STEELE, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – There are now four teams left in the District 6 Babe Ruth Baseball tournament in Steele. Valley City, LaMoure, Carrington and Linton/Wishek still have a chance at winning the District title. Thursday, four teams were eliminated: Ashly, Oakes, Ellendale and Steele.
Game 5: #4 Steele 6, #8 Ashley 3
Colin Zimmerman’s two run single capped a three run third and lifted Steele to a 6-3 win over Ashley in the first elimination game of the day.
Steele scored two in the first to take the early lead. But Ashley would cut that lead in 1/2 with a run in the top of the third on James Schumacher rbi double. But Steele would put the game away witgh the three spot in the third.
Ashley would get back to with in 5-3 when Marshall Lindgren lead off the inning with a triple. He would score on a wild pitch. Shane Nitschke would drive in a run with a single in the fifth.
Steele would get some insurance with an rbi ground out by Connor Wolfer. Simon Hager, Blake Braun, and Jacob Biegler all had two hits. Hager scored twice as did Grant Pfaff and Zimmerman added the two key rbi.
Marshall Lindgren led the Aces with two hits and two runs scored.
Game 6: #6 Linton-Wishek 8, Ellendale 3
Linton-Wishek scored six runs in the first inning on the way to the win. The first four batters had hits. Parker Salwei, Kaden Masset, Rykan Salwei and Loga Barnes all drove in runs in the inning.
Parker Salwei led the Rattlers with two hits and two run scored
Riley Thorpe had the lone hit for Ellendale. He also drove in two runs.
Game 7: #1 Valley City 14, Oakes 0 F/4
Valley City did not waist any time. The Kings scored eight runs in the first. They would add four in the second and two in the third.
In the first inning, ten straight batters reached base,but only one hit for the Kings. For the game, Valley City had six hits and drew nine walks.
Ethan Miller, Gavin Gerhardt, Robert Fischer, Max Mehus, Isaiah Schuldheisz and Carver Pederson had the hits for Valley City. Mehus scored three times, Fischer, Espen Kunze, and Pederson all scored twice. Schuldheisz also drove in two runs.
Game 8: #2 Lamoure 20, #3 Carrington 1, 3 1/2 innings
The Lamoure A’s jumped out early scoring 10 runs in the home half of the first inning and never looked back as the roll past the Redbirds by 15-run rule. Corbin Potts was 4-for-4 at the plate with a single, three doubles, five RBI and scored four times. Anthony Hanson and Gunner Thielges had three hits each as well. Corbin Clifton had the only hit for Carrington, a single in the top of the second inning. Hanson picks up the victory on the mound, Grady Shipman suffers the loss. The A’s improve to 32-8 overall, Carrington dropped to 13-6 overall.
Game #9: Carrington 2, Steele 0, 9 innings (elimination game)
The Redbirds had to rebound quickly as they had to take the field in the next game and faced elimination against Steele. The game was scoreless through eight innings, but the Redbirds got two runs in the top of the ninth inning and some good defense in the bottom of the ninth helped secure the victory. Starting pitcher Hudson Schmitz worked a complete game shutout for the Redbirds, 94 pitches, no runs, three strikeouts, five hits one walk. Grant Pfaff suffered the loss. The host Steele ends their season, they go 1-2 in the tourney.
GAME #10: #6 Linton/Wishek 11, #5 Oakes 4, (elimination game)
In the sixth and final game of the day, the Rattlers led 6-0 at the end of two innings, Oakes scored one run in the top of the third and three more in the sixth to cut the gap 6-4. But LW had a big bottom of the sixth inning scoring five runs and took the lead for good. Trace King picks up the victory, working 5 1/3 innings, 93 pitches, four runs, none earned, six strikeouts, two hits and three walks. Rykan Salwei worked an inning and a third in relief. Parker Salwei and JJ Schockley had two hits each for LW. With the loss, Oakes was eliminated from the tourney going 1-2.
FRIDAY SCHEDULE:
10AM – #1 Valley City vs. #2 Lamoure
20 minutes after – #3 Carrington vs. #6 Linton/Wishek (elimination game)
20 minutes after – winner of Carrington/LW vs. loser of VC vs. Lamoure
All games on Thunder Country 98.3 FM, KDDR the Tornado and newsdakota.com.