MANKATO – New Ulm Cathedral made the Awesome Blossoms sweat a little, but Blooming Prairie prevailed to win 3-2 in the Class ‘A’ quarterfinals in Caswell Park in North Mankato Friday.

BP pitcher Shelbi Swenson struck out 14 and allowed just three hits, but two of those hits were solo home runs that cut a 3-0 lead to 3-2.

“Those are the first home runs I’ve given up all year,” Swenson said. “It kind of flusters me a little big, but it also motivates me. It makes me mad and I throw harder.”

BP (21-3 overall), which will play Kerkohven-Murdock-Sunberg (23-0 overall) in the semifinals Thursday at 7 p.m., took a 3-0 lead when Ashley Krohnberg grounded out with the bases loaded to knock in a run in the fifth.

Swenson also knocked in Sydney Heiber in that frame and Heiber had a run scoring double to left field in the third inning.

Heiber said BP had to calm itself before it found a hitting rhythm.

“It was definitely nerves,” she said. “But once we started going it was good. We need those runs to shake it off.”

The Blossoms also had to fight off any fears they had after Lisa Helget and Leah Kzramarzick each lined homers over the left field fence off Swenson.

“That was weird,” Heiber said. “We just had to get right back to it and we had to keep fighting to get the win.”

BP 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 – 3 6 0

NUC 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 – 2 3 3

BP pitching: Shelbi Swenson (W), 7 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 2 ER, 14 K

BP hitting: Tessa Ivers, 0-for-3, BB; Jenna Krell, 0-for-4; Sydney Heiber, 2-for-4, double, RBI, R; Swenson, 2-for-3, double, RBI, R, BB; Megan O’Connor, 0-for-1; Sam Ivers, 1-for-3; Madison Worke, 0-for-2, BB; Bria Baldwin, 0-for-3; Ashley Krohnberg, 0-for-3, RBI; Mariah Holland, 1-for-2, R