KINDRED, N.D. (newsdakota.com) – If not for a couple of sensational defensive plays from the LaMoure A’s, LaMoure may not have won Sunday’s semifinal 5-3.
For the second time at state LaMoure didn’t score first. Langdon’s lineup got to LaMoure starter Corban Potts in the first inning with three infield singles and one run scored. An RBI single off the bat of Gage Goodman gave Langdon a 1-0 lead after one inning.
Potts would get the last laugh.
LaMoure’s lead off hitter Tate Mart continued his red hot stretch at the plate to start Sunday’s game. He doubled in the 1st inning and drew walks in the 3rd and 4th innings. Dating back to Saturday’s win over Surrey, Mart reached base safely in six straight plate appearances. The third inning walk set up an RBI single for Anthony Hanson to knot the game at one a piece.
Mart’s 4th inning walk helped set the table for a crooked inning. After back-to-back walks issued to CJ Ness and Mart, it was Connor Johnson who ripped a two-run double to give the A’s their first lead of the evening. Potts grounded out to make it 4-1 later in the inning.
In the top of the 5th, Ness laid down a sacrifice bunt to score another run and made it 5-1.
That was the night offensively for LaMoure. Somehow it wasn’t even close to the most exciting part of the night.
In the 6th inning, Mart, who was now pitching, found himself in some hot water. He walked in a run to make it 5-3. Then with the bases loaded and two outs, Langdon’s Dawson Hein slapped a sinking fly ball to center field where Max Musland made a tremendous diving catch to preserve the three run lead. If the ball dropped in front of him at least one run scores, and if it gets by him, Langdon may have tied that game.
That was the first sensational web gem.
The second came in the last of the 7th inning. With the bases loaded, again, the tying run at 2nd base, the winning run at 1st base, Mason Romfo blooped a pop up into shallow center field. It looked like it was a single all the way, but somehow shortstop Corban Potts covered a ton of ground, made a diving catch, and doubled off the runner at 3rd to win the game.
Thankfully after all that drama LaMoure will get tomorrow off. The A’s will play for a state championship Tuesday at noon against either Surrey, Kindred or Langdon. If LaMoure wins the game at noon the A’s will be state champs. If they lose then they’ll have a winner take all game two around 2:00. Championship coverage can be heard on Q101.1 and newsdakota.com.