What was slated to be a duel between two of the best pitchers in the Metro East Conference lived up to the billing, with the exception of one half-inning.

North St. Paul starting pitcher Zach Lauzon struck out eight and walked two in a complete game two-hitter, while Mahtomedi ace Sean Hjelle finished with eight strikeouts, four walks and allowed five hits in seven innings during their matchup at North High School on Wednesday evening.

Lauzon, however, left with the win after shutting out the Zephyrs 4-0, a victory that propelled the Polars into a first-place tie with Mahtomedi atop the league standings.

North St. Paul coach Ron Adams said Lauzon, who is 5-0 with a 0.32 ERA and 32 strikeouts, can dominate a game when he’s pitching to his potential.

“He threw his heart out there, and he wanted this one,” Adams said.

Hjelle, who is 5-1 with 51 strikeouts and a 2.10 ERA, came close to matching his counterpart. The 6-foot-11 Kentucky commit stumbled out of the gate, giving up four earned runs in the first inning. Hjelle, who was one of the Star Tribune’s 10 Players to Watch this season and is ranked as the 28th-best pitching prospect in the country by Prep Baseball Report, recovered to throw six scoreless innings. 

Mahtomedi’s offense, however, remained locked down thanks to Lauzon, who kept a Zephyrs team ranked No. 7 in Class 3A coaches poll well below its average of 8.0 runs per game. In fact, the senior pitcher and the Polars' defense didn’t allow a runner to reach second base as Mahtomedi (15-2, 13-2) went scoreless for the first time this season.

Adams said his team knew facing Hjelle wasn’t going to be easy, especially after the Zephyrs senior struck out nine to defeat North St. Paul 3-2 on April 22. 

“We knew he was tough…I told them we need to get on him early,” Adams said.   

The No. 22 Polars (16-3, 13-2) followed their coach's advice.

In the first inning, four North St. Paul batters reached base, including three on hits. The Polars took a 1-0 lead with a single from senior right fielder Brandon Herold drove in senior center fielder Jake Steckler. Junior catcher Dylan Foote hit a double to center field, bringing home junior second baseman Jim Bothwell. The Polars added two more runs with heads-up baserunning. 

Foote said the plan was to stop Hjelle from gaining an advantage in each at-bat.

“Keep swinging the bat, you’re going to get a good pitch early in the count,” Foote said. “You don’t want to get behind on him. You just want to jump on the best pitch right away, which we did.” 

Lauzon’s consistency on the mound helped him avoid getting in a similar situation and kept the Zephyrs hitless until the sixth inning. Mahtomedi senior designated hitter Danny Larson led off the inning with a hard-hit grounder up the middle that found its way past Bothwell and junior shortstop Nic Keenan.

Lauzon, however, said the win is more important than the no-hitter. 

“Right when (the ball) got to short and got through, for a split second I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s gone, but we’re still ahead, so I don’t really care,’” Lauzon said. 

Lauzon said if he would’ve accomplished the feat, his victory celebration would’ve been a lot more dramatic.

“I would’ve freaked out even more,” Lauzon said. “The win was great, but that would’ve been even better.”

North St. Paul can clinch at least a share of the Metro East Conference title with a victory over Tartan on May 14. 

Adams said finishing as the league’s co-champion would mean a “great deal” to the program, while Lauzon said sharing the conference trophy could give the team enough confidence to win state. 

“If we play like we did today, I honestly think that we could win state,” Lauzon said. “We beat a (Division I) pitcher 4-0, and we didn’t let up a run, so I don’t see us losing.”

North St. Paul became shareholders of first place in the Metro East Conference standings after senior pitcher Zach Lauzon allowed two hits and two walks while striking out eight in seven scoreless innings to lead the Polars to a 4-0 victory over Mahtomedi on Wednesday at North St. Paul High School.

The Polars, No. 22 in the Class 3A rankings provided by Let's Play Baseball, trailed the No. 7 Zephyrs by one game in the standings heading into the game and pulled into a tie by shutting down their league rival.

North St. Paul (16-3, 13-2) staked Lauzon to an early lead, scoring all of its runs in the first inning. Senior right fielder Brandon Herold singled, which scored senior center fielder Jake Steckler. A double from junior catcher Dylan Foote scored junior second baseman Jim Bothwell. The other two runs were a result of heads-up base running, a passed ball and taking advantage of a rundown. 

It was a dismal day for Mahtomedi (15-2, 13-2), which entered the game averaging more than 8.0 runs per game. The Zephyrs couldn’t advance a runner past first base and failed to score for the first time this season. Starting pitcher Sean Hjelle finished with four earned runs on five hits and eight strikeouts. He also walked four in throwing a complete game.  

The Polars can secure a share of the Metro East title with a victory over Tartan in their regular-season finale on May 14, while Mahtomedi looks to rebound against St. Thomas Academy in a conference matchup on May 15.   

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