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CITY (NewsDakota.com)–Two teams with hot bats found their way to the semi-finals of the Section 1 American Legion baseball tournament in Valley City yesterday.
Wahpeton pounded out 23 hits to outslug Valley City 17-10 in the first quarterfinal yesterday at Charlie Brown Memorial Field, and Kindred took advantage of five Enderlin errors to move on 14-6.
The slugfest between Wahpeton and Valley City set the tone for the late session of the tournament, as both games went two-and-a-half hours. The first game saw 27 rusn and 39 hits, along with eight errors.
Wahpeton took advantage of the extra-base hit, with 12 of their 23 hits for extra bases. They hit nine doubles and three homeruns.
Valley City led 6-5 after two innings, but Wahpeton would take the decisive lead in the third, plating seven runs on seven hits, including three doubles, all against Post 60 reliever Preston Myers, who could not record an out before being lifted.
The final shots from Wahpeton’s bats came from winning pitcher Ryan Sheeley, who drilled a two-run homer in the fifth, then rocketed a solo blast over the double-layer fence 380 feet away from the plate in left center in the seventh.
Similar to Wahpeton, Kindred trailed after two innings, down 1-0 before breaking the game open with four runs in the third. However, Enderlin aided the effort with some tough defensive breaks.
Two errors and a hit batsman allowed the four runs on just three hits in the inning. Kindred would score two more in the fourth, chasing starter Taran Langland from the hill after giving up six runs, only one of which were earned.
Kindred would score in five straight innings, surviving a five-run explosion from Enderlin in the sixth off of reliever Zach Nelson, who entered for starter and winner Nick Milbrandt. Milbrandt struck out eight through five, allowing just one run, and stranded the bases loaded for Enderlin twice.
Enderlin faces Fairmount-Hankinson at noon Thursday, after Fairmount-Hankinson outlasted Great Bend 16-12 Wednesday. Valley City draws Lidgerwood at 3:00 p.m. Lidgerwood rolled over Harwood 13-1. Both games are loser-out, and both will be broadcast on The Raven 103.1 FM.
Kindred and Wahpeton meet tonight at 6:00 p.m. The winner gets Friday off and plays in the section finals Saturday, needing one more win to advance to state.