TRUMAN — Running the Section 2 gauntlet.

Class 1A, No. 8-ranked Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman compiled a perfect record during sectional baseball action to earn its first-ever state tournament appearance.

Eighth-year head coach Scott Chirpich’s Jaguars posted a 4-1 third-round playoff victory over No. 5-ranked and 2016 Class 1A state champion Springfield before eliminating No. 11-rated Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City via consecutive wins of 5-1 and 10-2 to garner the sectional crown at Franklin Rogers Park in Mankato.

“Near the end of the regular season, our section actually comprised 10 of the top 20 teams ranked by the QRF,” said Chirpich. “Springfield head coach Bob Fink said it might be tougher getting through our section than any other one in the state.

“Hopefully, with our section being that competitive this season, it’ll help us make a run at state.”

Chirpich, who engineered the sixth-year co-operative baseball program’s first-ever state bid, and the No. 3-seeded Jaguars (21-4) will put their diamond skills to the test against Wabasha-Kellogg first-year mentor Tim Ruff’s unseeded Falcons (16-8) in a 5:30 p.m. state quarterfinal Thursday at the Mini Met in Jordan.

“I don’t know much about them (the Falcons) except that we played a common opponent and beat Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton by similar scores,” Chirpich said in reference to the Jaguars’ 9-5 victory and the Falcons’ 9-2 decision.

Martin Luther/GHEC/ Truman and Wabasha-Kellogg each posted 5-0 sectional records, with both Chirpich and Ruff relying on three-man pitching rotations to hold their opponents in check.

The Falcons assembled a respectable team ERA of 2.74, with senior stalwart Liam Blaschko leading the staff at 2.26. Blaschko has compiled an 8-2 record on the strength of a team-best 98 strikeouts in a team-leading 71.1 innings of work.

Junior Cooper Holtorf and senior Jackson Gosse pack pitching punch behind Blaschko after logging 37.2 and 35 innings, respectively. Holtorf has produced a 4-2 record, 2.79 ERA and 33 strikeouts, while Gosse has generated a 3-3 mark and 3.20 ERA.

Ironically, Holtorf, Gosse and Blaschko also top Wabasha-Kellogg’s offensive charts with respective batting averages of .442, .377 and .313. Gosse leads the team with two homers and 21 RBIs, Blaschko has driven in 20 runs, while Holtorf has belted one HR en route to 13 RBIs.

Across the diamond, Chirpich will turn to his three-man pitching rotation of junior Derek Shoen, junior Zach Jahnz and sophomore Paxton Gravlin in order to quiet the Falcons’ lethal lumber.

Gravlin topped the Jaguars with a 6-1 record and 1.24 ERA in 45 innings pitched to complement 36 strikeouts. Shoen and Jahnz have each compiled 5-1 mound marks in 41 and 40 innings, respectively. Shoen enters state action with a 1.53 ERA and a team-best 56 strikeouts, while Jahnz has netted a 1.41 ERA and 53 strikeouts.

Shoen and Jahnz also represent half of the Jaguars’ four most prolific offensive threats in Chirpich’s purple-and-white clad batting order.

Shoen tops the Jaguars with a .374 batting average to complement two HRs and 24 RBIs, while Jahnz has knocked in 14 runs to go with a .296 clip at the plate.

Senior catcher Ethan Hurn delivers a second-best batting clip of .352 with 22 RBIs, while junior shortstop Zach Wolter carries a .309 batting average and 19 RBIs into the team’s state debut.

“We’ll hold regular practice a little later than usual at 5 (p.m.) to help us adapt to the starting time of our state quarterfinal, but we probably won’t change too much since our players are a bit superstitious — knock on wood,” Chirpich said with a chuckle. “We (Chirpich and assistant coach Dave Hurn) are just trying to get our guys to compete to the best of their abilities whether we’re up or down on the scoreboard right away.

“If we play the game the right way and do all the little intrinsic things, we’ll be able to represent our schools, our fans and our communities in a positive manner at the biggest stage of the season.”

Chirpich said the Jaguars will practice on the Mini Met turf at 4 p.m. Wednesday in Jordan before attending the state tournament banquet at 6 p.m. in Chaska.

“It’s going to be a great experience for our program and everyone who’s helped us get this far,” said Chirpich.

Chirpich expects 2016 Class A state runner-up and No. 1-seeded Parkers Prairie (23-2) to be the pre-tournament favorite due to their overall record and prior state experience.

Parkers Prairie faces first-time state qualifier Pillager (15-10) in Thursday’s state opener at 10 a.m. in Jordan, followed by No. 4-seeded and state baseball novice Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove (22-3) against No. 5-seeded Fosston (22-2) at 12:30 p.m. and No. 2-seeded Legacy Christian Academy (19-4) against Ely (20-8) in a 3 p.m. quarterfinal.

The Class 1A state semifinals will take place at noon and 2:30 p.m. Friday in Jordan, while the consolation semifinals will move to Chaska Athletic Park at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Friday. The consolation championship will be at 3 p.m. Friday in Chaska, followed by the third-place game at 5 p.m.

The Class 1A state championship will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, June 19, at Target Field in Minneapolis.