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Top Games: Holy Angels hosts St. Anthony in key Tri-Metro clash

By Mike Randleman, SportsEngine, 05/08/23, 9:00AM CDT

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May 12: The Stars welcome the Huskies in a rematch of a tightly contested, one-run game.


Photo by SportsEngine

We task our reporters with identifying several intriguing games throughout the state to assemble our Top Games of the Week. The matchups are presented in no particular order, and when there are additional games we want to highlight, we’ll include them with brief notes.

St. Anthony Village vs. Holy Angels

4:30 p.m., Friday, May 12

When Holy Angels and St. Anthony Village get together, it’s likely to be a tight one.

Last year, the teams split a doubleheader in St. Anthony Village with the visitors taking the first game 2-0 and the home team salvaging a split with a 3-2 win.

In the loss, Weston Russell still pitched well for the Huskies with one earned run allowed in a five-inning outing with 12 strikeouts. Now a senior, Russell has seven innings logged on MN Baseball Hub with two runs both earned, five hits, one walk and 15 strikeouts.

Holy Angels, which finished tied for first in the Tri-Metro Conference last year, is on a similar path this year at 7-2 overall and sits in first in the conference at 6-1 through May 7.

St. Anthony Village is next in the conference at 5-2 and won the first matchup over Holy Angels 3-2 in 10 innings. The only other team to beat the Stars is defending Class 3A state champion, Benilde-St. Margaret’s.

Per the Sun Current, pitchers Jacob Pung and Joe Ackerman combined for nine strikeouts against the Huskies.

Pitching and defense are strengths for Holy Angels, ranked No. 8 in the April 24 Class 3A coaches poll. The Stars have allowed 16 runs through nine games with three shutouts. 

The Huskies are 7-4 overall through May 8 with an eclectic schedule featuring opponents ranging from Cannon Falls to Esko.

Based on five games logged on MN Baseball Hub, Dylan Held leads the team with a .467 batting average in 15 at-bats.


East Grand Forks vs. Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton

4 p.m., Friday, May 12

If Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton sweeps a pair of doubleheaders leading in, the Rebels could be 12-0 heading into a tough non-conference matchup at the Green Wave.

Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (8-0) is blazing past its competition with all wins coming by two or more runs and by an average of 6.1 per game.

The Rebels are coming off a 15-8 season overall and 6-4 mark to take third in the Heart O’ Lakes Conference. 

East Grand Forks beat Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 19-12 last year in a wild regular season matchup where the Green Wave scored 11 runs in the first inning.

Rylee Hams was a key contributor for East Grand Forks with a 3-for-4 day with two runs scored, three RBIs and a double. Current senior Carson Berreth led the Rebels with a 2-for-2 day with a walk and two RBIs.

Hams was a MN Baseball Hub Top Performer nominee from April 24-29 this year when the sophomore allowed just two hits through five innings with six strikeouts on the mound, and went 3-for-4 from the plate in a 10-0 win. Hams was a double shy of the cycle. 

He’s helped East Grand Forks to a 5-2 record overall and 3-1 mark atop the Northwest Conference.

The Rebels got revenge in the playoffs, eliminating the Green Wave with a 9-1 win in the Class 2A, Section 8 playoffs.


Rogers vs. Anoka

7 p.m., Thursday, May 11

Anoka finished 13-10 last year and is on an upward trend in 2023.

It helps having an all-state player back in the fold like the Tornadoes have with senior third baseman and Illinois commit, Reagan Reeder.

Through May 7, he’s got Anoka tied for first in the loss column in the Northwest Suburban Conference at 5-2. The Tornadoes are 7-3 overall.

Reeder’s hitting .300 with a homer and four RBIs and leads the team with a .462 on-base percentage in eight games. Senior Will Czech, a Wisconsin-Superior commit, leads with a .382 batting average.

Anoka has a strong pitching staff of Louis Hertling (1.34 ERA), Parker Nedland (2.19) and Mason Hoheisel (2.67) who’ve all pitched 15-plus innings. Seniors Hertling and Hoheisel will be playing community college ball next season. Jackson Provoncha threw a no-hitter May 5 in a 2-0 win vs. Grand Rapids.

The Northwest Suburban is mighty crowded thus far. Through May 7, five teams are tied at the top with two losses, two more have three and three more with four.

One of the teams near the top is Rogers, which sits at 7-3 overall and 4-2 in conference.

The Royals are hoping for a repeat of last year’s 8-4 win at Anoka where Nathan Garding went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a double.

The win helped Rogers to a conference title at 11-2. The Royals finished 19-7 overall and were a game away from the state tournament, falling to Sartell-St. Stephen in the Class 4A, Section 8 final.


Other games to keep an eye on

Southland at Lyle/Pacelli, 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 9. Lyle/Pacelli is 9-0 through May 7 and one of the top teams in southern Minnesota. This is a rematch against Southland (3-1), which seeks revenge after its only loss came to Lyle/Pacelli on May 4.

Red Wing vs. Rocori, 11 a.m., Saturday, May 13. Red Wing has been a bit of a surprise leading the Big 9 Conference, getting off to a 9-1 start and beating 2022 Class 3A runner up Mankato West. Rocori is No. 9 in the April 24 3A coaches poll and owns a 6-3 record against a tough schedule.


Top Games poll

The MN Baseball Hub poll is for entertainment purposes only. 

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