by Max Mercy

ST. CLOUD -- Maple Lake defeated Proctor, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the 2016 State Class AA Tournament at Dick Putz Field on Thursday. The Irish's Hunter Malachek tossed a two-hit shutout and Jack Siebert hit a lead-off home run on the first pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Malachek retired the first 11 Rails he faced before Jake Malec reached on an infield single with two outs in the fourth. The Rails' only other hit was by John Aase, also an infield single with two outs in the seventh.

Aase (7-2 W-L, 1.99 ERA) went the distance on the mound for Proctor. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks with eight strikeouts.

The left-handed Malachek allowed two hits and a hit batsman with no walks and four strikeouts in seven innings.

The Irish threatened in the bottom of the first on back-to-back singles by Siebert and Nick Preisinger, but Aase recorded his second strikeout of the inning to end the initial frame. Aase created another jam in the second inning as he issued consecutive walks to the eighth and ninth batters in the Irish lineup with two outs. Again, he notched a strikeout to kill the inning.

For the third, fourth, and fifth innings, the only base runner allowed by Aase was a lead-off walk to Lucas Fobbe in the fourth.

Proctor mounted a threat to break the scoreless tie when Derek Dahlgren, batting with two outs, was grazed by an inside pitch and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. He was stranded on second as Malachek got the third of his four strikeouts.

Siebert, a College of St. Scholastica recruit, blasted Aase's initial offering in the bottom of the sixth off of the scoreboard. The ball landed in the ivy-covered left-field wall, and the 1-0 lead stuck as well.

Preisinger followed with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Alex Marquette. After a strikeout, Marquette advanced to second on a fielder's choice error. With two runners on base, Aase got a strikeout and a fielder's choice groundout as third baseman Bryce Huffman made an unassisted put out at third.

Aase singled with two outs in the top of the seventh, but that was all the Rails could muster against Malacheck.

Maple Lake advanced to the semifinals and Proctor moved over to the consolation semifinal bracket.

For a full MSHSL box score, click here.