Royals reign at Midsummer Classic Championship
Valley City went 4-0 over the weekend and defeated Casselton 13-1 in five innings in the championship game to claim the Midsummer Classic tournament title.
After two close games in pool play, the Royals won decisive games on Sunday.
Friday/Saturday - Valley City 8, Clark/ Willow Lake, S.D. 7
The Royals scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pick up an 8-7 win Saturday. The game started Friday night, but lightning in the area caused a weather delay of 45 minutes with Valley City about to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning, trailing the Senators 7-4. It did not take long after the game resumed that another large lightning strike near Charlie Brown Field caused another delay. But this time, the umpires and coaches decided to resume the game Saturday morning.
But Friday night when they did play. The Royals jumped out to a 2-0 lead with two runs in the bottom of the first. Devyn Thornton’s tworun single scored Braxton Jorissen and Gavin Gerhardt with the first runs of the game.
Clark/Willow Lake scored four runs in the top of the third to take a 4-2 lead. They would add to that lead with three runs in the fourth. All came after there were two out.
Valley City started its comeback in the bottom of the fourth when Max Mehus scored on an error and Joe Cummings scored on Ethan Miller’s sacrifice fly to make it 7-4.
When the game resumed on Saturday morning, Broden Muske led off the seventh with a single. Mehus reached on an error sending courtesy runner Zach Sykora to third. Sykora scored on an error to tie the game at 7. Then Mehus scored on an error for the winning run.
Devyn Thornton was 2 for 4 with 2 rbi. Muske was 2 for 4 and Adam Bitz was 1 for 4 with two rbi. Joe Cummings got the win with two shutout innings of relief work. He allowed two hits and struck out four.
Saturday - Valley City 10, Langdon 9
In their second game of pool play Saturday night, the Royals would again walk it off. But it did not look that way to start.
Valley City scored five runs in the second inning, all with two out. Ethan Miller was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the first run. Braxton Jorissen cleared the bases with a three run double to make it 4-0. Gavin Gerhardt tripled, scoring Jorissen for a 5-0 lead.
The Royals added three more in the fourth. Kai Kringlie scored on a fielder’s choice. Miller and Gerhardt scored on Devyn Thornton’s single to make it 8-0.
They would make it 9-0 in the fifth when Mehus scored on Kringlie’s sacrifice fly.
But Langdon came back to score seven runs, all with two out, in the top of the sixth. The Royals were one out away from end it, the Red Sox scored two runs with two out to tie the game at 9.
In the bottom of the seventh, Mehus led off with a double, went to third on Joe Cummings bunt single then scored on Kai Kringlie’s sacrifice fly for the 10-9 win.
Braxton Jorissen was 2 for 3 with three rbi. Max Mehus was 2 for 4 with three runs scored. Gavin Gerhardt, Devyn Thornton and Kai Kringlie all had two rbi.
Sunday - Semifinals, Valley City 13, West Fargo Aces 3
In the semifinals on Sunday, the Royals would not let the early lead slip away. They scored two in the first when Ethan Miller and Gavin Gerhardt scored on an error.
The Aces got one back in the top of the second on a ground out.
The Royals blew the game open with five runs in the second. Adam Bitz scored on a fielder’s choice. Miller and Gerhardt scored on Broden Muske’s rbi single. Then Muske and Devyn Thornton scored on Joe Cummings’ single for a 7-1 lead.
The Royals scored two more in the third when Miller and Gerhardt scored on back to back wild pitches to make it 9-1.
West Fargo got a run back on a fielder’s choice in the fourth to make it 9-2. And added a run on a bases loaded walk in the fifth to make it 9-3.
But the Royals ended the game early with four runs in the fifth. Gerhardt doubled in Braxton Jorissen. Thornton singled in Gerhardt. A two out bases loaded walk to Adam Bitz scored Thornton. Ethan Miller reached on an infield single to score Mehus for a 13-3 win.
Eight starters had at least one hit led by Miller who was 3 for 4 with three runs scored. Gerhardt, Muske and Cummings all drove in two. And Gerhardt scored four times.
Sunday - Championship Valley City 13, Casselton 1
The Royals scored in every inning and cruised to the easy win.
In the first, Ethan Miller scored on a wild pitch. And Gavin Gerhardt scored on a ground out for the early 2-0 lead.
The Royals scored five more in the second. Courtesy runner, Zach Sykora, scored on a passed ball to make it 3-0. Kai Kringlie scored on a passed ball to make it 4-0. Devyn Thornton was hit by a pitch, scoring Adam Bitz for a 5-0 Royals lead. Miller scored on a wild pitch and Gerhardt scored on Broden Muske’s sacrifice fly for a 7-0 lead.
Valley City scored two more in the third on a bases loaded walk to Gerhardt, scoring Kringlie. Thornton was hit by a pitch with bases loaded to bring in Miller for a 9-0 lead.
Single by Miller in the fourth scored Zach Sykora to make it 100. With Gerhardt at the plate, Bitz scored on a wild pitch and later in the at bat, Miller scored on a wild pitch to make it 12-0.
The Royals tacked on one more run on Espen Kunze’s pinch hit single, scoring Robert Fischer.
Post 15 got one run back in the bottom of the fifth but it wasn’t enough.
Miller was 2 for 2 with four runs scored. Joe Cummings was 2 for 3. Gavin Gerhardt, Kai Kringlie and Adam Bitz all scored twice.
Will Schwehr pitched five strong innings to get the win. He allowed four hits and one earned run. He walked two and had one strikeout.
Valley City is 15-5 and will return to conference play Tuesday when they travel to Wahpeton for a double header. Then back home on Wednesday for a nonconference doubleheader with Park River.