Mahtomedi senior pitcher Sean Hjelle knew what he needed to do to get the top-seeded Zephyrs to the next round of the section playoffs: throw strikes.

The 6-foot-5, long-armed right-hander followed through on his game plan, finishing with six strikeouts and allowing just six hits while pitching a complete game to help Mahtomedi pull out a 4-3, eight-inning victory over fourth-seeded Woodbury in the semifinals of the Class 3A, Section 4 winner’s bracket Wednesday at CHS Field in St. Paul.

The Zephyrs (19-3), ranked No. 5 in Class 3A by Let's Play Baseball, advanced to the winner’s bracket championship game at CHS Field on Saturday at 7 p.m.

After battling to a 2-2 tie through seven innings with the Royals (14-8), Mahtomedi found itself on the brink of its first loss in the double-elimination tournament in the bottom of the eighth.

Trevor Moses, however, led the Zephyrs out of despair.

Trailing by one run with two out and two runners on base, the junior infielder came to the plate and sent a shot to the gap between first and second base.

The ball dropped between the outstretched arms of two Woodbury fielders and bounced twice before the Royals center fielder scooped it up. He then fired the ball to home plate, trying to keep the tying run from scoring. The throw was high and sailed over the head of Woodbury catcher Sebastian Holte-Mancera, allowing the Mahtomedi to tie the game at 3.

But the Zephyrs had no plans to stopping there, or at third base.

Despite shouts of “Stay on third” and “Don’t send him” from the stands, Mahtomedi coach John Hardgrove gave the green light to the Zephyrs’ second base runner, who rounded third and dashed across home plate to seal the walk-off win.

“We knew there was two outs, and he had to get a jump,” Hardgrove said. “Luckily, I kept him going after I saw (Woodbury) drop the baseball, but he wasn’t going to stop regardless.”

Moses also kept going despite falling behind in the court early in his final at-bat of the game. He stayed focused and said he kept his front shoulder on the pitch he drove to the gap.

Though the winning runs came from his plate performance, Moses quickly credited Hjelle’s ability to pick his spots and control the plate from the mound for helping record the victory.

“He threw an amazing game and is a heck of a pitcher,” Moses said. “I have 100 percent faith in him every time he is on the mound.”

That faith was tested twice late in the game. 

Woodbury tied the game 2-2 in the sixth when Holte-Mancera knocked in a run off a pitch Hjelle threw in the zone for his second hit of the afternoon.

Hjelle then threw back-to-back wild pitches, advancing courtesy runner Max Newman to third and giving the Royals a chance to take the lead.

However, Hjelle took a breath and gathered himself before getting back to his game plan. 

Three thundering pitches later, he struck out second baseman Brady Mundahl to retire the side and get out of the jam.

Two innings later, Hjelle allowed Woodbury to threaten again as Royals senior outfielder Jordan Wilkerson sent a shot to deep right-center field. As the ball reached the warning track, Wilkerson lost his helmet while turning at second base but kept his feet and safely reached third ahead of a late throw from the Zephyrs.

Having a runner in scoring position late in extra-innings of a tie game is a high-stress situation, but Mahtomedi and Hjelle managed to contain the damage after a meeting at the mound.

Hjelle’s next pitch was hit for a double up the middle that scored Wilkerson, but the Zephyrs escaped the eighth with only a one-run deficit and set the stage for Moses to make the game-winning hit. 

“It’s reassuring knowing that you have the entire team behind you,” Hjelle said. “No matter what, they are going to battle it out and that is what we did today.”

Junior infielder Trevor Moses hit a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning to give No. 1 seed Mahtomedi a 4-3 walk-off victory over No. 4 seed Woodbury in the semifinals of the Class 3A, Section 4 winner’s bracket Wednesday at CHS Field in St. Paul.

The Royals (14-8) rallied for a run in the top of the sixth to tie the score 2-2, and the game headed to extra innings after a scoreless seventh. 

In the top of the eighth, sophomore infielder Ronald Sweeney sent the first pitch he saw to the gap in left field to drive in senior outfielder Jordan Wilkerson and give Woodbury a 3-2 lead.

The Zephyrs (19-3), however, wouldn’t be denied in the bottom of the inning and won in dramatic fashion. With two out and two on base, Moses came to the plate and powered a pitch through the gap between first and second bases.

The ball dropped between the outstretched arms of two Royals’ fielders, bouncing twice before the center fielder corralled it and rifled a throw to home plate as a Mahtomedi base runner scored the tying run.

The throw was high and the ball flew over the head of Woodbury catcher Sebastian Holte-Mancera, allowing a second base runner to safely reach home plate and seal the Zephyrs’ victory.

Sean Hjelle gave up six hits and struck out six in pitching a complete game to record the win.

Mahtomedi, ranked No. 5 in Class 3A by Let's Play Baseball, advances to the next round in the double-elimination tournament and will play either No. 6-seeded East Ridge or No. 2-seeded North St. Paul in the winner’s bracket final at CHS Field Saturday at 7 p.m.

Spotlight Game Coverage