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CITY (NewsDakota.com)–Valley City is making the most of their second-half run.
Playing their best baseball over the last three weeks, a team that struggled with defensive mistakes throughout all of June has advanced to the Section 1 semi-finals with a 2-0 upset of second-seeded Kindred.
After committing 23 errors in three games at the Leevers Classic tourney at the end of June, Post 60 is perfect in the field in the post-season, and used some defensive brilliance to fight off Kindred and advance to face top-seeded Wahpeton Thursday night.
Chase Carpenter was also brilliant Wednesday night, firing a complete-game shutout, allowing three hits while striking out six for the win.
Kindred hurler Jake Kvislen was nearly as good, allowing six hits while fanning nine in a complete-game effort for the loss.
Valley City took the lead in the third on a rare mistake by Kvislen, who plunked Anthony Olstad with the bases loaded, bringing in Carpenter from third for a 1-0 Valley City lead.
Defense made the edge stand. It started in right field a half-inning later, when Andrew Glaser grabbed a line drive off of the bat of Nick Milbrandt with runners on first and second and no outs. Glaser saw both runners well off of their bags, but made a tougher throw to second than the option right in front of him at first. His throw nailed Alex Shields for a double play.
In the fourth, Kindred first-baseman Jack Plankers led off the inning by drawing a walk. Ben Becher then attempted to bunt him into scoring position, but Carpenter read the bunt well, turned and threw out Plankers at second, keeping the tying run at first.
It looked as though Post 60 would allow Kindred to stay in the hunt after stranding eight runners, five in scoring position, through five innings. But Jaden Keys delivered in the top of the seventh, sending a flare to center that scored Glaser for a 2-0 Valley City edge headed to Kindred’s final at-bat.
Casey Reinke drew a walk to start the inning, but Carpenter struck out Kvislen for the first out. On the game’s final play, Zach Nelson rolled a ball just on the shortstop’s side of second, and Valley City’s Josh Gilbertson ran it down, stepped on second, and then beat Nelson at first for a second double play and a game-winning finish.
Post 60 and Wahpeton collide at 7:30 Thursday night. The winner skips Friday and goes right to title play on Saturday. Kindred faces fourth-seed Fairmount-Hankinson in loser-out play Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
The Valley City-Wahpeton game will be heard on Q101 KQDJ-FM.