Woodbury pitcher Max Meyer admitted he didn’t have his best stuff. Still, Meyer at 80 percent was good enough to pitch the Royals to 4-1 victory over Champlin Park in the Class 4A quarterfinals.

Meyer pitched a complete game, giving up four hits and one run while striking out nine. Great numbers, to be sure, but Meyer also walked four batters and allowed Champlin Park to get its leadoff batter on base in four of the seven innings.

“I didn’t feel sharp. I don’t know what was going on,” Meyer said.

For five innings, Meyer was matched pitch-for-pitch by Champlin Park starter Max Loven. Before the sixth inning, each team had just two base hits and neither had allowed a run.

“He’s a really good pitcher,” Meyer said. “That just made me focus that much harder.”

Woodbury took advantage of Champlin Park mistakes and a little creativity of its own to break through in the top of the sixth. The Royals scored twice on two singles, an error, an intentional walk, a successful squeeze bunt and a fielder’s choice.

Champlin Park got one back in the bottom of the inning but squandered a chance for more. The Rebels got back-to-back singles to start the inning, but Meyer coaxed consecutive ground outs and a strikeout to minimize the damage.

Woodbury (17-8) added two more runs in the top of the seventh after Loven was pulled.

“He’s a competitor,” Woodbury coach Kevin McDermott said. “They weren’t swinging at his chase sliders, but he didn’t give in. He battled.”

First report

In a scoreless pitching duel, mistakes get magnified and creativity is at a premium.

Woodbury took advantage of the former and used the latter to scratch out two runs in the top of the sixth inning, which proved to be all the Royals needed to defeat Champlin Park 4-1 in the final Class 4A quarterfinal.

Through the first five innings, the two starters, Champlin Park’s Max Loven and Woodbury’s Max Meyer, took turns putting up zeros.

Woodbury broke through first with its sixth-inning effort, scoring twice with a single, an error, an intentional walk, a successful squeeze bunt and a fielder’s choice.

Champlin Park got one back in the bottom of the inning but squandered a chance for more. The Rebels got back-to-back singles to start the inning, but Meyer coaxed consecutive ground outs and a strikeout to minimize the damage.

Woodbury (17-8) added two more runs in the top of the seventh after Loven was pulled.

Meyer, who was recently drafted by the Twins in the 34th round, pitched a complete game, giving up four hits and striking out nine.

The victory reverses the result of the 2016 Class 4A semifinal game, won by Champlin Park 2-1.


Photo gallery: 4A state baseball quarterfinals