Class 2A: No. 1 St. Cloud Cathedral (24-0) vs. No. 3 Minnehaha Academy (26-1), 3 p.m.
Why St. Cloud Cathedral will win: The Crusaders have outscored opponents 17-9 in the state tournament. Their victories look almost effortless. They have the hitting — Dominic Austing is 4-for-6 with three RBI in the playoffs — and the pitching to repeat as state champs.
Why Minnehaha will win: The Redhawks keep finding a way to come out on top. In the Section 4 title game against Blake, starter Alex Fedje-Johnson went 6⅔ innings but allowed runners to reach first and second base in the seventh inning. Jesse Retzlaff came in and induced a flyout to end the game. In the state quarterfinals, the Redhawks beat Providence Academy 2-1 in extra innings.
Key to watch: Poise vs. pitching. St. Cloud Cathedral has the experience and handed the Redhawks their only loss of the season. But Minnehaha Academy has Fedje-Johnson, who pitched a complete game in the semifinal, and Retzlaff, who pitched eight innings in the quarterfinals.
Did you know? St. Cloud Cathedral is going for its 50th consecutive victory.
Josh Hyber