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Pierz Pioneers vs Albany Huskies 6AA Baseball 2025

The Pioneers found themselves in the drivers seat of the Section 6AA Playoffs as the Albany Huskies came through the elimination bracket, including a 5-0 win over Staples-Motley, a 5-1 win over Royalton and a 4-2 win over St. Cloud Cathedral to earn the right to face the Pioneers in the Championship. Albany's bats carried them to a 6-2 win over the Pioneers at Putz Field, forcing a winner-take-all meeting for the Section 6AA Championship. Albany scored 5 runs in the 1st 2 innings, led by a pair of doubles from Ethan Meyer with 2 rbi and a run scored. Pierz got a run in the 2nd on a wild pitch that scored Brayden Haberman and another run in the 3rd on Sawyer Lochner's rbi single. Albany got their final run in the 5th on an rbi single from Nick Merdan to make it 6-2. 

Pierz Pioneers vs St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders 6AA Baseball 2025

The Pioneers avenged 2 regular season losses to the 6th ranked and top-seeded Crusaders with a thrilling 1-0 win at Putz Field in St. Cloud in the Section 6AA winners bracket game. The pitching matchup of Jack Hamak for the Crusaders ad Brayden Haberman for the Pioneers kept the fans on the edge of their seats all night. With the game scoreless after 5 innings and Pierz with 3 hits and the Crusaders with only 2 hits, the Pioneers Sawyer Lochner opened the top of the 6th with a double down the right field line. Preston Saehr then sacrificed Lochner to 3rd with 1 out. Jackson Thielen then placed a perfect squeeze bunt down and Lochner raced home with the games first run. But Cathedral was not going to go down without a fight. In the bottom of the 7th, Brayden Haberman gets the first out on a fly ball to right fielder Nathan Solinger, then picked up his 3rd strikeout.  The Pioneers were just 1 out away. But Jack Hamak walked on a 3-2 pitch, then Jacob Oliver singled. After a wild pitch, the Crusaders now had the tying run at 3rd and the winning run at 2nd with 2 outs. Caden Johnson then came up and hit a ground ball up the middle that looked like it was going to find its way into center field and likely score both runs, but at the last moment, shortstop Preston Saehr reached out his glove, snaring the ball in the webbing and fired to 1st baseman Bo Woitalla just in time to record the final out and the Pioneers had knocked off the Crusaders 1-0!

Pierz Pioneers vs Royalton Royals 6AA Baseball 2025

The 3rd seeded Pioneers knocked off the 2nd seeded Royals 8-3 at Faber Field in St. Cloud to stay in the 6AA winners bracket. Preston Saehr gave the Pioneers a Complete Game effort on the mound, striking out 7 and scattering 6 hits. After getting a run in the 2nd on a Danny Litke rbi single, they added 4 more in the 3rd on an rbi single by Sawyer Lochner, a bases loaded walk to Jackson Thielen, a run-scoring groundout by Danny Litke and then a heads-up baserunning play by Sawyer Lochner, who raced home from 3rd to score on an error on a throwback to the pitcher. In the 5th, Pierz tacked on 3 more, including 2 on a bunt and error by Jackson Thielen and a Brecken Andres rbi single. The win sent the Pioneers to the 4th round without a loss against the other undefeated team in the Tournament, St. Cloud Cathedral.

Pierz Pioneers vs Wadena-Deer Creek Wolverines 6AA Playoffs 2025

The Pioneers found themselves in big trouble in the early going against the 6th seeded Wolverines at Faber Field in St. Cloud, falling behind 6-0 going to the bottom of the 4th. But the Pioneers were able to flip a switch in the bottom of the 4th getting a sacrifice fly by Jackson Thielen to make it 6-1, then an rbi double from Brecken Andres made it 6-2. Danny Litke then singled to drive in Andres and it was a 6-3 game. After an infield single by Kaden Kruschek, Grady Young ripped a 2-run single to make it a 6-5 game. An infield hit by Bo Woitalla put the go-ahead run on base as Tyler Kimman pinch-ran for Woitalla. Brayden Haberman then clubbed a double to left, scoring both Young and Kimman to put Pierz up 7-6 after 4 innings. Pierz got another run in the 5th on an error to lead 8-6, but W-DC scored in the 6th to make it 8-7.  The Pioneers then got 3 huge insurance runs in the bottom of the 6th on a 2-run single by Sawyer Lochner and a sacrifice fly from Preston Saehr to make it an 11-7 final score. Nathan Solinger was able to throw all 7 innings to get the Win, striking out 11, including 9 on called 3rd strikes, 

Pierz Pioneers vs Pillager Huskies 6AA Baseball 2025

The #3 seeded Pierz Pioneers opened the Section 6AA Tournament with a 15-6 win over #14 Pillager at Hellie Field. After the Pioneers jumped to a 7-0 lead after 2 innings, the Huskies made things quite interesting. They got a 3-run double in the 3rd to make it 7-3, then a 3-run Homer in the 5th pulled Pillager to within 7-6. Pierz got their spark back when Brecken Andres bashed an rbi double in the bottom of the 5th to make it 8-6 and Kaden Kruschek also doubled home a run in the 5th to make it 9-6.  The Pioneers then put the game away with 6 runs in the bottom of the 6th, with doubles from Grady Young, Brayden Haberman and Sawyer Lochner, rbi single from Jackson Thielen and Brayden Haberman and a sacrifice fly from Kaden Kruschek to make it a 15-6 win. Brayden Haberman threw 6 innings with 13 strikeouts to get the Win.

Pierz Pioneers vs Holdingford Huskers 6AA Softball 2025

The Pioneers lived to play another game in the Section 6AA Playoffs with a thrilling 1-0 win over Holdingford in an elimination game in Waite Park. Holdingford's Cali Opatz and Erin Thesing of Pierz were locked in a scoreless dual until the bottom of the 7th when Lizzy Gross walked with 1 out then stole 2nd.  Laura Young became the hero when she doubled to drive in Lizzy with the winning run in the 1-0 Pierz victory. Erin Thesing threw a Complete Game 3-hit shutout to get the Win and send them to the Final 3 game against #2 seed Kimball.

Pierz Pioneers vs Melrose Dutchmen 6AA Softball 2025

The Pioneers got perhaps the best pitching performance of the season from Erin Thesing as she threw a Complete Game in the Pioneers 4-2 win over the Dutchmen in Waite Park in an elimination game. After Shantal Gruber Homered in the 1st to give Melrose a 1-0 lead, Pierz tied it in the bottom of the 2nd on a 2-out rbi single from Mckenna Hoheisel. Pierz then added 3 runs in the 3rd when Laura Young led off with a double and scored on an rbi single by Natalie Knutson to make it 2-1. After a single by Hayden Sam, Payton Kimman singled to drive in courtesy runner Ava Phillips to make it 3-1.  Hayden Sam would then score on a wild pitch to put the Pioneers ahead 4-1 after 3 innings. Melrose changed pitchers after Payton Kimman's rbi single, so it's good that the Pioneers had gotten those 4 runs early, because they didn't get another baserunner the rest of the game. Melrose got a solo Homer from Jaelyn Mayers in the 5th to make it 4-2 and they loaded the bases with 2 outs in the 6th when Erin Thesing recorded the biggest strikeout of her career to end the inning and keep the Pioneers in the lead. Melrose got a runner to 3rd in the 7th but Erin Thesing got 3 straight groundouts to end the game, including the final 2 back to the circle as the Pioneers kept their season alive with a 4-2 win to eliminate Melrose.

Pierz Pioneers vs St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders 6AA Softball 2025

In another game at St. Ben's, the Crusaders handed the Pioneers their first loss of the double elimination Tournament with a 12-2 win in 6 innings. Pierz got a 1st inning rbi double from Laura Young to take a 1-0 lead and then their 2nd run came in the 3rd when Lizzy Gross singled, stole 2nd, was sacrificed to 3rd by Laura Young and scored on a wild pitch. Cathedral scored in every inning but the 3rd as the Pioneers headed to the elimination bracket.

Pierz Pioneers vs Paynesville Bulldogs 6AA Softball 2025

After weather pushed back the Tournament a few days, it resumed at St. Ben's with the Pioneers taking on #5 seeded Paynesville. This was an intense battle, as the Bulldogs scored a run in the top of the 1st on a 1-out triple and a groundout to take a 1-0 lead. From that point on, Paynesville starter Arianna Messer and Pierz starter Erin Thesing matched each other pitch for pitch and the score remained 1-0 as the Pioneers came to bat in the bottom of the 7th facing a new Bulldogs pitcher after Messer unfortunately suffered an injury on the final play of the 6th inning and had to leave the game. Macy Sadlovsky led off the bottom of the 7th with a walk, then stole 2nd. Delilah Rocheleau then also walked, with Ava Phillips replacing Rocheleau at 1st base. A wild pitch then moved Macy and Ava up a base before the Bulldogs got a groundout to 3rd. Pinch-hitter Kayla Virnig then walked to load the bases for Pierz. Lizzy Gross then walked as well, forcing in Macy Sadlovsky to tie the game at 1-1.  Laura Young then stepped to the plate and ripped a game-winning single to drive in Ava Phillips and the Pioneers had come back for the 2-1 win to stay in the Section 6AA winners bracket.

Pierz Pioneers vs Royalton Royals 6AA Softball 2025

The 4th seeded Pioneers opened the Section 6AA Playoffs with 15-5 win in 5 innings over #13 Royalton in Pierz. The Pioneers jumped on the Royals early, scoring 6 in the bottom of the 1st on a sacrifice fly by Hayden Sam, a bases loaded walk to Macy Sadlovsky, a 2-run double by Delilah Rocheleau, a squeeze bunt by Mckenna Hoheisel and a Royals error. Pierz added another 5 in the 2nd on a 2-run triple by Payton Kimman, an rbi double from Macy Sadlovsky and a 2-run single from Laura Young. In the bottom of the 4th, Pierz made it 14-5 on rbi's from Lizzy Gross, Natalie Knutson and Hayden Sam. In the bottom of the 5th, Macy Sadlovsky smashed a long Home Run to right to end the game with a 15-5 Pioneers win, moving Pierz to the next round of the Tournament.