a Section 2A baseball playoff game against Martin County West Thursday at Mueller Park in New Ulm. The Chargers ended the game moments later on a double from Aiden Eckberg.

Carlovsky drove in three runs.

The Chargers, now 10-9 on the season, will play Madelia in the next round of playoffs Tuesday in Searles.

“I was excited about the bats and the way we hit the ball today,” Chargers head coach Jim Buboltz said. “Our base running was super good, but to me it always comes down to pitching, catching and fielding.”

And the Chargers were dominant in all three of those facets of the game Thursday.

“Josh was dominating on the mound today and we had no errors on defense,” Buboltz said. “That is our recipe for success.”

The Chargers wasted little time in taking control of the game when they plated five runs in the bottom of the first.

Peterson legged out an infield single before Brennan Bendix sliced a slow roller in the infield. Bendix was safe at first on a throwing error that allowed Peterson to race home.

Bendix stole second and scored on a Blake Sexton double down the left-field line for a 2-0 lead.

Vander Plas was hit by a Larson offering. A Rogan Scriver single and a Gerdts groundout made it 3-0 before Carlovsky singled in two runs for a comfortable 5-0 lead.

“Some of our guys who have played in playoff games know that to get that opportunity right off of the bat is big,” Buboltz said. “We got a big RBI hit with two outs [from Carlovsky] and then we got two runs in the third inning with two outs.”

Those two runs in the third came after the Chargers added a run in the second on a passed ball.

In that third inning, a two-out double from Gerdts sparked that rally.

Gerdts’ two-bagger was followed by singles from Carlovsky, Eckberg and Peterson for an 8-0 lead.

After a scoreless fourth, the Chargers ended the game in the fifth with two more runs with the bottom of the order doing most of the damage.

Gerdts tripled and came home on a Carlovsky base hit.

A stolen base and an Eckberg double ended the game.

And the Chargers bottom part of the order — Gerdts, Carlovsky and Eckberg — were a combined 7 for 9 in the game and drove in four runs.

“And they had a lot of loud outs, too,” Buboltz said. “Jensen, Josh and Aiden really put the bat on the ball. And Josh had a career day with three hits and all RBI hits. The guys are sticking with the process.”

MVL now gets a rematch with Madelia Tuesday at 5 p.m. in Searles.

The Chargers lost to Madelia 7-6 in the first game of the season after holding a 6-0 lead early.

“We were up 6-0 with six outs to go and Josh [Vander Plas] came out of the game,” Buboltz said. “But we know that [Madelia] is a fabulous baseball team and we are very similar in what we like to do.”