MANDAN - The 2009 Bishop Ryan baseball team didn't have the talent to do what the previous two Lions teams did.
This year's Lions had to win with dogged determination.
And that's just what they did.
Ryan rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to top Central Cass 4-3 to win and take their third consecutive Class B State title Saturday at Memorial Ballpark.
After graduating nine players from last year's team, Ryan head coach Bryan Kramer said this year's championship was the most satisfying,
"We had a lot of seniors on those teams and kids with a lot of ability," he said. "I don't know if I've ever been more proud because of how much we improved and how we kept scratching and clawing - and that's kind of how we won the thing tonight."
The Lions entered the bottom of the sixth trailing 3-0, when they sharpened their claws.
Adam Burckhard hustled out an infield single to start the inning. Ben Kramer followed with a single to left. After a balk moved the runners to second and third, starting pitcher Kyle Petz reached on an infield single.
Squirrels pitcher Beau Sinner mowed down the next two batters via strikeout.
Sinner got two strikes on Ryan's Ben Magnuson before Magnuson reached out and dropped a single into center to plate two.
Petz scored the tying run when Sinner tried to get Magnuson in a rundown between second and third.
Magnuson stole third and came home when Kyler Elm beat out a dribbler up the first base line that Central Cass's infield couldn't corral.
"Everyone contributed (to that sixth inning)," Ben Kramer said. "Everyone came to the plate with a plan."
Even though the Lions erased Central Cass' deficit with four runs in the sixth, the game wasn't iced quite yet.
The Squirrels reached on a one-out error and Jacob Mogen ripped a double to left field to put runners on second and third.
Magnuson relieved Petz and intentionally walked the next batter. Magnuson blew three straight fastballs past Central Cass No. 3 hitter Brandon Rust and got Jack Wilcox to pop out to Daniel Himmerick in center field to end the game.
"When I came out on the hill, I had intended on making the switch," Bryan Kramer said. "Ben (Magnuson) gave me a nod. I thought we were in a pretty good spot."
Magnuson threw nothing but fastballs, to earn the save.
"I was nervous (after the bases were loaded with the intentional walk), but I was pretty pumped up," he said. "I thought I'm not going to give them anything but fastballs."
Petz was outstanding in the starting role for the Lions. He gave up just two earned runs in 6 1/3 and more importantly didn't walk a batter.
"Petz did a great job on the hill keeping them off-balance," Bryan Kramer said. "He got ahead and used his curve as well as he has all season."
Sinner was also outstanding for the Squirrels. He struck out eight Ryan batters and allowed three earned runs and didn't allow a walk.
The Lions almost let the game slip from their hands in the early innings, as they stranded runners in scoring position in two of the first three innings and allowed an unearned run in the fourth to fall behind 1-0.
The win tied the Lions with four other teams who have won at least three straight state titles. The last was Cavalier in 2002, '03 and '04.
Ben Kramer won Senior Athlete of the Year honors for the Lions.
Third place
Hatton-Northwood 4,
Shiloh Christian 0
Hatton-Northwood's Andrew Working had it working Saturday, blanking Shiloh Christian 4-0 in the third place game. Working struck out 10 Skyhawk batters and walked just three while giving up five hits.
David Ellingson drove in a pair of runs and scored one himself as the Thunder scored three runs in the second to give Workin some breathing room.
Shiloh Christian was committed five errors, leading to a pair of unearned runs.
Fifth place
Grafton 17,
Munich-Starkweather-North Star 14
Grafton got a late field goal to top Munich-Starkweather-North Star 17-14 in the fifth-place game.
In reality, the Spoilers scored three runs in the top of the seventh to complete a gigantic comeback. M-S-NS led 8-0 after the second inning, but Grafton scored a combined 14 runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to take a lead. The Magicians tied the game at 14-14 with a three-run fifth of their own.
Despite the 31 runs, the teams combined for just 14 hits, seven from each teams. The teams also combined for nine errors.
Seventh place
Dakota Prairie 7,
Velva-Drake 6
Velva-Drake's comeback came up just short, as the Aggies stranded the potential tying run on second base in the bottom of the seventh.
The Aggies dug themselves and early hole by giving up six innings to Dakota Prairie in the fourth innings.
After that, the Aggies settled in, scoring at least one run in each of the final four innings, while blanking Dakota Prairie over the final three innings.
For the third straight game, errors were the Aggies' downfall. V-D committed four errors, leading to four unearned runs.
Ty Bruner, Austyn Kittelson and Trenton Bruner each had two hits for V-D in the loss.
Kittelson and Tyler Mack scored two runs each.
