Photo by Brady Dennis Minnesota Valley Lutheran’s Rogan Scriver throws to first during a Section 2A baseball playoff game against Mankato Loyola on Thursday at Johnson Park.

PREP BASEBALL

Loyola 6, MVL 4

NEW ULM — Fifth-seeded Minnesota Valley Lutheran rallied from five runs down on Thursday but couldn’t get enough in the end to defeat No. 8-seeded Mankato Loyola as the Crusaders held on for a 6-4 win in a Section 2A baseball playoff elimination bracket game.

The Chargers finish their season 10-11, while Loyola will play Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Mankato East High School in another elimination bracket game.

MVL saw Josh Vander Plas go 1 for 3 with an RBI, while Blake Sexton and Josh Carlovksy each went 1 for 2. Jensen Gerdts and Brennan Bendix also were 1 for 3 for MVL.

Kaden Peterson took the loss for MVL in five innings, allowing six hit and two walks for four earned runs while striking out six.

Down 4-0 in the third, Vander Plas singled in MVL’s first run of the game. Loyola got two more runs in the sixth and kept MVL off the board in the bottom of the sixth.

The Chargers rallied in the seventh with a one-out single by Peterson. With two outs, the Chargers got a single from Sexton and a walk to Vander Plas to keep hope alive and fill the bases for Kyan Kube, who walked to make it a 6-2 ballgame. Jacob Kramer then hit a grounder and reached on an error that scored two more MVL runs to make it 6-4.

A pop out to first, however, ended the game.

PREP BASEBALL

Springfield 8, Cleveland 5

SPRINGFIELD — Second-seeded Springfield defeated third-seeded Cleveland 8-5 in the elimination bracket of the Section 2A Baseball Tournament Thursday.

Noah Neperman earned the win for Springfield, striking out five while allowing three earned runs on 10 hits in six innings of work. At the plate, Russell Beers was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Brayden Sturm was 2 for 3 with two runs scored. Jackson Ludewing was 1 for 3 with two RBIs while Adiel Trevino was 1 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Springfield (15-5) plays fourth-seeded Madelia at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Mankato East High School.

BOYS GOLF

Cedar Mountain leads after Day 1 of 2A tourney

NORTH MANKATO — Cedar Mountain leads the way after Day 1 of the Section 2A Boys Golf Tournament, shooting 340 as a team at North Links Golf Course.

Sleepy Eye United sits one stroke back in second at 341, while Minnesota Valley Lutheran shot a 354. The final school to advance to Day 2 as a team was Alden-Conger with a 357.

Cathedral’s Owen Strei, SEU’s Nolan Kucera and Cedar Mountain’s Blake Schueller all shot a 78 to lead the individuals. MVL’s James Osterman tied for fifth with an 81, while Springfield’s Braiden Davis tied for ninth with an 82. MVL’s Nathaniel Lukasek tied for 14th (85), while Cathedral’s Will Marti placed 16th (86). SEU’s Blaine Arneson placed 17th, while teammates Anders Coulson and George Schwint and GFW’s Cole Jacobson tied for 18th (88).

Day 2 of the tournament will continue Monday at North Links Golf Course.