The Minot Metros dug themselves too deep a hole to climb out of in their West Region tournament semifinal game and find themselves facing elimination following an 11-4 loss to the Bismarck Reps on July 25.

Minot took an early lead, but surrendered 11 of the game’s final 13 runs and wasn’t able to mount a large-scale comeback for the second consecutive contest. As a result, the Metros will have a do-or-die matchup with Dickinson on July 26 at 11 a.m., with the winner advancing to state and the loser seeing their season come to a close. Minot swept a doubleheader from Dickinson earlier this season.

The Metros (25-17) got off to a promising start, plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Jace Price ripped a 2-run double to center field to score Remington Anderson and Gavin King, part of a 3-RBI night for Price.

The Reps rallied to tie the game in the fourth before taking the lead with a run in the fifth. Then the wheels truly came off for the Metros in the sixth, where they conceded eight runs to fall behind 11-2 with just six outs to work with. The Reps recorded five hits, drew four walks and took a hit by pitch for their run onslaught in the frame. Noah Lofberg, Jordan Merkel, Karter Pearson, Brycen Kalfell and Ian Schweigert all drove in runs with base hits, knocking reliever Brody Johnson out of the game after just 1 2/3 innings.

Pearson finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Reps.

In its first round game the day before, Minot rallied from a 6-0 deficit midway through its contest with Watford City to earn a spot in the semifinals, but the Metros had no such luck against Bismarck. They managed to scratch across a pair of runs in the seventh, but came nowhere near making up the deficit. King and Price had back-to-back RBI singles in the seventh, but with runners on second and third with one out, Bismarck turned a double play, throwing out Brady Vigested at first and Anderson at the plate to end the game.

King and Price supplied most of Minot’s offense, totaling five or the team’s eight hits, all four of its RBIs and half of its runs scored.

Lofberg pitched 6 1/3 innings to earn the win for the Reps (16-9) and guaranteed them a spot in next week’s state tournament. He allowed four runs on six hits, striking out three. The Reps will play Valley City in the regional championship.