It’s scientifically impossible to quantify, but maybe a first-inning leaping catch by its left fielder was simply what St. Thomas Academy needed to keep its magical turnaround going.

However, that charmed stretch crashed hard late.

Jack Anderson hit a two-run single to cap a three-run seventh inning, and top-seeded Benilde-St. Margaret’s rallied past the Cadets 6-5 in a Class 3A baseball quarterfinal on Thursday at Chaska Athletic Park.

“That’s Red Knights baseball,” said Ford Stoen, who had one of the four straight singles in the seventh for Benilde-St. Margaret’s. “We’ve had so many wins like that. We’re so clutch. We hit all the way through.”

The loss stings, no doubt, but for St. Thomas Academy players and coaches there is plenty for which to be proud considering where this team was just a few weeks ago.

The Cadets (12-13) started the season 6-1 before losing 11 of their final 13 regular season games. Seeded fourth in their section, they won four straight games.

Coach Bobby Thompson said his team had two choices against the 21-3 Red Knights: roll over against the No. 1 seed or compete with your best effort. “I’m incredibly proud of them today.”

“We put our best foot forward tonight, and that’s all you can ask for,” said Michael Stavseth, who had a web gem to save a couple runs in the first for St. Thomas Academy.

Already up 1-0 in the first, Anderson crushed a J.D. Dobis offering that appeared to have home run written all over it. However, Stavseth made a highlight catch by leaping at the wall, fully extending and reaching his glove over the yellow line and snagging the ball.

A standing ovation came from the Cadets faithful; Red Knights players applauded from their dugout, too.

“There were hitting them deep on J.D. early in the first inning and I just kind of stood back and envisioned a robbery. In my head I’m thinking that’d be crazy because I never robbed one like that before. Twenty seconds later, he hits one off the bat. I just sprint to the wall, find it, and I don’t really know. It was a dream really,” Stavseth said. “That catch kept us in the game for essentially the whole game.”

“Tip of the cap to him,” Anderson said of his good friend, “but I definitely got him back at the end of the game,”

Dobis, a University of Minnesota recruit, allowed five hits and struck out seven in six innings. Of his 103 pitches, 63 were strikes but his pitch count kept him on the bench in the seventh.

“We were on him to start, but he’s one damn good pitcher and one of my very, very close friends,” Anderson said. “Fun to compete against him.”

Three straight singles with one out in the seventh got Benilde with one before Anderson lined a single into right-center and the celebration was on near the first-base dugout.

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