Mayo falls just short in section title game against Lakeville South

Jun. 6—DUNDAS — The Mayo baseball team came close once again, but another season has ended a loss short of the Spartans' goal.

The Spartans finished as the Section 1AAAA runner-up in baseball for the second time in three years as top-seeded Mayo suffered a 5-3 loss to No. 2 Lakeville South in the section championship game on Tuesday in Dundas.

Mayo's last state berth was in 2013. The Spartans would have needed two wins over South to claim the section title.

"It's not fun," Mayo eighth-year coach Tom Senne said. "It's getting annoying ... but we just have to continue the growth and development."

And while the ending was disappointing, the Spartans had plenty of accomplishments during their stellar 2023 season. They won the Big Nine Conference championship, earned the No. 1 section seeded and finished 19-6 overall.

"It's meant everything to me," Mayo senior Ian Regal said. "I'm just really sad to see it go. It couldn't have been with a better group of guys."

"It's so special with these guys," Mayo junior Chase Gasner added. "Everyone, one through 20, we battle. And it's just so heartbreaking."

Mayo had a number of comeback wins during the season, including in section play. The Spartans made one comeback on Tuesday against Lakeville South, but couldn't make a second.

"Everytime we were down this year, we'd come back and battle," Gasner said. "I have confidence that we all strive to be better than one another."

Lakeville South had pair of big two-outs hits in the game. Tate Marland had a two-run single with two outs in the first as the Cougars built a 3-0 lead.

Mayo scored three times in the fourth inning. Regal hit a solo home run for Mayo's first hit of the game. Gasner tied the game with a two-run triple to right-center field with two outs.

"I knew we were never down and out," Regal said. I knew we had a chance no matter the score. We've done it all year; we've been in way worse situations."

The tie game lasted until the top of the sixth inning. But it would be Lakeville South that had the final clutch hit. Ian Segna hit a two-run double with two outs in the top of the sixth to snap a 3-3 tie.

"We couldn't get the third out," Senne said. "We couldn't get strike three or the guy to hit the ball to the right guy."

Mayo made one comeback on Tuesday, but could not make another. Segna was a big factor. The right-hander finished with a six-hitter. He struck out 10 and walked just one.

Sophomore Michael Johnson had pinch-hit single with one out in the bottom of the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate. But Segna then struck out the next two hitters to close out South's victory.

"We played a good game, I think the ball just bounced the wrong way today," Gasner said.

The Spartans had a squad that featured nine seniors. That close-knit group is what Ganser will remember and cherish the most.

"It's the closest bond we've had in a while," Regal said. "I really enjoyed all the memories I made with these guys. We know we left our mark on the Mayo program. And we're excited to see what these guys do next year and excited to see what the seniors do in the future in the next step in their baseball careers."

Regal is one of Mayo's players who will extend his career at the next level. He is slated to go to the University of Nebraska to play baseball.

"It's a fantastic group of guys," Senne said. "... This group never rolled over. Every game we battled and fought and that's characteristic of them and how they were raised. And it's kind of characteristic of our program."

Lakeville South (15-8) will play in the Class AAAA state quarterfinals on June 13 in St. Paul.

No. 2 Lakeville South 5, Mayo 3

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Mayo#000#300#0#—#3#6#1

No. 2 Lakeville South: Ian Segna 1-for-2, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R; Nathan Matiak 2-for-4 1 R; Tate Marland 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 R; Colton Smith 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI; Kendrick Erickson 1-for-3 1 R. Pitchers: Ian Segna (WP) 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 10 K.

No. 1 Mayo: Sam Hruska 1-for-3; Ian Regal 1-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R; Chase Gasner 1-for-3, 1 3B, 2 RBI; Ethan LaBrash 1-for-3 1 R; Michael Johnson 1-for-1. Pitchers: Ian Regal 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K; Grant Woodcock 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K; Zach Condon 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K; Chase Gasner (LP) 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.