For the first time in program history, the Prior Lake Lakers baseball team is headed to the Minnesota State High School Baseball Tournament.
The Lakers completed a remarkable postseason run on June 4 with a 10-5 victory over Chaska in the Section 2AAAA Championship Game at Veterans Field at Memorial Park in Prior Lake.
The win secured the section title and capped an unlikely turnaround for a Prior Lake team that entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed after finishing the regular season with a 9-13 record. Just two weeks earlier, the Lakers had lost eight of their final nine regular-season games and faced the likelihood of playing their entire postseason on the road. Instead, Prior Lake responded with victories over Shakopee, Waconia and Bloomington Jefferson to earn the right to host the section championship round.
Chaska then defeated the Lakers 4-2 on June 3, forcing a winner-take-all championship game. The quick turnaround meant the teams would meet again at noon on June 4 after playing at 6 p.m. the previous evening.
The atmosphere reflected the significance of the moment. Wednesday night’s game reached the facility’s 600-person capacity, and despite Thursday’s first pitch being moved to noon due to Prior Lake High School graduation scheduled for later that day, the stands at Veterans Field at Memorial Park were once again packed with Laker supporters.
Thursday’s championship game did not start easily for Prior Lake. Chaska scored twice in the first inning on back-to-back doubles by Ethan Williams and Will Holk to take an early 2-0 lead. The Lakers answered immediately in the second inning. Brady Belzer singled and Cole Brinkman walked before Miles Olson lined a double off the left-center field wall to score both runners and tie the game at 2-2.
Chaska regained the lead in the third inning and built a 4-2 advantage before Prior Lake began to chip away. Olson entered in relief and escaped a bases-loaded jam to keep the deficit at two runs and give the Lakers a chance to rally.
The comeback began in the fifth inning. Jaymin Eischens led off with a single and later scored on a Drew Brinkman base hit to cut the lead to 4-3. After Brody Daly reached base, Belzer delivered a clutch single to right field to tie the game at 4-4. The defining moment came an inning later.
With two outs in the sixth inning, Chaska appeared on the verge of escaping the inning when a Prior Lake ground ball was misplayed, extending the rally. Tyler Carlson followed with a single before Ethan Totten came off the bench and delivered a pinch-hit single to left field, giving the Lakers their first lead of the game. A throwing error by the Chaska catcher on the play allowed another run to score, stretching the lead to 6-4 and sending the Prior Lake crowd into a frenzy.
Belzer followed with another RBI single to push the advantage to 7-4. Chaska answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth, but Olson worked out of trouble and kept the Lakers in front. Prior Lake then broke the game open in the seventh when Vineel Kandi and Ryan Block reached base ahead of a two-run single by Eischens that extended the lead to 9-5. Another run later scored to make it 10-5.
Belzer finished 4-for-4 at the plate to lead the Lakers offensively, while Olson, Eischens and Belzer each drove in two runs. Olson returned to the mound in the seventh and battled through a final Chaska rally.
The Hawks loaded the bases, but with one out, Owen Strey hit a ground ball to third baseman Cole Brinkman. The ball briefly got away, but Brinkman recovered and tagged the runner between second and third to record the final out.
The players dogpiled near the mound as the Lakers captured the first section championship and first state tournament berth in program history.
Fittingly, after winning three consecutive road playoff games to earn the right to host the section championship round, Prior Lake was able to celebrate the historic achievement on its home field.
The Lakers will now advance to the Class AAAA State Tournament and face top-seeded Farmington in the state quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, at CHS Field in St. Paul. All eight teams will play quarterfinal games that day, at CHS Field.
The state semifinals will be played June 12, at CHS Field, while teams that do not advance will compete in the consolation bracket at Palm Field in St. Anthony.
The Class AAAA State Championship Game is scheduled for Monday, June 15, at Target Field.
Prior Lake High School will host a state tournament sendoff for the team at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 11. Fans are encouraged to arrive by 1:15 p.m. and line the road leaving the upper parking lot. Supporters are encouraged to wear Laker gear, bring signs and pom-poms and help send the team off to its first state tournament appearance in program history.
Fans can find updated brackets, schedules, scores and state tournament information on the Minnesota State High School League website. For additional coverage, updates, photos and information throughout the tournament, follow Prior Lake Baseball on Facebook, X and Instagram.
