Separated by less than three miles, rivals Chaska and Chanhassen will have a lot on the line when they meet for a split doubleheader on Saturday. The outcome will impact the Metro West Conference standings and, perhaps more importantly, seeding for the Class 4A, Section 2 playoffs, where momentum may help turn around one of these teams’ fortunes.
On paper, this year’s Section 2 field seems packed with contenders — including Prior Lake, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie. It doesn’t help that neither the Storm or the Hawks have made it out of sections since 2015, when Chanhassen beat Chaska in back-to-back contests of a double-elimination playoff to make state.
Now, Chanhassen (5-5, 4-0), which is in need of some serious thunder, prepares for Chaska with time running out in the regular season.
The Storm have lost two straight — 3-2 to Eden Prairie on May 1 and 5-3 to Wayzata the next day. In the loss to Wayzata, junior pitcher Jacob Mrosko, who is committed to Purdue, struck out eight and walked three in seven innings of hitless work.
Chaska has also struggled for consistency, but it may have turned the corner. The Hawks (4-3, 2-0) lost back-to-back decisions to East Ridge (11-7 on April 25) and Edina (11-6 the next day), then defeated Champlin Park 9-1 on April 29 and Lakeville North 6-3 on May 4 to kickstart a two-game winning streak.
Justin Bach and Thomas Harr each recorded a pair of hits in the loss to East Ridge, and their bats can help support a pitching staff that's given up 5.0 runs per game.
--Second game at 6 p.m.