On Thursday, Duluth Marshall baseball took on Proctor for the chance to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2022. The Hilltoppers would come out on top, winning 6-3 and earning the section 7AA title.

Proctor would take the early lead, tallying two runs in the top of the first inning. Duluth Marshall would split their deficit in half in the bottom of the first and then tie things back up in the bottom of the second. Junior Aaden Westerbur would give the Hilltoppers the lead in the bottom of the third with his first high school home run, bringing in two runs to make the score 4-2. The Hilltoppers would then tally two more runs, while the Rails would only be able to tally one more – ending the game with a 6-3 win for the Duluth Marshall.

“We really truly feel together. We feel we’re grinding at the right time. A team full of brothers that just love the heck out of each other, so I couldn’t be more proud,” said Duluth Marshall head coach Nick Garramone.

“It’s been a great season. A whole lot of highs, but also some lows. Tried to bounce back as best we can, and luckily, we have so far. So now we just got to keep doing what we’re doing and just go down to the St. Cloud and hopefully just keep hitting the baseball well,” said Westerbur.

The Hilltoppers advance to the Class AA state tournament, beginning on June 11th. Click here to view the full tournament bracket.