The late-inning performance of Mounds View senior Wyatt Mayer left teammate Henry DeCaster breathless.

With two out and a runner on third base in the top of the eighth inning of scoreless game with Suburban East Conference rival Cretin-Derham Hall on Wednesday, Meyer laced a line drive that Raiders second baseman Bret Huebner seemed to have a chance to snare.

“Oh man…you kind of hold your breath a little bit and you just pray that it gets through,” DeCaster said of the hit. “They made a few nice plays (earlier in the) game, so you’re kind of holding your breath hoping they don’t get it, and we got a little lucky.”

Whether it was luck, or an answered prayer, Meyer’s hit sneaked by Huebner and landed in left field, allowing Mustangs senior Alec Abercrombie to score from third and giving DeCaster the chance to take a breath. Mounds View then closed out Cretin-Derham Hall in the bottom of the inning to escape with a 1-0 victory. 

Meyer, who finished the game 2-for-4, said he was just trying to put the ball in play.

“I was trying to relax and do the best for my team and try to get contact and hit it hard somewhere,” said Meyer, who has a .286 batting average with 10 hits and seven RBI this season.

The ball may have made it to the outfield, but Meyer wasn’t going risk getting thrown out by trotting to first. He hustled down the baseline and safely reached base - barely.

“It was pretty close, so I just had to use the speed that I have,” Meyer said as he chuckled.

The matchup, however, left little to laugh about. The Mustangs and Raiders have a history of playing tight, tense games and this one was no exception.

Mounds View (14-1, 11-1), ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by Let’s Play Baseball, could have taken control early in the contest, but squandered several scoring opportunities by leaving runners on third. 

Mounds View coach Mark Downey said his team couldn’t capitalize because it struggled with getting a timely hit. That changed with Meyer’s at-bat.

“We kept battling, so we’re mentality tough and kept competing and eventually got that key hit,” Downey said.

The No. 3-3A Raiders (11-4, 10-4) didn’t advance a runner past second until the seventh inning, and their difficulties at the plate were due to DeCaster. Despite giving up six hits and four walks, the senior starter kept Cretin-Derham Hall scoreless through seven innings and finished with five strikeouts.

A strong pitching performance against the Raiders isn’t new for DeCaster, who struck out six and walked one while allowing three hits in throwing five innings of the Mustangs’ 3-2, nine-inning victory over Cretin-Derham Hall on April 15. Bo Lovdahl recorded the victory, giving up two hits in pitching the final four innings for Mounds View. 

Raiders senior pitcher Cole Gnetz had solid outing in that loss, striking out five and allowing three hits with four walks in six innings. The Miami University (Ohio) recruit nearly replicated that performance on Wednesday, as he didn’t give up a run and allowed just three hits and five walks while striking out five in six innings. 

DeCaster said he knew this matchup wasn’t going to be easy and decided the way to beat Cretin-Derham Hall is to challenge the Raiders’ lineup.

“My goal was to keeping pumping the zone and get as deep into the game as I could,” DeCaster said. “You can’t expect to get a big win. It’s always going to be a grind against them.”

However, it seems as if the Mustangs haven’t have much trouble grinding out victories over the Raiders in the postseason. Mounds View has defeated Cretin-Derham Hall in three of the last four meetings in the Class 3A, Section 4 tournament, including in the 2013 section championship.

Downey said facing the Raiders was good preparation for the postseason. 

“It was a good opportunity to play a really good team and be in a tense situation, which is something we’re going to be in, in the sections playoffs,” Downey said. 

A third matchup this season between Mounds View and Cretin-Derham Hall could come in the playoffs, and history seems to indicate that spectators could be in store for another low-scoring pitcher’s duel and DeCaster may have to hold his breath once again. 

Senior catcher Wyatt Meyer drove in the game-winning run with a line-drive single in eighth inning to propel Mounds View past Cretin-Derham Hall 1-0 on Wednesday night at Cretin-Derham Hall High School. 

The Mustangs (14-1, 11-1), ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by Let’s Play Baseball, used some timely hitting to set up Meyer’s late-game heroics.

With one out, senior center fielder Alec Abercrombie doubled and advanced to third base on a ground out by senior first baseman Charlie Callahan. 

Meyer then stepped to the plate and connected with a pitch, sneaking the ball past Raiders senior second baseman Bret Huebner and allowing Abercrombie to cross home plate.

Mustangs senior Drew Gran pitched the bottom half of the inning in a relief appearance, earning the win without surrendering a hit and walking only two. Mounds View senior starter Henry DeCaster gave up six hits and four walks while striking out five in seven innings. 

Raiders senior John Bird took the loss, allowing one run on three hits in pitching two innings. Senior starter Cole Gnetz threw a three-hitter, finishing with five strikeouts and five walks in six innings for No. 3-3A Cretin-Derham Hall (11-4, 10-4).

Each team hosts a Suburban East Conference rival on May 8, with the Mustangs battling White Bear Lake and the Raiders taking on East Ridge.        

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