BELLE PLAINE - Fort Ripley exploded for seven runs in the top of the ninth as the Rebels rallied from a 6-0 deficit to defeat Blue Earth 9-6 in the second round of the Class C state tournament Friday.
Logan Kalis picked up the win in relief and Brian Skluzacek went 3-5 with an RBI and pair of runs scored.
Brett Kramer belted a two-run homer in the sixth to narrow the score to 6-2. He finished with three RBIs and two runs.
The Rebels scored six of their seven runs with two outs in the ninth. An error, three hit batters and three walks, along with singles by Rhett Williamson, Skluzacek and Ray Austin, accounted for the seven runs.
Fort Ripley 9 7 1
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Blue Earth 6 10 1
WP: Logan Kallis. LP: Lee Hodges. 2B: FR-Ray Austin; BE-John Franta, TJ Stallman (2), TJ Schmidtke. Next: Fort Ripley vs. St. Augusta/Winsted winner in third round of Class C state tournament at Belle Plaine 1:30 p.m. Aug. 30.
Sobieski 3, Maple Lake 1
JORDAN - Beau Hanowski went 3-3 with a double and drove in two runs to lead the Sobieski Skis to a 3-1 win over Maple Lake in the second round of the Class C state tournament Friday night.
Tyler Jendro went the distance, striking out nine, to pick up the win and had the only other hit for the Skis, who capitalized on five Maple Lake errors. Jendro threw 142 pitches, 94 for strikes.
After Maple Lake had taken a 1-0 lead in the third, Sobieski scored lone runs in each of the final three innings.
In the seventh, leadoff batter Nate Olson reached on an error and went to second on Collin Eckman's bunt that was mishandled for another error. Beau Hanowski's sacrifice fly to center scored Olson with the tying run.
Joey Hanowski drew a leadoff walk to start the eighth, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jon Czech and to third on a wild pitch. Jendro drove him in with the winning run on a groundout to second.
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The Skis added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Olson was hit by a pitch, went to third on the fifth Maple Lake error and scored on a single by Beau Hanowski.
Sobieski 3 4 2
Maple Lake 1 6 5
WP: Tyler Jendro. LP: Jeremy Schmidt. Next: Sobieski vs. Long Prairie/New Market winner in third round of Class C state tournament at Jordan 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30.
