The Aces are making their third straight appearance at the state tournament. They square off with Blue Earth on Saturday at 1:30PM in Watkins. Radio coverage will be on AM 1390 KRFO.

Owatonna had a bye in the opening round after winning the Region 5C tournament the previous weekend. The Pirates of Blue Earth, the second seed out of their region, beat Lake Henry 10-3 in the first round Aug. 21. Saturday's winner advances to Labor Day weekend and will be part of the Sweet 16 teams remaining. The Class C tournament began with 48 teams.

The Aces are 18-11 and have won six of their past seven, including a 4-0 record in the region. Riley Thompson leads the team with a .402 batting average and has driven in 16 runs. Benji Hager is hitting .365 with eight doubles and 12 RBI. Tyler Smith leads the team with 20 RBI to go with a .349 batting average. He has eight doubles and a pair of triples. Matt Simon has a team leading three home runs to go with 10 RBI. Owen Carlson, Sam Zappa and Brian Simon all have double-digit RBI totals.

On the mound, Brandon Wolf leads the team with nine victories. Smith has five.

The Pirates are 27-8 with seven wins by shutout. This is their 13th consecutive appearance at state. Blue Earth won the title in 2004 and 2006.

In 2014 Owatonna won a first-round game and lost in the second round. Blue Earth had a bye on opening weekend last year, then lost their first game.

Saturday's game will be heard on KRFO AM 1390 with Roy Koenig on the play-by-play. You can also listen on the free radioPup app or on your computer at krforadio.com.

Owatonna Aces amateur baseball plays at the state tournament Saturday at 1:30PM in Watkins. They will face Blue Earth. Roy Koenig, Townsquare Media
Owatonna Aces amateur baseball plays at the state tournament Saturday at 1:30PM in Watkins. They will face Blue Earth. Roy Koenig, Townsquare Media
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