The EP senior legion team’s chances at a state tournament appearance took a hit when the team dropped its first game of the Substate 3 tournament in Apple Valley on July 20.
However, EP has fought its way back. The team won each of its past two elimination games and will look to continue their run through the weekend to make it back to state.
EP opened its postseason against Prior Lake on July 20 and fell 7-2. With the tournament being double-elimination, the team would need to win five consecutive games to advance to next week’s state tournament in Burnsville.
With its back up against the proverbial wall, EP faced off against Bloomington Gold on July 21. EP came out and kept its season alive with a 7-3 win. Tied 3-3 in the sixth inning, EP exploded for four runs to pick up the win.
Seth Tierney came through with a 3-for-4 performance. Adam Mertens also contributed, going 2-for-2 while Carter Arneson went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI. Arneson also contributed on the mound while going 6 ⅔ innings and striking out 11 batters.
The next day, EP once again battled to keep its season alive, this time against Chanhassen. EP did just that, winning 6-4.
Arnesen and Mertens each came through at the plate with 2 RBI each. Dawson Miller went 2-for-4 while Hawken Hedlund knocked in a pair of runs in the win.
On the mound, Brock Anderson pitched 6 ⅔ innings while Sam Persson finished the game while picking up the save.
EP’s run to the state continues on July 23 at 9 a.m. against Shakopee, which fell to Edina on Friday. The winner of that game will face off against the winner of Edina-Eastview at 11:30 a.m. on July 23. If EP were to win those two games, the team would continue to play on July 24 and need to defeat its opponent twice to win substate and advance to state.