Fans who came out to CHS Field Thursday afternoon to see Burnsville’s Sam Carlson pitch saw a thoroughly impressive performance in every phase of the game.

What they didn’t expect was that it was Lakeville North doing the impressing.

The Panthers roughed up Carlson, touching him for five hits and seven runs in the first two innings, and coasted to an 8-0 victory in the Class 4A quarterfinals.

“That wasn’t the way we wanted it to go,” Burnsville coach Mick Scholl said. “Sam has dealt with pressure the whole season. Today just wasn’t his day. That’s part of the game.”

Carlson’s woes started immediately. He hit Lakeville North leadoff batter Michael Dooney to start the game and issued a walk two batters later. By the time the inning was over, the Panthers had built a 4-0 lead.

The next inning didn’t go much better. Lakeville North scored three more times, the big blow being a two-run homer by catcher Nick Juaire, to take a 7-0 lead. Carlson finished the inning, then was pulled from the game.

“Obviously everyone’s heard about him, but we think we’re the best team in the state and we wanted to prove that,” said Juaire, who homered in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. “Our coach talks about playing with an edge, having the edge and we definitely had the edge in this game.”

While Carlson, who was drafted 55th overall by the Seattle Mariners Monday, struggled, Lakeville North junior Nick Spitt pitched effectively. Spitt gave up eight hits, walked two and struck out three in six innings to pick up the victory.

“Honestly, I just wanted to give my team a chance to win and not focus on the pitcher [for the other team],” Spitt said. “Of course, it’s hard not to. It was a big challenge and we were excited to take it.”

First report

Sam Carlson may have been the talk of the high school baseball world, but Lakeville North wasn’t impressed.

Carlson, who was selected in the second round of the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners on Monday, got a rude greeting from the Panthers, which scored seven runs in the first two innings and forced him from the game en route to an 8-0 victory over Burnsville in the Class 4A quarterfinals.

Lakeville North (20-5) catcher Nick Juaire homered off of Carlson in the second inning, the second consecutive year he’s homered in the state tournament quarterfinals.

Check back later for more on the game.