Baxter/Pepsi wins state
State champs
The Baxter/Pepsi 10-and-under baseball team won the Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth State Tournament July 16-18 in Chaska.
Baxter opened the tournament by defeating Litchfield 6-4 and following it up with a 12-0 victory over Chaska.
Baxter then knocked off previously undefeated Bemidji 19-10. It jumped out to a 14-0 lead after two innings and held on to advance to the championship game.
In the final game, Baxter beat Waite Park 6-3 to win the state title.
"The team played solid defense all weekend en route to the championship," said coach Shawn McLain.
Leading hitters for Baxter were Mitchell McLain (8-for-10), T.J. Perpich (6-14), Chris Pohlkamp (6-13), Gaven Motschenbacher (5-12) and Matt Pikula (5-13).
Pitching for Baxter were Matt Doss, Perpich, Pikula and McLain.
The team advanced to the Midwest Regional Tournament in Iowa City Saturday-Sunday. It's first game is against Nebraska.