Sean Williams/MDN – Kellan Burke looking to get on base during a game at Corbett Field that occurred earlier this season.

DICKINSON – Following an opening-round win over Fargo Post 400 on Tuesday, the Minot Vistas took the field once again as they looked to keep moving on in the Class AA Legion Baseball State Tournament.

As the No. 2-seeded team, the Vistas opened Thursday’s play with a matchup against West Fargo, the No. 3-seeded team in the tournament. After taking an early lead, the Vistas were unable to stop the West Fargo Patriots’ comeback effort, as the Patriots rallied to win an 8-4 ballgame.

In the bottom of the first, Kellan Burke got Minot on the board with an RBI single, then Morgan Nygaard and Parker Hann added an RBI double each to give the Vistas a 3-0 advantage after the first frame.

Extending their lead in the third inning, Burke singled then advanced to third on a single by Nygaard. Getting help from the Patriots, Burke scored on a balk to make it a 4-0 game.

Seeming like they were in a good spot to move on in the winner’s bracket, the Patriots played spoilers of Minot’s plans. Scoring three runs across the fourth and fifth innings, the Patriots trimmed their deficit to one-run heading into the final two frames.

With one out in the top of the seventh, the Patriots put together one more rally to tie the game. A walk by Casey Clemenson and consecutive singles by Brody Medina and Konner Entz loaded the bases, which led to a run scoring on a fielder’s choice to even the tilt at 4-4.

After holding the Vistas scoreless in the bottom of the seventh, the game needed extra innings to be decided, which the Patriots put four runs on the board in the eighth to bring the game to its final of 8-4.

Nygaard went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI to lead Minot, followed by Hann who went 2-for-3 with a double, walk and an RBI, Burke who went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Easton Panasuk, Adam Roedocker and Carson Deaver who had one hit each.

While the Vistas’ season was not over yet, the road to a Legion state title got a little more difficult. The loss gave the Vistas another opportunity to play later in the evening, where they matched up with the Williston Keybirds in an elimination game.

Two familiar teams took the diamond with the stakes as high as they’ve ever been this year. While one team got the chance to keep fighting for a state title, the other saw their season come to an end.

In the end, it was the Keybirds who will continue playing for a state title, as they took down the Vistas by a final of 7-6 on Thursday night. In a dramatic, back-and-forth affair, Owan Kok gave the Keybirds the victory with a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The game featured a ton of action both ways, as the Vistas or Keybirds managed to score at least one run in each half frame. A solo shot by Kellan Burke and Tyson Ruzicka put the Vistas up 2-0 heading into the bottom of the second.

Showing fight early, Williston put a combined four runs on the board to take a 4-2 lead heading into the fifth inning. Putting forth their most productive frame, the Vistas countered by playing three runs to take a 5-4 lead in the fifth.

Burke walked with the bases loaded, then a two-run double by Morgan Nygaard put Minot back on top during the inning. Their lead, however, vanished quickly when the Keybirds tacked on two runs in the bottom half of the frame to take a 6-5 advantage.

With only a few innings to go, Carson Deaver evened the contest with an RBI double in the top of the sixth inning. Their strong effort stopped there, making way for Williston to win the game on Kok’s single in the bottom of the seventh, bringing the game to its final of 7-6.

On the mound, Teegan Strand gave the Vistas a boost out of the bullpen. Strand tossed 2.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts.

Burke led the way at the plate for Minot in game two, going 1-for-2 with a home run, two walks and two RBI. Behind Burke was Nygaard who went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI, Ruzicka who went 1-for-4 with an RBI and Deaver who went 2-for-2 with a double, walk and an RBI.