A Nail‑Biter at the State Semifinal
The semifinal opened with Champlin Park striking first, building a 2‑0 lead before Edina answered with a five‑run fourth inning that flipped the scoreboard to 5‑2.
But the visitors were not done; three runs in the next frame knotted the game at 5‑5, and later Edina surged ahead to 7‑5 before Cal Ockuly’s two‑run double pulled the margin back to 7‑7.
The tension peaked in the ninth when Kaden Kimes led off with a triple for Edina, only to see his courtesy runner stranded, while Luke Carlson’s clutch hit set up the winning run after an Edina error on Christian Dull’s ball.
With the victory secured, Champlin Park now turns its focus to Monday night’s championship matchup against Rosemount at Target Field, where the stakes will be even higher.