After a soggy Thursday morning and a tedious five-hour wait, Holy Family ace Kasey Ralston was admittedly searching for his groove in the early innings of the Fire’s Class 2A quarterfinal against Cannon Falls.
The University of Indiana recruit flirted with trouble for three innings, then found a rhythm and was untouchable thereafter, leading the Fire to an 8-0 victory and into Friday’s semifinals at Dick Putz Field in St. Cloud.
“I’ve had to wait to start games before,” said Ralston, a hard-throwing right-hander with a big-time slider. “You just have to make sure to stay calm and not get lazy.”
Through the first three-plus innings, Ralston survived on luck as much as skill. Cannon Falls lost runners on the base paths in the first and third innings, sandwiched around an inning-ending double-play with runners on first and third in the second inning.
“It was my first state tournament start,” Ralston said. “A little case of nerves.”
The sun began to show through in the fourth inning and, as if on cue, Holy Family began to look more like the team ranked No. 1 in the most recent Class 2A State Coaches Association poll.
Leading 1-0, catcher Keller Knoll hit a leadoff home run to start the fourth inning. After Knoll’s big hit, the Holy Family dugout relaxed noticeably.
“That was an incredible feeling,” said Knoll, who went 3-for-3 with two RBI. “When I got back to the plate, I could see everyone’s faces all lit up.”
With a two-run lead, Ralston shut down Cannon Falls. After eight of the first 14 Cannon Falls batters reached base, Ralston allowed just one one base runner through the final four innings. He finished with a complete-game three hitter, striking out six.
More at ease, Holy Family (23-4) put the game away with a five-run sixth-inning, taking advantage of two Cannon Falls errors. The Fire added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning.
“We had some chances early,” Cannon Falls coach Bucky Lindow said. “We just couldn’t get the big hit. Ralston got tougher when we had men on base and that’s the sign of a good pitcher.”
Holy Family coach Bryan DiLorenzo said Ralston’s presence on the mound was just what his team needed to overcome tournament willies.
“Kasey has gotten us out of tough spots all year,” said DiLorenzo. “It’s a big help for the confidence for our team. We know if we make some mistakes, he can cover for them.”
-- Jim Paulsen/Star Tribune