Blake at St. Anthony Village
4:30 p.m, Wednesday, April 15

Revenge game? Perhaps. Blake is coming off its first state tournament appearance last spring, advancing out of Class 2A, Section 4 as the No. 3 seed and in the process knocking out top-seeded St. Anthony Village. Now the two programs get right back at it Wednesday afternoon.

No. 4-2A St. Anthony Village had been the bully in Section 4, making four state appearances in the last nine years and winning championships in 2006 and 2008. The Huskies were last year’s favorite and had been ranked No. 1 in the state much of the season behind now-graduated seniors such as Noah Bluth and Zach Siggelkow. They’ll be missed, but manager Troy Urdahl does return a good infield led by Bennett Wiggins and a 1-2 pitching punch of Nick Peterson (6-0, 1.21 ERA in 29 innings) and Justice Spriggs (5-0, 0.89 ERA in 31 1/3 innings).

Blake knows about pitching, as well, as big junior Eric Stolt propelled the Bears’ playoff run as a sophomore sensation. He’s back to lead the pitching staff, while the lineup can rely on seniors Charlie Levitt, Mark Lyman and Matthew Mitchell.