Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Bishop Garrigan's Teague Alesch tags Griffin Laufersweiler of St. Edmond on Thursday night at Rogers Park. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

For the final time here Thursday night, Mike Szalat led the St. Edmond baseball team into action at Rogers Park.

Maddox Shirbroun had his best pitching performance of the year, Kade Schlegel had two hits on Senior Night and Jack McElroy was 3-for-4, but it wasn’t quite enough to top Bishop Garrigan, 6-4.

Szalat, who has spent nearly the last two decades with the Gaels in the summer, announced before the start of the season that this would be his last.

Shirbroun, just an eighth-grader, went six-plus innings on the mound, striking out seven with just one earned run allowed. The Golden Bears scored five runs on two homers, including a grand slam by Nick Leerar in the third.

“I hate to lose, but those are the kind of baseball games I love being part of,” Szalat said. “There weren’t many errors, you saw good pitching and some key hits decided it. I hope our guys gained some confidence heading into the postseason because we were right there against a very good Garrigan team that is well coached.”

The Golden Bears (16-7 overall) have ended St. Edmond’s season in each of the last two years in district play, winning a pair of one-run games. Along with Leerar’s bases-clearing shot, Daniel Meis hit a solo homer in the sixth and Garrigan added an insurance run in the seventh.

Sophomore Aidan Deitering made his varsity pitching debut, coming on in relief to pitch three-plus while recording six strikeouts and earn the win.

“(Garrigan head coach) Rob Meister knows what he is doing,” Szalat said. “They went with a couple kids early on before bringing in someone who threw a little harder. I thought we had several kids with big nights at the plate, including Jack and Kade.”

Schlegel, who had an RBI-double in the third as the Gaels (2-20) scored three runs, was one of four players honored before the game along with fellow classmates Landon Saathoff, Max Nguyen and Quintin Jaeschke.

McElroy scored the first run of the evening, coming around after singling in the first on a base hit by eighth-grader Julian Blanco, who was 2-for-3 with a walk. Griffin Laufersweiler had two hits and a walk with an RBI, Grant Galles had a hit and Blake Bartlett reached base four times with a hit, a walk and two hit-by-pitches.

“We hit the ball well, but we just left too many runners on again (St. Edmond stranded 11, including six in scoring position),” Szalat said. “I think we showed what we are capable of, though.”

For the Golden Bears, Brady Galligan and Tate Foertsch each had two hits. Galligan scored twice.

St. Edmond now prepares for Lake Mills (15-4) on Saturday in the first round of Class 1A, District 3 play. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Bishop Garrigan (3-15) hosts North Iowa in the same district on Saturday as well.

BISHOP GARRIGAN 6, ST. EDMOND 4

Garrigan 004 001 1 — 6 7 1

St. Edmond 103 000 0 — 4 11 2

WP–Aidan Deitering (3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 0 BB). LP–Maddox Shirbroun (6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 1 BB).

HR–BG: Nick Leerar, Daniel Meis. 2B–SE: Kade Schlegel. RBI–BG: Nick Leerar (4), Daniel Meis; SE: Julian Blanco, Griffin Laufersweiler, Kade Schlegel. SB–BG: Nick Leerar; SE: Quintin Jaeschke.