Burnsville Goes 22 Innings, But Still Not to State

Bloomington Jefferson won the marathon battle, but there’s a chance top-ranked Burnsville can still win the war.

Second-seeded Jefferson outlasted No. 1 seed Burnsville 2-1 in a marathon 3-hour and 13-minute 15 innings in the Section 3AAA championship Wednesday at Eagan High School. That set up a second title game, with the winner advancing to state. That game went seven innings Wednesday evening before being called by darkness with the two teams tied at 1-1 in the top of the eighth inning.

The second game will be resumed today, starting at 4:30 p.m., again at Eagan High School.

Both teams played well enough to win Wednesday in games marked by standout defense and spectacular pitcher.

Burnsville ace Kelsey Anderson pitched all 22 innings and catcher Megan Threlkeld likewise went the distance. Anderson struck out 21 batters in the first game and added four more in the second.

Both teams also missed scoring chances and both had runners cut down at home plate.

Burnsville missed a golden chance to win the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Abby Harazin led off with a single. Haleigh Droege came in to run for Harazin and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Abby Johnson. But with leadoff batter Anderson at the plate, the Blaze elected to send Droege and she was tagged out. One walk by Anderson later, Danielle Wolk struck out to end the inning.

Bloomington Jefferson’s Nicole Tobon broke up the scoreless duel with a solo home run in the 14^th inning. But Burnsville rallied to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning.

Jefferson then won it in the 15^th on an RBI double by Cassandra Santiago.