MITCHELL — Kimball/White Lake is riding its workhorse into the Class B quarterfinals. 

Zak Wallner threw a complete-game gem and knocked off perennial power Flandreau, 2-1, in the Class B state amateur baseball tournament Wednesday at Cadwell Park. 

The right-hander had a no-hitter going through 5.1 innings, struck out 10 batters, allowed one earned run, scattered four hits and issued one walk on 138 pitches. 

“That’s legendary, I think,” Kimball/White Lake manager Wes Kroupa said. “He’s amazing. We know he’s the workhorse and we know he’s the guy.” 

Wallner, who has put together some pitching gems in the past, said this one ranks up there among his top performances. 

“This is up there with one of the best amateur baseball performances, for sure,” Wallner said. “It’s state baseball and that’s a good team we just beat over there.”

The performance lifted the last Pony Hills League team standing into the Class B quarterfinals and it eliminated last year’s state runner-ups. Flandreau out-hit Kimball/White Lake, 4-3, but left seven runners stranded on base. 

“They are a very good team and we respect the crap out of them,” Kroupa said. “We knew coming in it was going to be a battle.” 

Kimball/White Lake's Zak Wallner high fives catcher Eathen Gaulke, right, on Wednesday at Cadwell Park. Kelly O'Bryan is at the left. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Wallner kept Flandreau scoreless through eight innings. In the ninth inning, Mitch Foster’s two-out RBI single broke up the shutout. Dallas Schneiderman struck out swinging in the next at-bat to end the game. 

Grant Hieb, Wallner’s college coach at University of Sioux Falls, broke up the no-hitter with a single in the sixth inning. Hieb finished with two hits, while Foster and Brian McGuire had the other two hits. Flandreau starter Jordan Gesling pitched the complete game, allowing three hits, two earned runs, three walks and struck out eight batters on 122 pitches. 

In the third inning, Seth Kirsch and Brian Zeman both drove in runs for KWL’s two runs. Kirsch finished with two hits, while Colome pick-up player Kelly O’Bryan had KWL’s other hit. 

The 2-0 lead was enough for Wallner to work with on the mound. 

“The defense was working back there and getting the job done helps me pitch,” Wallner said. “Plus taking a lead. Anytime you pitch with lead, you take a little bit off, hit your spots and let them get out. You are not forcing anything.” 

Wallner threw 157 pitches in a complete-game performance on Sunday against Castlewood Monarchs. In the later innings on Wednesday, Wallner was feeling fatigued and was methodical on the mound. 

“I’ve got bumps and bruises,” Wallner said. “That’s what tournament baseball is about, just taking my time between pitches and making sure that I reset and get the mind right and prepare the body for the next pitch. That’s why I was taking so much time. I was really digging deep and making sure that it was going to be 100% with whatever I had.”

Will Wallner pitch in the quarterfinals on Friday?

“We will see, man,” Wallner said. “I will do some recovery stuff and see how I am feeling. We got other guys that can pitch, too. I am not the only one. We will see what happens.”

Up next, the Nationals will play Winner/Colome in the Class B quarterfinals on Friday. 

“We are obviously going to enjoy this one,” Kroupa said. “I will probably stay up late scheming, trying to figure out what’s the best chance for us to win.”