SBLive Minnesota softball top games of the week (May 2-6)
SBLive's Minnesota softball Power 25: North St. Paul leaps into the top-10
SBLive's Minnesota baseball Power 25: Cretin-Derham Hall solidifies the top spot
SBLive's Minnesota baseball top games of the week (May 2-6)
Rosemount (10-0) at Mankato West (8-1), 5/6 at 12 p.m.
Rosemount sits at 10-0 and looks to be on a championship trajectory. The Irish have dominated all their opponents this year by scoring 11 runs per game and averaging only 1.72 ERA. They travel to face a tough 8-2 Mankato West team on Saturday afternoon.
Mankato West has nearly matched Rosemount in domination of its schedule this year. The Scarlets have one loss on the season to a fantastic 7-1 Mankato East team. The Scarlets are also coming off a 22-0 drubbing of Austin on Monday evening.
Forest Lake (6-2) at Stillwater (8-1), 5/5 at 4:30 p.m.
Forest Lake and Stillwater could easily be the game of the week this week.
Forest Lake is getting hot after a stretch of two losses. The Rangers have won four straight and have only given up four runs in that stretch. Stillwater is likely its toughest matchup of the year.
Stillwater sits at 8-1, coming off its only loss of the season against Cretin-Derham Hall. The Ponies have four shutouts this year and have an explosive offense that can hang with anyone. This should be a great game.
Hopkins (6-2) at Eden Prairie (7-5), 5/4 at 4:30 p.m.
Hopkins has rebounded after a tough two loss stretch and travels to Eden Prairie on Thursday.
Hopkins has rattled off four convincing wins in a row, albeit against weaker competition. The Royals have a tough stretch of games to end their season and this one could determine positioning come playoff time.
Eden Prairie has struggled, losing four out of their last seven games.
The Eagles have struggled scoring runs consistently during this stretch and Hopkins should be a true test of what the remainder of their season will look like.
Maple Grove (7-1) at Rogers (5-2), 5/4 at 4:30 p.m.
Maple Grove has one loss on the season against Hopkins and have dominated with pitching the rest of its games. The Crimson have three shutouts and only two games with one run against.
Rogers has had problems with top teams on its schedule this year and have padded their record against weaker teams. The Royals sit two games behind the Crimson and will need this one to have a good chance at being in the hunt in the conference later in the season.
Brainerd (6-1) at Champlin Park (3-3), 5/5 at 7:30 p.m.
Brainerd sits at 6-1 and they have an impressive win against Centennial last week. The Warriors have dominated their soft schedule thus far and will travel to Champlin Park to face an underachieving Rebels team.
Champlin Park has lost three games in a row, and its offense has been mostly stagnant. The Rebels need to right the ship quickly as they slowly fade in their conference.
Minnetonka (5-4) at St. Michael-Albertville (8-1), 5/3 at 4:30 p.m.
Minnetonka has been on a few cold streaks this season and they sit one game above .500. The Skippers lost to St. Michael-Albertville 10-3 earlier this season and will be looking to rebound against one of the hotter teams in the state.
St. Michael-Albertville has one loss on the season against a great Wayzata team. The Knights rebounded and defeated Wayzata Monday and will look for another quality win against Minnetonka Wednesday. The Knights offense has come alive, and they are one of the more dangerous teams in the state.
White Bear Lake (5-3) at Park of Cottage Grove (7-2), 5/2 at 4:30 p.m.
White Bear lake started the season 0-2 and rattled off five straight games. The Bears are coming off a tough 5-2 loss against Forest Lake on Monday and will need to refocus as they have to travel to face a tough Park of Cottage Grove team Tuesday.
Park of Cottage Grove has two losses on the season against Eden Prairie and Forest Lake. The Wolf Pack, besides the Forest Lake game, has only given up three runs in their previous four games. This game is one of the more underrated games in the state this week.
New Prague (5-1) at Northfield (6-3), 5/5 at 5 p.m.
New Prague has one of the better pitching staffs in the state. The Trojans are averaging 1.50 runs against per game and, when their offense is humming, is extremely dangerous. They travel to face a seasoned Northfield team this week.
Northfield is a tough team to assess this year. The Raiders sit at 6-3, but have struggled against elite teams on their schedule. New Prague fits the bill as another elite team and it is yet to be seen if they can keep up with these types of teams.
