Along about the seventh inning, as the game was about to go to extra innings, Chanhassen coach A.J. Petterson looked down his bench and asked the question that every Chanhassen fan in CHS Field was thinking.

“I said ‘We’ve scored 200 runs this year. Do we think we can score one?’ ” Petterson joked.

They did, two innings later, to defeat St. Michael-Albertville 1-0 in nine innings. Cole Kirchoff stroked a fly ball to left, allowing Jared Davidson to score from this base. Davidson had led off the bottom of the ninth with a double off the glove of a diving Tyler Hoselton, who had already robbed the Storm of at least two hits in centerfield.

“We crushed the ball all game but it wasn’t falling,” Davidson said. “I got up and I was looking for a fastball inside. When I hit it, everything was just a blur. I didn’t know what was happening until I heard the fans cheering.”

He went to third on a fly ball by Cullen McNeill and scored on Kirchoff’s first-pitch fly ball.

“That last 90 feet felt like a triple,” Davidson said. “It seemed like it took a long time.”

That lone run ended a game in which each team’s defense took turns breaking the others’ heart. Both teams made a numerous run-saving plays in the field to bolster their impressive starting pitchers. Chanhassen starter Jordan Bonk went eight innings, giving up seven hits and striking out six on 111 pitches before relinquishing the mound to Hunter Even in the ninth. Even, a junior, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn the victory.

St. Michael-Albertville starter Travis Brown was just as strong for the Knights. He pitched all nine innings, giving up nine hits on 134 pitches. More importantly, Brown made the perfect pitch when he needed it, stranding 11 Chanhassen baserunners.

“He looked just as strong at the end of the game as he did at the start,” Davidson said.

Petterson said his team remained confident on the bench despite their repeated failures to score.

“We’re big into mental training,” Petterson said. “I think our guys handled things well and stayed calm. We told the kids not to try to do too much. You don’t have to be better than yourself.”

Cole Kirchoff’s one-out fly ball to left center field was just deep enough to score Jared Davidson from third base, lifting Chanhassen to a 1-0, 9-inning victory over St. Michael-Albertville.

Davidson had led off the bottom of the ninth with a double and went to third on a sacrifice fly by Cullin McNeill.

Check back later for more on the game.