St. Michael-Albertville, winner of five straight, heads into its last game of the regular season against Class 4A, Section 8 foe Moorhead, which was blazing hot until dropping two games to close out last week.
In addition to mowing through its league schedule, No. 2-4A St. Michael-Albertville has handled some tough nonconference opponents, including last Thursday when it defeated Wayzata 5-4.
The Knights (16-3, 12-1) are led offensively by a pair of run-producing machines, Cody Kelly and Boston Merila. Kelly, a junior catcher committed to Missouri, has a .396 BA, four doubles, a pair of triples and a team-best 22 RBI on the season. Merila, a junior infielder, hits .441 with 10 doubles, two triples, a pair of home runs and 21 RBI.
If Moorhead is to regain its momentum and head into the section playoffs against a familiar foe on a high note, the Spuds (12-4) will look to quality pitching to get them back in the win column.
On May 11, Moorhead recorded a 5-0 victory over Stillwater, last year’s Class 4A champion which hadn’t lost a game in over a year. Pitcher Caleb Saari threw a gem against the No. 1-4A Ponies, striking out nine and surrendering six hits in seven innings of work.
A senior righthander committed to Division II Augustana, Saari has a 0.77 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings this season. Fellow senior righthander Noah Pilon is also a capable starter. He isn’t one to make headlines with strikeouts, with just 21 in 30 innings pitched, but he has a 1.87 ERA and has shown good command by walking just three batters.