Cretin-Derham Hall defeats Minnetonka 3-2 to win Class 4A baseball state title

Cretin-Derham Hall baseball has run into plenty of roadblocks in recent years, some more literal than others.

Entering this season, the 11-time state champions — a Minnesota best — knew they were stuffed into a tough Section 4, with teams that had won five of the past six Class 4A state titles. The Raiders hadn’t qualified for state since 2007, the year of their most recent championship.

But in Saturday night’s Class 4A title game, senior Blake Bullis ran into a quite solid hurdle. With Cretin-Derham Hall up 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning, the third baseman tracked a foul ball backwards until his feet flew out from underneath him.

A rolled-up tarp, sitting in left field foul territory under threat of rain, was the latest obstacle for the Raiders. But from between the tarp and the wall, Bullis’ bleached-blond head popped up with a grin and a highlight-worthy catch — the first of three final outs to clinch the Raiders’ record 12th title.

“Seventh inning, state championship, do or die. I dive for it,” Bullis said. “I just blacked out from there.”

That’s how the Raiders returned to Minnesota baseball glory, led by coach and 1994 graduate Buzz Hannahan: all the right defensive plays, paired with smart base running.

“There’s not one guy that we can’t put out there and trust him with anything,” said Iowa commit and lefthander John Henry Kohorst, one of 14 seniors on the Raiders roster.

Minnetonka — a tournament regular still chasing its first state title after runner-up finishes in 1979 and 2018 — jumped ahead 2-0 in the second inning. Junior center fielder Carter Storts, who went 2-for-2 and recorded a run, got the Skippers started with a triple.

But in the fourth inning, Minnetonka senior ace and Arizona State commit Jack Butterworth had to leave the game with what the broadcast reported to be a forearm injury. The Skippers had relied on a deep bullpen in their 8-6 semifinal victory over Champlin Park on Thursday, but Saturday — drawing six walks — Cretin-Derham Hall loaded the bases three times against senior pitcher Mateo Aldecocea and junior Jacob Musgjerd.

The Raiders capitalized on those chances, scoring first on senior Davon Castro’s sacrifice fly that sent home Kohorst. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, Brady Stoeklen grounded into a two-run fielder’s choice to first with the bases loaded; Minnetonka failed to turn a double play, and senior Waston Fleming followed Bullis home with the go-ahead run.

“It’s a tribute to our lineup, and our bench, that each at bat, they get better and better as the game goes on,” Hannahan said. The Raiders had to battle back from a 3-0 hole in 7-5 quarterfinal victory over No. 8 Rosemount, too. “That was not unfamiliar territory for us.”

Kohorst led the Raiders with two of their four hits, while the Skippers finished with six total. The senior also struck out five in four innings pitched for the Raiders before sophomore Jack Van Gemert saw out the final three innings, with two strikeouts.

The Skippers could have widened their early lead, but Raiders junior center fielder Jack Drieman had other ideas, launching two nearly-identical throws from deep center field to senior catcher Castro, who tagged out two Minnetonka runners sliding home.

All the little pieces came together, and not a moment too soon.

“It’s been 17 years,” Hannahan said. “We waited a long time for the 12th. It took a special group of individuals to carry that burden.”