After falling 7-3 to third-seeded Sleepy Eye in the first game of the Section 2A Baseball Tournament championship Thursday at Sleepy Eye Ballpark, top-seeded Madelia bounced back, capturing a 5-0 win in the second game to punch its ticket to state.

“There’s few better feelings in life than this,” Madelia head coach Jimmy Kiefer said. “The boys are ecstatic. We’ve gotten so close the past couple of years, it feels amazing to get it done this year.”

Madelia heads to the state tournament with a 23-3 record and as the highest-rated team by QRF remaining after section playoffs.

“It means everything,” Madelia senior Dalton Tatro said. “We’ve been close with basketball, baseball, we’ve put in work for both of them. For it to finally click after years of hard work, it feels great.”

Staff photo by Ari Selvey Madelia's Noel Davila dives for the ball during the Section 2A Baseball Tournament championship game against Sleepy Eye Thursday at Sleepy Eye Ballpark.

Tate Becker had yet another gem on the mound for the Blackhawks in the second game, as just five days after pitching a no-hitter against the Indians in the semifinals, Becker throw a complete-game shutout with 14 strikeouts, not allowing a hit until the sixth inning.

“It means everything really,” Becker said. “Our town hasn’t been to a state tournament in a long time for anything. The work we put in as a team over the years — it’s just rewarding. We put in so much work, and we thought we were as good as we are now for the last three years, and this year, it’s just different.”

The last time Madelia went to the state tournament, the team was combined with Truman High School. Now, Madelia makes its second state tournament appearance ever and for the first time on its own.

“It’s just a testament to all the hard work we put in,” Madelia senior Tony Zaleski said. “A lot of us play travel ball, so it’s all the countless hours that we put in, all those hours and friends’ sheds that we hit at. A lot of work has been put into it, and it’s really special to see it come together senior year.”

Madelia showed why it was the top-seeded team in the section in the second game, bouncing back despite a down performance in the first game.

Staff photo by Ari Selvey Madelia's Brayden Grev looks back after reaching first base safely during the Section 2A Baseball Tournament championship game against Sleepy Eye Thursday at Sleepy Eye Ballpark.

“We knew that our weakness was hitting, and it showed in the first game,” Becker said. “We didn’t strike out very much, but it was weak contact. Second game we came back, stayed composed, and those first three innings, one run, three runs, one run — we just put the ball in play. It was good …

“We were down after the first game. I know I can kind of change the morale, and I tried to pick everybody up and just keep going. When you don’t give up any runs, that helps with some confidence.”

Tatro led the Madelia bats in the second game, going 2 for 3, while Zach Jacobs was 1 for 3 with an RBI.

For Sleepy Eye, Eric Lozano pitched all seven innings in the loss, allowing six hits and two walks for five runs, one earned, while striking out two. Jacob Fulmer, Carson Uecker and Brayden Heiderscheidt each had a hit for Sleepy Eye at the plate.

Madelia got things going quickly in Game 2, taking advantage of three hit batsmen to load the bases and score a run in the first, with Jacobs earning an RBI after being hit. The Blackhawks loaded the bases again in the second inning, and two Sleepy Eye errors, put into play by Evan Coil and Noel Davila, scored two more runs for a 3-0 lead. A sacrifice fly by Bryce Borkenhagen put the advantage at 4-0 before the end of the inning.

Staff photo by Ari Selvey Madelia's Tate Becker celebrates during the Section 2A Baseball Tournament championship game against Sleepy Eye Thursday at Sleepy Eye Ballpark.

Madelia put up one more run on an errant pickoff attempt in the third, with Jacobs coming home to make it a 5-0 game.

“I think it was just our confidence in ourselves,” Zaleski said. “Tate’s one of the best pitchers in the state right now. He’s got our back, and we’ve got his. He helped pick us up the second game, and everything just clicked together.”

The Madelia bats cooled off after that, but Becker stayed hot on the mound, retiring the side in the bottom of the third. Sleepy Eye got its first baserunner in the fourth as Fulmer drew a walk and was bunted to second by Karter Haala, but a pair of strikeouts ended the threat. Becker struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth, but a bunt single by Heidersheidt broke up the no-hitter in the bottom of the sixth. Becker was able to get the out anyway with a pickoff, but Fulmer was able to add a single of his own to put another baserunner on for the Indians. However, a popup ended the inning. Carson Uecker got another hit to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but Becker closed the game strong, striking out the final three batters to clinch the state tournament trip.

“Just ecstatic,” Zaleski said. “It’s nothing I’ve felt before. It’s just amazing. I’m at a loss of words for it. It was really special.”

In Game 1, Jaxon Saenz led the Indians at the plate by going 3 for 4, while Anden Braun was 2 for 4 and Fulmer was 1 for 2 with two RBIs. Kayden Klein was strong on the mound to get the win, going the complete game and allowing eight hits and no walks for three earned runs while striking out eight.

Staff photo by Ari Selvey The Madelia Blackhawks baseball team celebrates on the field at Sleepy Eye Ballpark on Friday after winning the Section 2A Baseball Tournament championship.

Miah Garza led Madelia at the plate in Game 1, going 2 for 3 with two RBIs from the No. 9 spot in the order, while Coil went 2 for 4 with an RBI and Brayden Grev was 2 for 3. Jacobs went 6 2/3 innings and took the loss, allowing 11 hits and two walks for seven runs, four earned, while striking out three.

Sleepy Eye scored the first run of the game in the second, with a Chase Zufall sacrifice fly plating Saenz. Madelia took a 2-1 lead on a two-RBI single by Garza, but the Indians quickly retook the lead in the third, with Fulmer singling for one run and Uecker adding a sacrifice fly for another. No runs were scored in the fourth, fifth or sixth innings, but Sleepy Eye put up a four-run seventh inning, with Klein, Keeyan Netzky and Fulmer all collecting RBIs. Madelia put up one run in the bottom of the inning on a single by Coil, but Klein struck out the final batter to end the game.

Madelia now awaits seeding for the state tournament, which begins on July 11 at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud, for its next game.

“We’ve just got to realize it’s just another game,” Becker said. “If we play within ourselves, we’ll probably come out on top. We’ve just got to relax.”