26ers’ second baseman Rylan Schaan throws over to first to complete a double play after forcing out Cando’s Hunter Hagler during the Souris River Slugfest on Friday, June 26, at Corbett Field. Mike Kraft/MDN

Before half of the tournament field stepped onto the field for the first time, the Velva 39ers Legion baseball team had already piled up two wins and put themselves in prime position to play for a title at the end of the weekend.

Velva kicked off the Souris River Slugfest with an 11-4 victory over the Minot 26ers before returning to the field 25 minutes later for its second game of the day. The result was the same, as the 39ers capped off an undefeated day by posting a 16-0 win against Cando on Friday, June 26, at Corbett Field.

“We came out and hit the ball really well today and fielded the ball really well,” Velva coach Kevin Kittleson said. “We played really good baseball. Pitchers threw strikes and continued what we have been doing.”

Against the 26ers (2-8), Velva scored the game’s first 11 runs, highlighted by a six-run sixth inning to pull away after Minot kept it close throughout the early stages of the contest. With a 5-0 lead entering the sixth inning, the 39ers received a pair of two-out RBI singles from Tucker Wilson and Braycen Hammer – both with the bases loaded. With the bags still full, Jack Passa drew a walk to score Peyton Weidler. Earlier in the inning, Hammer scored on a passed ball and an error at second off the bat of Mason Kraft allowed Reese Steffen to reach home safely.

Steffen opened the scoring for the 39ers in the third inning, plating Passa on an RBI groundout to second. The second of two errors by Minot in the frame allowed Cooper Kittleson to score for a 2-0 lead.

The 39ers (12-2) tacked on three more runs in the fifth. Passa led off with a triple – the lone extra-base hit by either team – and came around to score on an RBI single by Steffen to right field. Kittleson scored on a passed ball during Kraft’s at-bat, which ended with Kraft driving home Steffen with a single up the middle.

“We came out here and hit the ball and made some plays,” Cooper Kittleson said. “We had some new guys play some new spots, so it was interesting to see how these two games went, but we came out on top and that’s what matters.”

Minot avoided Velva’s shutout attempt with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Tate Schindler got the 26ers on the board with an RBI single to center, plating Liam Hieb from second. With two outs and the bases loaded, Teague Peterson brought in Ryken McGinnis on a grounder to third. Henry Woodbeck followed with a bases-loaded walk and Henrik Evanoff scored on a wild pitch.

Kraft earned the win on the mound for the 39ers, tossing 5 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs – all unearned – on five hits, striking out six and walking five. Kraft finished with 123 pitches – 75 for strikes.

Steffen and Kraft each had two RBIs. Steffen, Tucker Wilson and Hammer all collected a pair of hits in the victory.

The break between games didn’t hamper the 39ers in the slightest, as they found themselves in front 6-0 after two innings against Cando before tacking on seven more in the third and three more in the fourth for their best offensive output of the season.

“We were hitting a lot of things really solid,” Kevin Kittleson said. “We were hitting a lot of line drives. It’s easy to get into funks where you’re hitting pop flys and ground balls, but I feel like they are all seeing the ball really well and being aggressive.”

The Bearcats (3-9) used three pitchers over the course of the four-inning contest, and none of them could figure out a way to keep Steffen off the basepaths. Steffen finished a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a triple, four RBIs and three runs scored.

“They pitched a lot of pitchers throughout the game, so it was adjusting to their speed and see what pitches they were throwing and hit the ball,” Steffen said.

Passa also tripled as part of a 2-for-3 performance, scoring three times. Kason Larsen drove in three runs on two hits and scored once. Kittleson was one of four Velva batters with multi-hit games, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and scoring three times. Luke Setzler walked in all three of his plate appearances, recording an RBI and two runs scored.

“We were waiting for our pitch,” Cooper Kittleson said. “When we waited and got deep in the counts, we were able to take it where we wanted to take it.”

The 39ers finished with 12 hits in the game to extend their win streak to 12 games after opening the season with a pair of losses to Garrison.

Passa earned the win on the mound, pitching all four innings. He allowed two hits and struck out two in the shutout victory.

With a pair of wins already under their belt, the 39ers have the inside track on one of the two spots up for grabs for Sunday’s championship game. A win against Burlington on Saturday, June 29, would guarantee them a chance to play for the title. For Velva, the formula remains unchanged.

“Lot of the same,” Kevin Kittleson said. “Hit the ball and do a lot of the little things, pitchers throw strikes and help your pitchers out. If you do those three things, you give yourself a chance every game.”

After their losses to Velva to open the tournament, both the 26ers and Bearcats had the opportunity to finish out Day 1 on a positive note and keep the slightest chance of playing on Sunday alive.

It was the 26ers who came away with the victory, eliminating Cando from championship contention with a 6-1 victory. Minot trailed by a run after two innings, but scored the game’s final six runs to claim its second win in three games after dropping its first seven contests of the year.

Minot’s bottom of the lineup paced the offense, with Evanoff, Schindler and Peterson collecting five of the team’s eight hits. They also accounted for three RBIs and three runs scored.

The 26ers overcame five errors, but the Bearcats did take advantage of a pair of Minot miscues in the second inning to plate their only run. Kale Prouty reached base safely to lead off the inning on an error at third and came around to score when a sacrifice bunt off the bat of Sutton Larson led to the throw sailing over Calvin Olson’s head at first.

Cando was unable to capitalize on Minot’s other three errors.

Woodbeck got Minot’s offense going in the third with an inside-the-park home run off of Cando starting pitcher JD DePreez. Woodbeck connected on a 3-2 pitch, sending a fly ball to center field to bring home both himself and Schindler to give the 26ers a 2-1 lead.

Evanoff and Schindler played a role in each of Minot’s final four runs. They both recorded RBI singles in the fourth and Evanoff did so once again in the sixth before scoring on a steal of home later in the inning.

Peterson shut down Cando’s offense with his pitching performance. He tossed a complete-game four-hitter, allowing an unearned run and struck out three.

The 26ers play Crosby on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. while the Bearcats face the Metros at 6:45 p.m. to close out their tournament.

Burlington was also a winner on Friday, posting a 10-1 victory over Crosby. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one inning, adding three more in the third and fifth, with a run sandwiched in between in the fourth.

The heart of Burlington’s order did a bulk of the damage, as Owen Hanson, Kyler Fisher and Collin Abernathy combined to go 7-for-10 with a double, six RBIs, and six runs scored.

Burlington (11-2) finished with 11 hits. Brady Bachmeier also finished with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.

Abernathy threw the first five innings for the Bulldogs, allowing one run on two hits, striking out nine and walking three. Tate Tudahl pitched a perfect sixth.

Brady Brown had one of Crosby’s two hits and added an RBI.

The Bulldogs play a pair of games on Saturday, beginning at noon against Velva before reconvening at 4:30 to face the Metros.

The Metros had to wait around all day to take the field for the first time, hosting the nightcap against Crosby. The wait paid off, as the Metros defeated the Cubs, 9-1.

Ty Iverson went all six innings, allowing one run on just two hits, striking out nine and walking five.

Minot’s offense kicked into gear in the third inning after falling behind 1-0. Hitless through the first two innings, Cole Deaver led off the third with a single to center and would come around to score on a double steal later in the inning. Grady Weppler gave the Metros the lead with a two-run single to center, scoring Garrett Nikitenko and Owen Meyer.

The Metros (14-5) finished with seven hits, but also took advantage of nine other baserunners via walks, hit batters and errors. They scored six runs over the final two innings, collecting five of their hits over that span.

Nikitenko doubled home Brady Vigested and scored on a sac fly from Brody Johnson in the fifth for a 5-1 lead. Owen Sundahl recorded an RBI double in the sixth to drive in Haden Bakk. Vigested and Nikitenko also recorded RBIs in the inning.

Vigested, Nikitenko and Weppler all registered two RBIs. Weppler had the lone multi-hit game for either team.

Tate Haugenoe tripled for the Cubs (2-7).

The Metros play back-to-back contests against Burlington and Cando on Saturday, beginning at 4:30 p.m.