Harrisburg Gold improves to 3-0 in State Class A Legion baseball tournament
CLARK — Nicholai Arbach tossed a three-hitter with eight strikeouts to lift the top-seeded Lake Norden Lakers to a 10-0 win over the Volga Cormorants in the championship game of the District 1B amateur baseball tournament on Thursday.
The Lakers (17-3) took control with a three-run third inning and finished off the game by scoring six runs in the seventh to put the 10-run rule into effect.
Both teams (along with Milbank, Clark and Elkton) will represent the district in the state tourney Aug. 2-13 at Mitchell.
Mick Tulson and Matt Stevenson each tallied two hits. Jordon Johnson doubled and joined Josh Cleveland and Trevor Thue with two runs batted in apiece.
Damian Danzeisen, Kyler Bezdichek and Connor Gross each singled for Volga. Dylan Vosburg went the distance in the loss.
State tourney pairings should be released this weekend.
Northern Plains Amateur Baseball
GROTON — Josh McQuarie's run-scoring single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh lifted the Northville Merchants to a 4-3 state-qualifying win over the Miller-Wessington Outlaws on Thursday.
The Merchants (4-4) will play in the state tourney Aug. 2-13 at Mitchell. The Outlaws finished 1-9.
Carson Simes, Ben Fischbach, Greg Heyne and McQuarie each collected two hits for Northville. Jeremiah Maxfield earned the win with four innings of one-hit relief.
Ryan Soler and Layne Cotton had two hits apiece for the Outlaws. Gunnar Brueggeman added a triple. Cody Cotton went the distance in the loss.
Region 1B 16U Tournament
BRYANT — Host Hamlin came out of the loser's bracket to win two games Thursday and and force a second championship game in the Region 1B tournament.
Hamlin opened the day with a 12-4 win over Britton in an elimination game. Watson Grantham went 5-for-5 at the plate and also earned the win on the mound. Jackson Maag, who drove in four runs, and Riggs Prouty each had two hits. Bryce Hawkinson doubled for Britton.
Hamlin then used a three-run seventh to rally past Elkton in the first championship game on Thursday. Hamlin trailed 7-6 before scoring on a double by Parker Boerger, single by Ted Smith and an error.
Elkton scored a run and had the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh when Hamlin's Kelby Hauck recorded three-straight strikeouts. He fanned six batters in 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief.
Boerger had two singles and a double and drove in three runs. Prouty added two hits for Hamlin. Colt Beck had two hits for Elkton.
State A American Legion
YANKTON — Harrisburg Gold improved to 3-0 and host Yankton eliminated defending champion Rapid City Post 22 on Thursday in the state Class A tourney.
Harrisburg Gold (24-12) clinched a berth in the tourney championship with a 3-2 win over Sioux Falls East. In elimination games, Yankton (25-13) downed Post 22 6-2 and Brookings (27-6) handled Renner 13-2.
Harrisburg scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to erase a 1-0 deficit, getting two runs on a double by Noah Boschee and another on a bases-loaded walk. Braxton Kusler allowed only three hits and struck out 10 in 5 1/3 inning son the mound.
Tristan Fitzsimmons doubled and singled for East (40-9). Andrew Glovich added a double and fanned eight batters in the loss.
Rugby Ryken and Lucas Kampshoff had two hits each and Matthew Sheldon allowed only two hits over five innings for Yankton. Post 22 ended its season with a 47-23 record.
Breck Hirschoff, Nathan Lease and Nolan Miles had two hits each and Parker Winghart drove in four runs for Brookings. Owen Schneider allowed only two hits over five innings. Kyle Konechne and Trey Heckenlaible each doubled for Renner (29-19).
The double-elimination tourney continues through Saturday.
Other State Tournaments
Watertown and Aberdeen teams each opened play in other state baseball tournaments on Thursday.
In the State Class A Junior Legion tourney at Harrisburg, top-seeded Watertown Post 17 rallied to beat Renner 6-5. Post 17 tied the game on a solo homer by Hayden Ries in the bottom of the sixth and won on Nathan Briggs' walk-off double in the seventh.
In the Class A Baseball 16U tourney at Sioux Falls, the Watertown Red Sox beat Yankton 5-3 and the Aberdeen Smittys fell 11-1 to Brandon.
In the Class A Baseball 13U tourney at Brookings, the Watertown Grey Sox topped Pierre 5-1 and the Aberdeen Smittys lost to Mitchell 9-6.
Other Watertown and Aberdeen teams were scheduled to open play in the Class Baseball A 14U and 13-14U tournaments on Friday.
All of the tournaments run through Sunday.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Top-seeded Lake Norden Lakers win District 1B amateur baseball tourney
