By Jeremy Millsop

June 10, 2021 at 9:16 PM

DULUTH — The No. 2 seeded Aitkin Gobblers are going to state for the first time since 2014 after beating the No. 5 seeded Evelelth-Gilbert Golden Bears 13-0 n the Section 7-2A Championship game, Thursday, June 10, at Wade Stadium.

Jake Ince finished 3-5 with four RBIs and two runs and Landon Janzen was 4-5 with a triple and three RBIs.

Logan Also went 3-4 with a triple, two runs and two RBIs and Joey Simonson was 3-5 with a run and an RBI.

Carson Kullhem pitched the victory. He struck out two and allowed one run on six hits and five walks in 4.2 innings pitched. Jesse Goetig pitched the final 2.1 innings. He allowed one unearned run. He struck out three.

In the 13-0 Game One loss earlier, Jake Ince hit a triple. The loss snapped Aitkin’s 14-game winning streak.

Prior to that loss, Aitkin had outscored its four opponents in the section tournament by a combined score of 48-4.

Game One

Eveleth-Gilbert 13 13 0

Aitkin 0 4 3

WP: Carter Mavec. LP: Zack Ehnstrom. 3B: Ait-Jake Ince.

Game Two

Eveleth-Gilbert 2 6 1

Aitkin 14 16 1

WP: Carson Kullhem. LP: . 2B: Ait-Hunter Hills. 3B: Ait-Landon Janzen, Logan Olson. Overall: A 21-5. Next: Aitkin in the Class 2A State Tournament in St. Cloud Tuesday, June 15.

WDC 5, Perham 0

WADENA — Payton Rondestvedt and Connor Davis each drove in two runs and Josh Dykhoff pitched four perfect innings to lead No. 2 seeded Wadena-Deer Creek to a 5-0 victory over the Perham Yellowjackets in the first game of the Section 8-2A Championship Thursday, June 10.

The victory forces a Game Two 5 p.m. Friday, June 11, in Wadena.

Dykhoff struck out seven in his four innings of work. Tony Krelau pitched the final three innings. He allowed three hits and struck out one.

Dykhoff also doubled and drove in a run and scored a run. Davis finished 2-3 with his two RBIs.

WDC 5 7 1

Perham 0 3 1

WP: Josh Dykhoff. LP: Finn Diggins. 2B: WDC-Dykhoff. Overall: WDC 25-3. Next: Wadena-Deer Creek vs. Perham in the second game of the Section 8-2A Championship, Wadena, 5 p.m. Friday, June 11.

WDC 8, Roseau 4

WADENA — Payton Rondestvedt went 3-4 with a run and an RBI and Tony Krelau was 2-4 with three runs scored as Wadena-Deer Creek hung on to eliminate North No. 2 seed Roseau in the Section 8-2A loser’s bracket game Thursday, June 10.

Josh Dykhoff was 2-4 with a double and two RBIs. He also pitched the victory going 4.1 innings. He struck out eight and allowed five hits and no runs.

Zach Shaw pitched the final 2 innings. He also finished 1-2 with a run and an RBI. Isaac Hamann doubled and drove in two runs for W-DC.

Roseau 4 9 2

W-DC 8 12 0

WP: Josh Dykhoff. LP: Aaron Wenscoff. 2B: WDC-Isaac Hamann, Connor Davis, Evan Lunde, Tony Kreklau, Dykhoff.

Albany 6, Pierz 1

ST. CLOUD — Andrew Winscher scored the lone run for the No.4 seeded Pierz Pioneers who fell to No. 2 seeded Albany 6-1 in the Section 6-2A Championship Thursday, June 10, at Putz Field.

Noah Cekalla hit a double for Pierz’s lone extra-base hit.

Jeremy Bingesser suffered the loss. He allowed six runs, five earned, on seven hits and four walks. He struck out eight.

Pierz finishes the season 17-8.