Saint Ansgar Shuts Out Lake Mills, Advances to Substate Championship

Saint Ansgar, Iowa (July 9, 2023) – The Saint Ansgar Saints baseball team shut out the Lake Mills Bulldogs 6-0 on Saturday night to advance to the Class 1A-2 substate championship game.

The Saints were led by a stellar pitching performance from sophomore Jayce Schwiesow and senior Tate Mayer. Schwiesow started the game and threw 65 pitches through 4⅓ innings, racking up six strikeouts. Mayer finished out the game and allowed just one hit and struck out six batters as well.

The Saints' offense was also clicking on all cylinders, scoring two runs in the first inning and four runs in the third inning. They were led by a two-RBI double from senior Bradyn Swalve and a two-RBI single from junior Kaden Meyer.

With the win, the Saints advance to the Class 1A-2 substate championship game, where they will face the Newman Catholic Knights on Tuesday night at Roosevelt Field. The Knights won both regular season matchups against the Saints, with a 10-run shutout on June 9 and 5-3 in their most recent game on June 28.

Despite Newman being one of the most talented and dominate teams in Class 1A, Saints head coach Eric Swenson is confident in his team's ability to compete.

"We're gonna play the game and not the team," Swenson said. "That's what we always tell our kids. We're gonna go out there and play our best baseball, and we'll see what happens."

The Saints are looking to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2017. They will need to play their best baseball of the season if they want to achieve their goal.

Additional Information:

• The Saints' pitching staff has been one of the best in Class 1A this season. They have a combined ERA of 1.37, and they have allowed just 10 runs in their last 10 games.
• The Saints' offense has also been clicking on all cylinders. They are averaging 8.3 runs per game, and they have scored 40 runs in their last five games.
• The Saints and Newman Catholic are two of the best teams in Class 1A. The winner of Tuesday night's game will be a heavy favorite to win the substate championship and advance to the state tournament.

Prediction:

I believe that the Saints will win on Tuesday night and advance to the state tournament. They have the pitching and the offense to compete with any team in Class 1A. I am looking forward to seeing how they perform in the state tournament.