The Warriors had only four baserunners in the contest and just one reached second base. Meanwhile, St. Anthony banged out 10 hits and benefited from seven walks – three coming with the bases loaded.

The Bulldogs scored the only two runs they needed in the second inning. Lauritzen lined a double into the left-centerfield gap and went to third on a sacrifice bunt. Jansen also bunted and beat it out for an infield single. Will Hoene then crushed a 1-2 pitch. It sailed over the centerfielder’s head and rolled to the 355-foot sign. Hoene rambled into second with a double and a pair of RBI to put SAHS on top to stay.

St. Anthony then exploded in the third, sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring eight times.

Levitt led off with a booming double that was nearly a home run down the leftfield line. He then stole third and scored on a ground ball by Fearday. The Casey-Westfield second baseman tried to throw Levitt out at the plate, but he beat the throw.

Connor Roepke followed with a base hit and Lauritzen walked to load the bases. Max Koenig blooped a single to right to drive in one run and Jansen walked to force in another. Hoene then grounded a single to left, driving in the fourth run of the inning.

With the bases still loaded, Beau Adams was hit by a pitch, forcing in a run, and another run scored when Levitt bounced into a force out at second. But the throw to first was wild, allowing yet another tally to cross the plate. Fearday capped the eight-run uprising with a booming RBI triple to make it 10-0.

The Bulldogs added three more tallies in the fifth. Adams had an RBI single and the final two runs scored on bases-loaded walks to Roepke and Koenig.

“With our bats and our lineup, we’re going to scratch some runs across the plate,” Kreke said. “This is the postseason, so you can’t take anybody lightly. Every team is here for a reason. Scoring first always helps, but then adding on and extending the lead like we did provided some breathing room.”

Nine different St. Anthony batters were part of the 10-hit attack, with Hoene collecting two hits and driving in three runs. Koenig, Adams and Fearday each had two RBI.

This sets up a sectional championship clash between St. Anthony (26-4) and South Central (23-6), a fellow-National Trail Conference member. The Cougars defeated Arcola 2-0 in Wednesday’s first game.

“It’s going to be a good game and a great atmosphere,” Kreke said. “I’m sure they’ll have (Aiden) Dodson on the mound and they’ll try to play small ball. But we’ll be ready.

“It’s a great feeling to be in this position,” Kreke added. “The guys have worked so hard this year.”

The sectional championship is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Altamont High School.