SBLive's Minnesota baseball top games of the week (May 2-6)

Mounds View faces two tough tests against Woodbury and Stillwater

SBLive's Minnesota baseball Power 25: Cretin-Derham Hall solidifies the top spot

SBLive's Minnesota softball Power 25: North St. Paul leaps into the top-10

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Edina (6-2) at Wayzata (5-2), 5/5 at 6:30 p.m.

Edina has surprisingly won four straight games after starting the season 2-2, and it is in prime position in the competitive Lake Conference. The Hornets have one signature win against Hopkins this year, and Wayzata is their toughest competition since.

Wayzata has had an up and down season and has yet to put together full games. The Trojans have won five games this year but their run differential is very limited. The Trojans have done well against weaker teams on their schedule, but it starts to get more difficult this week.

Mounds View (6-3) at Woodbury (6-3), 5/3 at 4:30 p.m.

Mounds View has been on a great streak, winning three out of its last four games. Its only loss came against top ranked Cretin-Derham Hall 6-4. The Mustangs impressively shut out a great White Bear Lake team on Monday, 11-0.

Woodbury lost to Mounds View 5-4 earlier this year, and this one is setting up to be another fantastic midseason matchup. The Royals have slipped, losing two straight to Cretin-Derham Hall and Forest Lake. They need to get things right in this one because Mounds View is starting to put it all together.

Photo by Jon Namyst

Elk River (6-2) at Centennial (6-2), 5/2 at 4:30 p.m.

Elk River is surprisingly sitting at 6-2 and is currently atop the Northwest Suburban Conference. The Elks have won five straight against mostly inferior competition. The Elks lost games to Osseo and Minnetonka this year.

Centennial has won three out of its past four games and are looking to continue to climb the rankings. The Cougars have an opportunity to seize the North Suburban Conference lead this week with a few victories and an Elk River loss. This game is huge for both teams.

East Ridge (6-4) at Centennial (6-2), 5/4 at 4:15 p.m.

The Raptors sit at 6-4 and have lost three out of its last five games. The Raptors have wins against Mounds View and Stillwater this year. They also have losses against top level teams like Cretin-Derham Hall, Woodbury and White Bear Lake.

Centennial appears for the second time this week in the top games. Centennial could watch its opportunity to take over the Northwest Suburban Conference evaporate or come to fruition with its games against Elk River and East Ridge.

Photo by Jeff Lawler

Stillwater (5-5) at Mounds View (6-3), 5/5 at 4:30 p.m.

Stillwater has struggled this year, and it sits at 5-5. The Ponies have had difficulty finding their offense against their difficult schedule. Their schedule does not get any easier moving forward with Cretin-Derham Hall, Mounds View, White Bear Lake, and Woodbury.

Mounds View, like Centennial, appears for the second time in the top games of the week. Mounds View is sitting in second place in the Suburban East Conference, and it has tough games against Woodbury and Mounds View. 

The Mustangs will need these two to keep pace with a dominant Cretin-Derham Hall team.

Farmington (5-3) at Eastview (5-2), 5/2 at 5 p.m.

Farmington has had a solid season, but the Tigers have yet to figure out their identity. The Tigers are 2-2 in their last four games and only have two wins over teams over .500. The Tigers have a stretch of three away games in a row coming up and will need to kick it off against a surprising Eastview team.

Eastview is one of the more surprising teams in the state sitting at 5-2. The Lightning have a signature win against Rosemount this year and have shown that their offense can explode at any moment. 

The Lightning are coming off a very disappointing loss to Lakeville North on Monday and will look to keep pace in the South Suburban Conference.

New Prague (8-0) at Benilde-St. Margaret’s (7-1), 5/2 at 7 p.m.

This game is the most under the radar game of the week. This game could easily be the game of the week here in Minnesota.

New Prague is undefeated and has yet to give up over three runs all year. The Trojans have a quality win over Marshall this year, but the rest of their schedule has been mostly pedestrian. Their toughest matchup is this Tuesday.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s sits one game behind New Prague in the Metro West Conference and have had a very similar season. 

The Red Knights have yet to face teams the level of New Prague, and their only challenge this season was a 12-7 loss against St. Thomas Academy. This game could shift the balance in the conference.

Prior Lake (3-4) at Rosemount (5-1), 5/3 at 4:30 p.m.

Prior Lake has struggled this year, and it looks to keep its season afloat against Rosemount.

The Lakers have lost four out of their last five games and are second to last in their conference. The Lakers have played plenty of close games this year and need to put together a full game in order to get over the hump. Prior Lake will need to rebound to have any chance of saving their season.

Rosemount has rattled off five straight games and has had multiple great pitching performances this year. The Irish have relied on their pitching, but their hitting is slowly heating up. The Irish sit atop the South Suburban Conference and have an opportunity to cement themselves there with games against Prior Lake and Eastview this week.