Totino-Grace scored one in the first and one in the third. That was all they needed to get the win.
After the long awaited state 3A championship game, the Totino-Grace Eagles came ready to play after a couple days off because of a couple of rain delays pushing out the championship game.
There were many doubts about the championship game being held at Target Field because of the Minnesota Twins’ schedule coming back into town to play some games. The rain eventually calmed down so the two classes – 3A and 4A – could play a special game at Target Field to win a state championship.
“We had a goal at the beginning of the year with the motto One Team, One Goal and it was to win a state championship, we stuck to it and did it.”
With a great mix of players, coupled with the seniors having good experience in the playoffs last year in Class 4A, they were great leaders through sections and also through the state tournament.
The Totino-Grace Eagles had a tough start to the season, starting 0-5 and eventually being at 1-6. They also knew not to get down on themselves because the whole team knew that they had a good team, and once their hitting came along, people wouldn’t be able to stop them from how good their pitching was.
“Our 1-9 is great, our defense is even better, and having three complete games in state is just not easy to do.”
Once the hitting got rolling and starting up the second half of the year, they were winning games left and right, going 18-2 in their last 21 games, including a section championship and state title.
Totino-Grace had a tough road in State being the 4th seed, first going against the 5th seed Little Falls, and facing a tough lefty throwing 87-88 with a tough curveball, slider, and changeup.
Next in the semifinal game, they took on Benilde-St. Margarets, the number 1 seed, and upset them in a shutout 2-0. After a couple of days of rest and rescheduling because of rain and having to work with the Minnesota Twins organization, the state title game was played versus the Mahtomedi Zephyrs, seeded #3. They faced a tough pitcher committed to the U of M, who the year before was also pitching in the state championship and lost then too. The eagles ended up beating them in a close game 2-1.
In the state tournament, in three games only two pitchers pitched, which is uncommon and hard to do. Tommy Heifort in the first versus Little Falls (#5), Jake Rantz in the second versus Benilde-St. Margarets (#1) and Tommy Heifort again after having some days off and being able to heal and rest because of rain delays against Mahtomedi (#3).
The Totino-Grace Eagles are looking forward to the upcoming season as they were junior heavy last year with the championship team, and having a bunch of experienced seniors from last year will be good for leading and helping the incoming juniors to give the Eagles a good shot at being back-to-back state champions.
