Steele, N.D. (NewsDakota.com)—–Carrington Post 25 legion baseball team knocked off Linton-Ashley-Wishek (LAW) 7-5 in the semifinals to advance to the District 4 title game and the Black Sox of New Rockford Post 30 defeated Kidder County 6-2 and LAW 2-1 in a pair of elimination games to advance to the title game versus Carrington. With Carrington hosting the 2023 class B tournament, New Rockford will be guaranteed a spot in the state tournament as well even if they finish in second place (need to beat Carrington twice on Wednesday).
Elimination Game:
New Rockford Post 30 Black Sox 6 Kidder County Post 20 2
The Black Sox would score 3 runs in the top of the first inning aided by Keaton Cudworth’s 2 run double scoring Connor Knatterud (1-3, 2 runs, SB) and Thomas Allmaras (1-4. run). Cudworth (1-3, 2 runs, 2 RBI) would score the third run on a RBI groundout off the bat of Alex Weisenberger. Cudworth also picked up the pitching victory throwing 7 innings allowing 1 unearned run, striking out 9 batters, 1 hit allowed, and 3 base on balls. Haydon Meier went 2-3 including a pair of doubles and added a bases loaded RBI walk in a three run seventh inning. Luke Yri (1-2), added and RBI sacrifice flyout in the seventh inning that scored Knatterud, and Skye Kramlich (1-3) added a bases loaded RBI walk scoring Cudworth.
Kidder County picked up 2 total hits as Jace Larson went 1-3 and Trey Silbernagel went 1-2. Kidder County finished it’s season 3-9 overall.
Semifinal: Carrington Post 25 7 LAW Rattlers 5
Carrington and LAW were tied 2-2 after 2 innings with Post 25 scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the first and LAW getting 2 runs in the top of the 2nd inning. Carrington left the bases loaded in the first inning that could have been a big inning but hit into a 6-4-3 double play that scored Jack Erickson. Grady Shipman (1-4, run) scored later on a Lucas Hendrickson (2-3, RBI, run, BB) RBI single for a 2-0 lead. After a walk and hit batter loaded the bases for the second time in the inning the Rattlers got a big strikeout to end the inning. The Rattlers scored 3 unearned runs, 2 in the second and 1 in the fifth inning. Post 25 added 4 more runs in the third inning aided by a hit batter and 3 walks, 2 of the walks were with the bases loaded giving both Kael Kovar and Corbin Clifton RBI’S. Hendrickson scored on a wild pitch and Josh Bickett added an RBI squeeze bunt that plated Kovar. LAW would trail 7-2 before scoring single runs in each of the final three innings cutting the deficit and final score to 7-5. Hendrickson picked up the pitching victory going 6 2/3 innings striking out 9 batters, allowing 5 runs (2 earned), walking 4 batters, and hitting 2 batters. Berkley Frantz went 2-2 for the Rattlers, scored 1 run, and was hit by pitch twice. Parker Salwei went 1-3 with 3 RBI and a walk. Carrington improved to 12-7 with the win and LAW dropped to 10-8.
Elimination game: New Rockford Post 30 Blacksox 2 LAW Rattlers 1
The Blacksox scored 2 runs in the top of the fourth inning and made it holdup for a 1 run victory and advanced to the District 4 title game against Carrington. Connor Knatterud would pickup the pitching win and also get the pitching save in the same game. Knatterud pitched the first 5 1/3 innings allowing 1 earned run on a Rykan Salwei RBI single that scored Connor Kosiak who doubled to start the 6th inning. Knatterud would leave the mound with 1 out in the 6th, and Keaton Cudworth recorded a pair of strikeouts to end the inning leaving runners stranded at second and third base, Cudworth had 4 pitches left entering the 7th inning and retired the first batter on 3 pitchers and got the second out without allowing a runner. Knatterud would return to the mound and allowed a single to Parker Salwei before getting Kosiak to flyout to Thomas Allmaras at shortstop for the final out. The Blacksox picked up an RBI single from Knatterud in the 2 run fiurth inning scoring Alex Weisenberger and Allmaras drove in Haydon Meier with an RBI groundout. Knatterud went 1-4 and Skye Kramlich was 1-2 with a walk, were the only 2 hits in the game for Post 30. The Rattlers finished there season 10-9 and the Blacksox improved to 5-7.
New Rockford will face Carrington at 3:00 P.M. on Wednesday afternoon in the District 4 title game. If New Rockford would win, a second championship game would be played 25 minutes after the first game. All games being aired on Q101.1 and www.newsdakota.com