Ryan Ladika/MDN Dalton Anderson slides safely into home plate in the bottom of the third inning to score Surrey's first run of the day.

The Surrey Blue Sox continued their tear through the 2021 Class B District 2 Tournament Wednesday, earning their second consecutive run-rule victory by way of a 10-0 final score against the Makoti Mavericks in six innings at Corbett Field. With the win, Surrey advanced to the tournament semifinal round Thursday afternoon.

Fresh off an 11-1 victory against the Burlington Bulldogs Tuesday night, the Blue Sox entered the first game of the day looking to continue its scorching-hot offensive production. Makoti was coming off a solid win of its own, 5-3 over Crosby Tuesday afternoon, to earn its spot in the quarterfinals against Surrey.

Surrey’s Wednesday starter, Carson Merck, surrendered a single to Ben Haaland to lead off the contest, the first of only two hits Merck would yield throughout the afternoon. An error allowed Haaland to advance to second, and Makoti’s two-hole hitter Connor Kunz then clubbed a Merck offering right to Jonah Ringstad in left field.

Ringstad, after making the catch, fired the ball back to second to double Haaland off, who had wandered a bit too farr off the bag. He induced a flyout off the bat of Seth Fjeldahl to escape the inning having faced the minimum.

Mavericks starter Nathan Carico matched Merck pitch-for-pitch through the first two frames, retiring the first six Sox hitters he faced to keep pace with the Surrey right-hander. Merck tossed a perfect second, including his first strikeout, and whiffed two more in the third to keep the game scoreless entering the home half of the third inning.

Minot’s offense gained traction in the third, sending seven hitters to the plate in a two-run frame. Dalton Anderson lined a one-out double, advanced to third base on a wild pitch, and scored on a beautifully-executed safety squeeze bunt laid down by Merck in the nine-hole.

Kekoa Munos drew a two-out walk, and the heart of the Blue Sox order made Carico pay for it. Jaxon Feller immediately swatted a run-scoring double, bolstering the Surrey’s lead to 2-0.

The two runs were more than enough for a dominant Merck, who cut through the Makoti order like a knife through butter. A one-out Mavericks single was harmless in the fourth, and the righty struck out two more in the fifth as part of a stretch that saw Merck set down the final seven hitters he faced.

The Blue Sox offense exploded in the home half of the fifth inning, sending 10 hitters to take their hacks and scoring five times with one out. Jaxon Feller scored on a wild pitch, Headrick drove home Coltan Francis, who reached on an error, with a run-scoring double, Keegan McLain plated a pair with a long home run over the left field fence, and Ringstad scored the fifth run of the inning on another Makoti miscue.

Three more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, by way of a pair of run-scoring singles by Headrick and Brady Feller, put a bow on Surrey’s second straight win and sealed the 10-0 run-rule victory.

In six innings, Merck allowed only two singles and one walk while striking out five Mavericks. Five Blue Sox hitters recorded at least two hits, led by Headrick and McLain’s 2-for-4 and 2-for-3, respectively, showings with two RBI each.

Surrey will now look ahead to their Thursday matchup against top-seeded Renville County, who had the day off after its 19-4 three-inning victory Tuesday against Kenmare, in the tournament semifinals. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon.