St. Agnes (22-6) advances to play La qui Parle Valley (18-9) at 12 p.m. on Monday at Target Field in Minneapolis.

 

Blackduck (23-4) plays Browerville (23-4) in the third place game Friday at 5 p.m. at Athletic Park.

 

Known more for his hitting prowess, Turch had pitched just 17 innings entering the state tournament, but he was 3-0 with a .790 ERA. Those numbers improved with his sterling effort against the Drakes, whose best chance to score came in the fourth when they loaded the bases on two hit and a walk. Turch escaped the inning on a groundout by Blackduck’s Jacob Krabbenhoft.

 

Evan Morehead and Mitch Knippenberg each went 2-for-4 for St. Agnes, and Knippenberg scored twice.

 

Aaron Nissen had two of the Drake’s hits.

 

Blackduck starter Cody Bergquist was tagged with the loss and gave way to a pair of relievers.

 

The 5-foot-11, 150-pound senior is a .500 hitter with some power – he had three home runs entering the state tournament – but he had the look of an ace pitcher against the Drakes, needing just 79 pitches over seven innings to toss a four-hitter with four strikeouts and one walk.

 

The senior catcher was the straw stirring the Aggies’ offense much of the afternoon, as he went 2-for-4 and scored two runs. 

 

The senior shortstop, his team's pitching hero Thursday night, had two of the Drakes’ four hits, and connected squarely on another line drive that was caught in in center field in the sixth.