On Saturday at Target Field, a fresh crop of Cretin-Derham Hall ball players turned back time and came from behind to beat No. 3 seed Minnetonka 3-2.

Here's  the full game story. 

Cretin-Derham Hall wins it off two impressive fielding plays from senior Blake Bullis, and a fly ball to right field in the bottom of the seventh. 

That's a 12th state title for the Raiders, and the first since 2007!

Junior Jacob Musgjerd took the mound for the Skippers in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

Minnetonka isn’t new to a deep bullpen. The team got help from four pitchers in its 8-6 state semifinal win over Champlin Park.

Minnetonka senior Cole Knewston made a clutch double play to force the game into the seventh inning with his team trailing 3-2.

 Three outs for a Raiders victory, or some batting magic for Minnetonka.

Cretin-Derham Hall took the lead for the first time tonight in the bottom of the fifth inning! 

Minnetonka pitcher Mateo Aldecocea walked and hit Raiders batters before Jack Van Gemert loaded the bases with his single — again, the Raiders facing no outs, for the second time this game.

Raiders senior Brady Stoeklen sent Watson Fleming and Blake Bullis home with a ground ball toward right field that forced Minnetonka’s infield into a fielder’s choice.

In the top of the fifth, Cretin-Derham Hall centerfielder junior Jack Drieman launched another rocket throw to home plate to tag out pinch runner Noah Wallace, sliding home — Drieman’s second such play of the game.

In the bottom of the fourth, Minnetonka’s senior pitcher Jack Butterworth exited the game with a forearm injury, according to NSPN. 

Butterworth, who had given up a single to the Raiders' John Henry Kohorst, was replaced on the mound by senior Mateo Aldecocea. 

Aldecocea walked Raiders junior Davis Fleming and senior Brady Stoeklen, setting up senior Davon Castro's at-bat with bases loaded and no outs.

The Skippers escaped two bases-loaded scenarios almost unscathed.  Aldecocea struck out two and only gave up one run, when Castro’s sacrifice fly sent John Henry Kohorst home.  

Minnetonka has been looking to make a home in that right outfield, with junior Garrett Wheeler hitting another triple out toward the parking ramps and sliding safely into third. But he didn’t get so lucky as he reached for home plate on junior Jacob Musgjerd’s fly ball and was tagged out by Raiders senior catcher Davon Castro.

Cretin-Derham Hall junior Joseph Fenlon’s single was the Raiders’ first hit of the night, but he was left on base as we head into the fourth.

The Skippers came into the second inning swinging big. 

A few deceptive, soaring foul balls elated, then deflated, the Minnetonka fans before junior Carter Storts hit a triple to right field. A balk — an illegal motion by Raiders pitcher John Henry Kohorst — sent Storts home and advanced senior Miles Humphreys to first. 

Senior Cole Knewstons’ single, driven just over the head of the Raiders’ second baseman, scored Humphreys.

Skippers pitcher Jack Butterworth only saw three batters in the bottom of the second, recording two more strikeouts.

 Minnetonka’s rolling with a 2-0 lead heading into the third.

Let's play ball. 

Future Iowa Hawkeye John Henry Kohorst starts on the mound for Cretin-Derham Hall. Entering tonight's game, the senior had pitched 21 strikeouts in six games this season, credited with two wins and a 2.33 ERA. 

In the top of the first, he struck out two Skippers' batters. Senior Jack Butterworth, pitching for the Skippers, strikes out one. Scoreless and no hits through the first inning.

As Cretin-Derham Hall steps onto the diamond at Target Field, they have a jersey hanging in the dugout honoring former team member Cormick (Mick) Scanlan.

Scanlan was a sophomore when he passed away in 2022 from complications from a stroke. The Raiders are remembering him on their first trip to state since 2007.

We've reached our final game of the day, the Class 4A championship: No. 1-seeded Cretin-Derham Hall (22-4) takes on No. 3 Minnetonka (17-9). 

It's a battle between two great baseball teams with glaringly different histories.

The top-ranked Raiders have the most baseball state titles of any Minnesota program, hoisting the trophy 11 times in 19 prior trips to the state tournament, including at the hands of current head coach Buzz Hannahan, a 1994 graduate. But Cretin-Derham Hall hasn’t been back to the state tournament since 2007 — finally breaking back through with a 7-6 Section 4 win over White Bear Lake this year.

Minnetonka, meanwhile, has made the trip to state 15 times, including the past two years, but has never come away with the grand prize. The Skippers have finished as runner up twice, in 1979 and 2018.

In this game, the Skippers will look to senior Arizona State commit Jack Butterworth to hurl some low-90 mph fastballs from the mound, evading the bats of All-Minnesota baseball team honorees, junior Gophers commit Davis Fleming and senior Iowa commit John Henry Kohorst.