Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Sleepy Eye Legion Post 7’s Cole Eckstein makes a diving catch in right field during an Upper Midwest Classic quarterfinals game against Mankato American on Saturday night at Essig Ballpark.

ESSIG — Despite several answers by Sleepy Eye Legion Post 7 late in Saturday night’s Upper Midwest Classic quarterfinals game with Mankato American, including a five-run fifth inning to tie the game, the American were just a step ahead in the end.

After answering Sleepy Eye’s five-run inning with a five-run inning of their own, American was able to hold on for a 10-7 win at Essig Ballpark to move on to Sunday’s UMC semifinals in New Ulm.

American moved on to play Luverne at 9:30 a.m. Sunday in the semifinals, while Sleepy Eye finished its time in the tournament with a 3-1 mark.

Marcus Martinez took the loss for Sleepy Eye in 5 1/3 innings, allowing 13 hits and two walks for 10 runs, seven earned, while striking out three. Kessler Severson pitched the last 1 2/3 innings in relief and allowed one hit and one walk for no runs while fanning two.

Jacob Langworthy got the start for American and no decision in 4 1/3 innings, being knocked from the game in the fifth and finishing with seven hits, three walks and five earned runs allowed. He struck out nine.

Zachary Bosse pitched an inning in relief and earned the win, allowing three hits and a walk for two earned runs. Mason Diede pitched the final 1 2/3 innings in relief for American and allowed one walk while striking out one while earning the win.

Severson led Sleepy Eye at the plate, going 2 for 3 with an RBI, while Tyler Mathiowetz was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Caeden Willaert led American by going 2 for 4 with a double, while Caden Hansen was 2 for 5 with four RBIs. Alex Fast had a double and an RBI also for American, while Austin Hendley added a double.

American got on the board first in the top of the third on a sac fly from Hansen and an RBI single from Nathan Bridger. After an error started the top of the fourth, a double by Hendley followed, and a sac fly from Jack Hansen made it 3-0. A sac fly from Diede and an RBI single from Hansen made it a 5-0 game.

Sleepy Eye’s bats came to life in the bottom of the fifth when Cole Eckstein singled to lead off and Kam Kosak followed with a single of his own. Another single off the bat of Talan Helget filled the bases for Mathiowetz, who singled to bring in the first Sleepy Eye run of the game.

A bases-loaded walk by Kayden Klein made it 5-2 before American got its first out of the inning on a strikeout. Another bases-loaded walk, this time by Brandon Schmitz, brought in Helget and also a sneaky Mathiowetz, who stole home before time was called to make it 5-4.

Severson singled to tie the game at 5-5.

American got three consecutive singles to open the sixth, however, and took five runs back to lead 10-5, led by Fast’s two-run double to left.

Mathiowetz singled in another run for Sleepy Eye in the bottom of the sixth before Klein singled and Cody Schultz was hit by pitch to fill the bases for Schmitz, who had a sac fly to left for the final run of the game.

Earlier in the day, Sleepy Eye avenged an earlier loss this season to St. Peter by defeating St. Peter 8-7 on a walk-off two-run single by Landon Wendinger. Before that hit, Schmitz got the comeback started with a two-run double before Klein walked to set up Wendinger’s heroics.

Chino Luna got the win for Sleepy Eye in 1 1/3 innings in relief, allowing one hit and no walks for one run. Damian Sanchez got the start and went 5 2/3 innings, allowing eight hit and three walks for four earned runs while striking out two.

Schmitz finished the game 2 for 4 with his two-run double and also a triple and two runs, while Wendinger was 2 for 4 with his two RBIs coming on the big seventh-inning hit.