Metros rally falls short
Defending champs stop MetrosBy CRAIG HAUPERT, Staff Writer chaupert@minotdailynews.com
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LAMOURE - One huge swing by Ben Watkins helped defending state champion LaMoure stay in the driver's seat.
Second baseman Watkins hit a grand slam over the centerfield fence at Townsend Field as LaMoure held off the late-charging Minot Metros 9-7 during a second-round winner's-bracket game of the state Class B American Legion Baseball Tournament Thursday.
"It was a fast ball that was a little up in the zone, so it was one I could drive," said Watkins, who batted 2-for-2 with a double and four runs batted in.
LaMoure will play Casselton today in a battle of the remaining undefeated teams, while Minot plays Harvey in a loser-out game.
Watkins' first career grand slam put LaMoure ahead 7-0 in the second inning and was the fifth hit given up by Metros starter, Jordan Rubbelke, who had pitched 2 2/3 innings of relief in the Metros' first rounder Wednesday.
In five innings, Rubbelke gave up eight runs and nine hits while striking out three and walking five.
"Jordan struggled a little bit with his location early in the game, left the ball up," Metros head coach Travis Smith said. "We told our pitchers you can't leave your pitches up or they'll capitalize and they sure did."
Trailing 9-1, the Metros began to rally in the bottom of the fourth inning. They scored three runs, two on a single by Alex Fornshell and another on a two-out walk of Rubbelke, to cut the lead to 9-4.
The walk of Rubbelke with the bases loaded was the fourth of the inning and sixth of the game by LaMoure starting pitcher, Gaige Dunn, who at that point was relieved by Cam Albertson.
Dunn picked up the win, allowing three hits and four earned runs in 3 2/3.
Albertson immediately struck out Josh Melom to end the bases-loaded threat. In the fifth, Albertson got out of another two-out bases-loaded jam with a strikeout of Jarid Hoffman.
In the sixth he struck out two in a row to end the inning with runners on second and third.
"We have a lot of pitching," Watkins said. "We probably have about 2-3 guys we could bring in in that position. Coach decided to go with Cam and he was able to do it."
Before Albertson's back-to-back strikeouts in the sixth, the Metros pulled to within 9-6 when Fornshell scored on a Kris Winkels single and Melom scored on a throwing error.
The Metros opened the seventh with an Alex Howell single and a Hoffman double, prompting LaMoure head coach Jason Thielges to replace Albertson with Ben Holen. Fornshell hit into a 4-3 play, scoring Howell, then Holen struck out Rubbelke and got Winkels to hit into a 1-3 play to end the game.
"I'm proud of the way our guys fought back," Smith said. "There are opportunities we missed out on, but overall our guys are showing guts and they're fighting. I think they gained some respect coming back on the defending state champs."
The Metros finished with six hits and got a 3-for-3 night from Brett Fiddler and three RBIs from Fornshell.
Harvey 2, Grafton 0
Before the start of the bottom of the third inning, Tanner Lorenz turned to the Harvey dugout and said "come on guys we haven't scored once all tournament."
Not more than five minutes later, Lorenz took his own advice and hit a one-run double to center field, sparking Harvey to a 2-0 defeat of Grafton in a loser-out game of the state Class B American Legion Baseball Tournament.
"We've been to state a lot lately but have never really played that well," said Lorenz, who batted 2-for-3 Thursday and is 4-for-6 in the tournament. "It feels good to get one out of the way."
Harvey starter Bryan Krahler frustrated Grafton, allowing four hits, while striking out seven and walking one in seven innings. Twice Krahler stopped scoring threats with an inning-ending strikeout.
"Bryan did a great job," Lorenz said. "I don't think he gave up more than one walk and that's what killed us the other day."
In the third, Krahler reach on a walk, stole second and came home on Lorenz's double. Kenny Keller followed with a single and Michael Leier drove in Lorenz in the next at bat for a 2-0 lead.
Jordan Lutovsky took the loss for Grafton, which after not being shutout all season, exits the tournament after consecutive shutout losses.
