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Erickson erupts in Mustangs win over Aggies

Sean Williams/MDN Noah Erickson (6) of the Surrey Mustangs celebrates at third base after hitting a triple in a Region 6 Tournament game against the Velva/Drake-Anamoose Aggies on Monday afternoon.

The Surrey Mustangs were ready to officially defend their Region 6 title from a year ago, as they marched into Corbett Field as the No. 2-seeded team in this year’s Region 6 Tournament.

Hoping to find similar success as they did last year, the Mustangs matched up with the Velva/Drake-Anamoose Aggies to open tournament play.

Guided by the two-way play of Noah Erickson, the Mustangs battled through a back-and-forth affair early on, before eventually taking down the Aggies by a final of 13-5.

Before both teams settled into a battle that went jab for jab, the Mustangs had the early momentum as they scored the first five runs of the game. A single by N. Erickson got things started, which eventually led to a run on a passed ball. William Mayo picked up an RBI single in the first as well, giving the Mustangs a 2-0 lead.

Not stopping there, N. Erickson drove in two on a triple in the bottom of the second, and Coltan Francis registered an RBI single, extending the Mustangs’ lead to 5-0 heading into the third inning.

With all the noise the Mustangs were making early on, it seemed like they were ready to run away with the game, however, the Aggies had different plans.

Payton Bodine got the Aggies on the board after singling then coming around to score in the third. One inning later, the Aggies continued to strike. Thomas Bodine scored on a passed ball, then Bradyn Bossert had a two-run single and scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 5-5.

Suddenly, it was a brand-new ballgame at Corbett Field, until the Mustangs countered in a big way in the bottom half of the frame.

A six-run frame highlighted by a Bryten Vetter double and score on a wild pitch, a N. Erickson score on a wild pitch, a Kanoa Munos score on an error, a Francis score on a Mayo groundout, an RBI single from Luke Wegner, and N. Erickson walking with the bases loaded gave Surrey an 11-5 advantage heading into the fifth.

The Mustangs went on to hold the Aggies off the scoreboard the rest of the way, while N. Erickson continued to be a force in the game. In the bottom of the sixth, N. Erickson brought the game to its final score on a two-run home run, as Surrey went on to win by a final of 13-5.

In addition to going 4-for-4 with a triple, home run, walk and five RBI, N. Erickson started on the mound and got the win for Surrey. He tossed 6.1 innings, allowing five runs (one earned) on four hits with five walks and eight strikeouts.

The Mustangs were also led by Mayo who went 1-for-4 with two RBI, Francis who went 1-for-1 with three walks and an RBI, Wegner who went 1-for-2 with an RBI, and Vetter who went 1-for-1 with a double and three walks.

Bossert went 1-for-2 with two RBI to lead the Aggies, followed by Preston Kraft, Cooper Kittleson, P. Bodine, and T. Bodine who had a hit each.

With the win, the Mustangs met the Bishop Ryan Lions in the Region 6 Tournament semifinals that took place at 7 p.m. last night. The Mustangs fell, 9-8, and will face the Velva Aggies in an elimination game at 5 p.m. today.

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