Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
In the end, the aggregate talent level on the SNR Black Sox Babe Ruth team outmatched the rest of District 2 and made the ultimate tournament result feel like more of a coronation than anything.
But try telling that to a group of kids making the program's first earned state tournament berth in 17 years, and the first utilizing exclusively home-grown players. The Black Sox rode the fastball of Alex Harrison to 11 Rugby strikeouts and just one hit allowed over seven innings, and had two big innings to provide all the offense they would need in a 9-0 shutout over the Panthers in the district championship Wednesday, July 17, in Harvey.
It was SNR's first district championship since 2002, when that team, under then- Coach Glen Nystrom, eventually took second place at the State B in Rolla to champion Lisbon.
This year's tournament, to be held in Watford City July 26-30, marks the latest appearance for the Black Sox overall since playing as the host team when New Rockford held the 2014 tournament at Jim Johnson Park.
Heroes in SNR's ascension to the District 2 title were plentiful, whether it was Koby Duda's three hits in four at-bats, big doubles from Harrison and Johnny Grann to keep the pressure on the opposition, or multi-RBI performances by Caden Price, Trevor Waldo and Nick Berglund.
Seven of the nine 'Sox starters had hits, and the team had the luxury of getting some of their reserves, Haydon Meier, Keaton Cudworth, Preston Price, DJ Mudgett and Luke Yri, at bats in the sixth inning.
SNR took a 3-0 lead in the first, and largely stood pat offensively until knocking out Rugby starter Logan Harner with a six-run fifth. Eric Foster came on in relief for the Panthers and finished the game.
Foster had Rugby's only hit, a single in the second inning.
The first round opponent for SNR in Watford City on Friday, July 26, was not known at press time.
(Editor's Note: To clarify the statement in the second paragraph, when the Black Sox last qualified in 2002, there was one extra round of postseason in the form of a best-of-three regional pitting district champions against one another.
SNR, who won their district in each of the two years prior to that but lost out in the regional round in both instances, was allowed to add 'pick-up players' from adjacent towns to their roster to create the "Tri-County Babe Ruth Team."
The Transcript wishes to thank Michael Cudworth, who played on the 2002 team and was a pick-up player himself in
2001, for his help in research for this story.)
District 2 Babe Ruth
Tournament
Championship
Wednesday, July 17
SNR 9, Rugby 0
at Harvey
Rugby 000 000 0 - 0 1 2
SNR 300 060 x - 9 10 2
Alex Harrison and Koby
Duda; Logan Harner, Eric
Foster (5) and Shanx Brossart.
W - Harrison. L -
Harner.
SNR: Harrison CG, 1 H, 0
ER, 0 BB, 11 K; 2-3, double, 2
runs, RBI; Duda 3-4, 2 runs,
RBI; Caden Price and Trevor
Waldo 1-2, run, 2 RBI; Johnny
Grann 1-2, double, run;
Hunter Jacobson 1-3, run;
Kaden Jensen 1-4, run; Nick
Berglund 2 RBI.
Rugby: Foster 1-3.