JAMESTOWN- On a day that seemingly never ended for the Sheyenne-New Rockford Black Sox, their return to the state tournament after a 24-year hiatus waited through two hours of delays in the game before theirs and eleven innings later, the words Jack Kennedy said to his son John in 1960 held true.

“You’re a lot less tired when you win!”

A go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 11th inning by Bradyn Collier proved decisive in a 3-2 win over Des-Lacs Burlington in the 2024 Class B State Quarterfinals on Thursday at Jack Brown Stadium.

Keaton Cudworth and Paxton Ystaas went toe-to-toe for seven innings, with only a two-run third for the Lakers on one hit and a two-run sixth for the Sox thanks to an error to score both runs, before turning the game over to the bullpens.

Connor Knatterud entered in the eighth and induced a 4-6-3 double play and that was the last major threat for the Lakers.  Meanwhile, after Ystaas went 9 innings, Jake Shafer allowed a single to Brody Weisenberger to lead off the 11th.  Alex Weisenberger then doubled to the wall, setting up Collier’s dramatics.

With the win, Sheyenne-New Rockford advance to a State Semifinal on Friday against #1-seed and two-time defending state champion Thompson with coverage on KDAK beginning at approximately 4:15pm.