By DALE KUGATH
Scoop Sports Editor

MANKATO - The defending state champ Mankato Twins appear to be right on track to defend that title.

The Twins pounded 20 hits in romping past the Waseca Braves 14-3 in seven innings in the Section 4B opener at Mankato Aug. 5. The best-of-three series will end at Tink Larson Field if Mankato wins Friday.

The Twins have outscored Waseca 43-8 in winning all three meetings this summer. All three have be 10-run games that were ended in less than nine innings.

Mankato improved to 20-2 this summer.

The Braves lost their fourth straight game to fall to 13-13 for the year.

Waseca did score first in Wednesday's game, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Chad Hollerud and Scott Hanson started the inning with singles, Steve Hovland sacrificed the runners ahead and Scott Kaminski's grounder to second base brought Hollerud home.

However, the lead was short-lived. The Twins answered with two runs in the bottom of the second and never trailed again. Ryan Greene's double and two Waseca errors gave the Twins a 2-1 lead after two innings.

Travis Helling and Dane Allen belted back-to-back doubles for a run in the Mankato third inning. A double steal and another Braves' boot completed the three-run inning, making it 5-1.

Allen belted another run-scoring double in the fourth inning, stretching the Mankato lead to 7-1.

The Twins marched 12 hitters to the plate and knocked Hovland from the mound with a six run fifth inning. Greene started things with a double and Kevin Dixon followed with a two-run homer.

After getting two outs, seven consecutive Mankato batters hit safely.

The Braves cut the deficit to 13-3 with a pair of unearned runs in the sixth inning.

Grady Glynn reached base on an error but the next two hitters grounded out. Jim Loonan delivered and RBI double, and came around to score when Mankato shortstop Chase Brown misplayed Hollerud's grounder.

Aaron Berner smoked a two-out, solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, and the Braves went down meekly in their final at-bat.

Dixon picked up the win for the Twins, allowing one earned run and five hits over six innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out five.

Ben Kaus faced just three batters in the final inning, striking out one.

Loonan had two of Waseca's five hits, one of them a double. He scored a run and added a RBI.

Hollerud, Hanson and Kelvin Nelson had the remaining hits.

The Braves made seven errors and left only two runners on the base paths.

Hovland suffered the loss, dropping him to 4-4. He gave up 18 hits and nine earned runs in four and two-third innings. Hovland walked two and fanned two.

Kaminski made his first mound appearance of the summer, giving up one earned run and two hits in one and one-third innings.

Allen and Greene had three hits apiece for the Twins. Five of their six hits were doubles.

Brown, Kaus, Dixon, Helling, Berner and Zach Danielson added two hits apiece.

Nine of the Mankato's 20 hits went for extra bases.

The Twins made three errors and stranded seven runners.

In the other section game, Marshall defeated the New Ulm Kaiserhoff 13-6.