Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
By Erik Gjovik
Fresh off a near-miss of a trip to the Class B state tournament during the high school season, many of the same boys of SNR put on the spikes for Raymond B. Thorn American Legion Post 30 to stare down the dog days of North Dakota summer.
The overriding goal for the summer Black Sox will be to write a story with a happier ending, and they started the first chapter with a pair of victories in a new conference.
Tucker Longnecker’s no-hitter in the first game of the season on Wednesday, June 5, sparked Post 30 to a 2-0 win over Kidder County Post 231 at Jim Johnson Park.
In the first inning, New Rockford’s Bo Belquist got things rolling with a double, and scored on a single from Teddy Allmaras two batters later. The ‘Sox added another run in the fourth when Longnecker came around to score after hitting one of his two doubles.
In the process of twirling his no-no, Longnecker worked around four walks, striking out six. Allmaras finished with two hits for the 30’s.
Kidder County lefthander Ty Biesterfeld pitched admirably in the loss, giving up five hits and one earned run in his six innings.
The five-inning nightcap, which was won by Post 231 in 12-2 fashion, didn’t count in league standings.
Jayden Rath went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two driven in, but the big stick belonged to Blake Pfaff with a triple and double and five RBIs. Parker Hager also had a multi-hit outing for Kidder County.
Pitching duties for the Black Sox in the loss went to Hunter Thompson, who threw the first inning and a third, and Colt Soderholm, who finished the rest of the contest.
All with hits in the second game were Luke Ystaas, who had a double and the team’s two RBIs, along with Belquist, Allmaras, Longnecker and Thompson.
The next day in Cando, Post 30 turned to Allmaras on the mound, and he followed with another shutout, this one a 7-0 blanking against the Post 79 Bearcats. The veteran righty allowed six hits to Cando batters, two of those by Bearcat catcher Jeremiah Hill.
New Rockford jumped on Cando for six runs after just two outs gone in the first inning. Subsequent relievers for the 79ers held the Post 30 offense to one run the rest of the way.
Post 30 had six hits in the win, all of them singles. Belquist went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs, while Ystaas had a pair of hits and Thompson the other in the Sox’s column.
Game two also went to the Black Sox, 8-4. Belquist and Nick Berglund split hill duties for New Rockford, combining for 10 strikeouts and three hits allowed.
Going 3-for-3 was Longnecker, who also scored twice. Doubles came from Allmaras and Koby Duda. For Cando, Ian Knutson had a two-run double.
A scheduled game between the Black Sox and Linton/Wishek on Tuesday, June 11, was suspended in the third inning due to weather. It will be made up at a later date.
With the 2019 summer baseball slate now upon us, another round of district realignment in the ‘B’ division means that new rivalries will be created.
New Rockford is part of the new District 4 in Class B Legion baseball, which includes Cando, Carrington, Harvey, Kidder County, Wishek/Linton, Rolla, and Washburn. There are now seven districts in the division, up from the four districts from years past.
The district tournament will be held in Carrington July 23-27, with the winner advancing to the State B Tournament in Hazen to be held July 31 to August 4.
District 4 American Legion Baseball
Post 30 2, Kidder Co. 0 at New Rockford
KC 000 000 0 — 0 0 1
NR 100 100 x — 2 5 2
Tucker Longnecker and Luke Ystaas; Ty Biesterfeld and Parker Hager. W — Longnecker. L — Biesterfeld.
Post 30: Longnecker 2-3, 2 doubles, run; CG no-hitter, 4 BB, 6 K; Teddy Allmaras 2-3, RBI; Bo Belquist 1-3, double, run.
Kidder Co.: Biesterfeld CG, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, BB, 9 K.
Kidder Co. 12, Post 30 2
KC 050 43 — 12 10 2
NR 020 00 — 2 5 3
Hunter Thompson, Colt Soderholm (2) and Alex Harrison; Taren Schmidt and Blake Pfaff. W — Schmidt. L — Thompson.
Post 30: Ystaas 1-2, double, 2 RBI; Belquist, Allmaras, Longnecker and Thompson one hit each.
Kidder Co.: Jayden Rath 3-4, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Pfaff 2-4, triple, double, run, 5 RBI; Hager 2-4, double, run; Schmidt 1-1, 2 runs; Thomas Thompson and Elijah Fallgatter 1-3, 2 runs, RBI.
Post 30 7, Cando 0 at Cando
NR 600 100 0 — 7 6 0
Cando 000 100 x — 0 6 2
Allmaras and Ystaas; full Cando battery unknown. W — Allmaras.
Post 30: Belquist 3-4, run, 2 RBI; Thompson 1-2, run, RBI; Allmaras, Harrison and Koven Walford run, RBI; Johnny Grann RBI.
Cando highlights: Jeremiah Hill 2-2; Gavin Miller and Austin Wagner hit each.
Post 30 8, Cando 4
NR 201 50 — 8 10 1
Cando 000 04 — 4 3 1
Belquist, Nick Berglund (4) and Ystaas, Koby Duda (4); full Cando battery unknown. W — Belquist.
Post 30: Longnecker 3-3, SB, 2 runs; Duda 1-2, double, run, RBI; Allmaras 1-3, double, SB, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Kaden Jensen, Belquist, Grann, Walford and Soderholm one hit each.
Cando highlights: Ian Knutson double, 2 RBI; Wagner double.
