CASSELTON, N.D. — The Valley City Post 60 Royals saw their 2025 season come to a close in gut-wrenching fashion Saturday, falling 6-4 in 11 innings to the Fargo Jets in an elimination game at the North Dakota Class A State Legion Baseball Tournament.

Both teams received outstanding efforts from their starting pitchers. Fargo’s Evan Felber went five innings, allowing just two hits and one run, while Valley City’s Bryson Heck turned in a marathon performance—throwing 9.1 innings, scattering six hits, striking out four, and giving up just two runs.

The Jets did all their early damage in the fourth, tagging Heck for four of their six hits in the frame. An infield single and a double-play ball brought home two runs to give Fargo a 2-0 lead.

Valley City pulled one run back in the fifth after a single by Jack Samuelson, but still trailed 2-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh. With the season on the line and the bottom of the order due up, Will Schwehr sparked a rally with a leadoff double to right. After Adam Shanenko singled and Heck walked, the bases were loaded with no outs.

Corbyn Powell’s sacrifice fly tied the game, but the Jets escaped further damage—striking out Trevor Fetsch and getting Parker Roelfsema to ground out after intentionally walking Samuelson.

The game remained deadlocked until the top of the 11th, when Fargo finally broke through. The Jets scored four runs in the inning, two of them unearned after a costly two-out error extended the frame and doubled the damage.

Facing a 6-2 deficit and their season hanging in the balance, Valley City made one last push. In his final at-bat, Will Schwehr launched a two-run home run to right to bring the Royals within two. Singles from Heck and Powell brought the go-ahead run to the plate, but a flyout to right ended the rally—and the Royals’ postseason run.

Valley City finishes the season with a 22-5 record.