The Prior Lake Jays made things a little difficult in their Section 3B elimination game Aug. 3 at fourth-seeded Victoria.
Leading 3-0 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, the eighth-seeded Jays blew the lead and had to go into extra innings to keep their season alive.
But five runs in the top of the 10th inning, highlighted by Michael Gabbard’s two-run double, secured an 8-3 victory for Prior Lake.
Mitchell Goodwin pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to get the win, allowing one hit with one strikeout. Ben Eisenberg was dominant through the first eight innings.
Eisenberg had no-hitter through seven innings. He got the first out of the ninth inning, before running into some trouble and giving way to Goodwin.
Eisenberg finished with nine strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits.
Prior Lake (11-14-1 overall) opened the playoffs Aug. 29 with a 14-1 win over ninth-seeded Excelsior. The Jays followed with a 6-2 loss at top-seeded Chaska in the quarterfinals July 31.
Four teams from Section 3B make the state field, so a win over sixth-seeded Burnsville in the another elimination game Aug. 5 will give the Jays a state berth. Prior Lake’s last trip to state was in 2020.
In beating Victoria, Gabbard finished with a pair of doubles for the Jays, going 2 for 6. Troy Lynch also doubled, finishing 3 for 6 with two RBIs, while Jeff Butler was 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Tomas Lee was 2 for 5 with two runs scored for the Jays, while Ross Hebel went 2 for 6 with a RBI. Austin Gordon and Jonah Hoeg also had RBIs for Prior Lake.
In beating Excelsior, Goodwin powered the Jays with two home runs, finishing 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Gordon also hit a solo homer, while Lee went 2 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Butler doubled and scored three runs, while Corey Goodwin had an RBI double and Lynch finished 2 for 3 with a double and three runs scored.
Gabbard drove in three runs for the Jays on two hits, while Hoeg went 3 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Beau Rabey and Levi Iversen also had RBIs.
Henry Brandt worked six shutout innings for the win, allowing three hits while striking out 10. Camden Wiesz allowed one run in one inning of relief.
In the loss to Chaska, it was a 2-2 game through three innings. The Cubs broke the game open with four runs in the sixth inning.
Austin VanDewiele was saddled with the loss, allowing six runs in five innings with 10 strikeouts. Sam Brower worked two scoreless relief innings fanning two, while Takuma Padilla pitched a scoreless frame.
Lee finished 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored for the Jays. Hebel had an RBI, while Lynch finished 4 for 5. Gordon had a pair of hits, while Butler had a hit and a run scored.
The 16-team Class B state tournament will held in Dundas, Faribault and Miesville with first-round action starting Aug. 20.
In total, the Jays have made the state field 10 times in the last 36 years, including in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2001 and 2009.
In 2009, Prior Lake was the state runner-up to Shakopee.
