When he woke up Saturday morning, even before Wayzata knew where it would be seeded in the Class 4A baseball tournament, Jake Marsh knew who the Trojans would play. It had to be Eden Prairie.

“We’ve played each other so many times, probably 40 times over the last eight years,” said Marsh, a senior catcher and relief pitcher. “I just knew we’d play Eden Prairie. We had to play them.”

The Trojans (21-3) got their wish and made it count, defeating their Lake Conference rivals 10-5 in the Class 4A quarterfinals Thursday at CHS Field in St. Paul. It was Wayzata’s third victory of the season over the Eagles, a trend that the Wayzata players appreciate.

“It always feels good to beat Eden Prairie, but I think it’s even more enjoyable to beat them here,” senior centerfielder Cam Keenan said.

For the first four innings, it looked as if Wayzata was going to bury the Eagles. The Trojans put together back-to-back four-run innings in the third and fourth innings and led 9-0. With ace lefthander Tom Skoro on the mound, the Trojans were in complete control.

But Eden Prairie (18-10) bounced back in the fifth, chasing Skoro with five runs. That was all the Eagles could muster. When Keenan led off the bottom of fifth with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly, the Trojans had wrested momentum back.

“I think I let myself go a little bit,” said Skoro. “But it was great to have those guys to have my back.”