Cody Sukalski slides safely into third base during the first inning against Stark.

The Blue Earth Pirates scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie on their way to a 7-2 victory over the Stark Longhorns in the opening round of the Minnesota Baseball Association Class C Tournament.

The game, played at Delano Municipal Ballpark on Sunday, Aug. 20, saw the Pirates take the early lead when they scored one run in the bottom of the first inning.

Leadoff hitter Cody Sukalski greeted the Longhorns’ starting pitcher, Adam Sellner, with a double down the left field line. An attempted pickoff of Sukalski at second base resulted in an error which allowed the veteran Blue Earth center fielder to advance to third base.

Hunter Bleess reached first base on a dropped third strike with Sukalski holding at third.

Brandyn Olsen stepped to the plate and laced a double to the fence in the gap between left and center field to plate Sukalski with Blue Earth’s first run.

The Pirates looked to be in a good position to add to their score but Sellner recorded a strike out, a groundout to the pitcher and another infield out to escape the inning without further damage.

Blue Earth’s starting pitcher, Derek Dahlke, a draftee from the Belle Plaine Tigers, did not allow a run in the first two innings but ran into trouble in the top of the third inning.

After recording two quick outs, Dahlke surrendered a double, a single and another double which led to two runs and a 2-1 lead for Stark.

Blue Earth tied the game up at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Lee Hodges singled over first base to start the inning. Following an infield pop out, Kaylan Legred laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Hodges to second base. Tanner Nawrocki’s double down the left field line drove home Hodges and the game was tied.

The Pirates took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Kane Malo led off the inning with a single to right field and hustled to third base when Hodges doubled to the fence in left-center field.

Stark decided to make a pitching change and brought in Zach Haala to relieve Sellner. With Logan O’Hara at the plate, Haala uncorked a wild pitch which resulted in Malo scoring to give the Pirates a 3-2 lead.

A couple of pitches later O’Hara launched a fly ball that sailed over the outfield fence between the left and center fielders for a two-run homer and a 5-2 Pirates lead.

“He (Haala) threw a two-seam fastball that he left out over the plate,” O’Hara said after the game. “I was able to square it up.”

Meanwhile, Blue Earth pitcher Louis Magers, who had relieved Dahlke with one out in the fourth inning, was mowing down the Longhorn hitters. At one time Magers, who the Pirates drafted from the St. Clair Wood Ducks, recorded 10 consecutive outs beginning in the fourth inning.

In fact, in five and two thirds innings of work, Magers did not allow a hit while walking three batters and striking out eight.

Blue Earth added single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to make the final score 7-2 in their favor.

Their run in the seventh inning came when Olsen hit a two-out single to left field. Malo hit a grounder to the third baseman who misfired on his throw to first base. The resulting error put Olsen on third base and Malo on second.

Another error, this time by the shortstop on a ball hit by Hodges, let Olsen scamper home with Blue Earth’s sixth run of the game.

The Pirates’ run in the eighth inning came about when Parker Meyers, who had reached first base on a fielder’s choice, scored from first on Sukalski’s second double of the game.

Magers picked up the win while Sellner was charged with the loss.

Blue Earth had 11 hits. Sukalski, Olsen and Hodges each had two hits and each player drove in one run. O’Hara drove in two runs with his home run.

The Pirates had five doubles. Two were by Sukalski while Hodges, Olsen and Nawrocki had one each.

Stark finished with six hits.

With the victory, the Pirates, the No. 2-seed out of Region 6C, advance to the second round of the State Tournament where they will face the Bird Island Bullfrogs, the No. 1-seed out of Region 4C, at Saints Field in Dassel on Sunday, Aug. 27, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Bird Island has a record of 25 wins and only four losses. They had a bye in the first round of the State Tournament.

In other State Tournament action from the first weekend of play, the Fairmont Martins were eliminated by the Hutchinson Huskies by a score of 2-0, the Jackson Bulls lost to the Green Isle Irish 4-3 and Waterville, the No. 3-seed out of Region 6C, lost to the New Ulm Brewers 5-0.