Game 1 - Pioneers 5... Dawson 3
LF Ian Krump belted a 3-run home run over the right field fence in the bottom of the 7th inning to break a 2-2 tie and power the 7th ranked Pioneers to a 5-3 win over Dawson CC and a trip to the MonDak Conference Championship.
Dawson kept the Pioneer bats quiet thru the first 5 innings. Dawson let 2-0 going to the bottom of the 5th when the Pioneers squeaked in a run on a fielder's choice by the Buccaneers defense to bring in Jake Lacey to cut the lead in half. The nation's leading home run hitter Dawson Parry then tied things up with a solo blast over the left field wall in the bottom of the 6th.
In the pivotal 7th inning, DH Lewis Johnson reached base on an error by the Dawson infield. CF Jake Lacey bunted to move Johnson to 2nd and beat out the throw to 1st before Krump came up huge with a home run and 5-2 lead. The Buccaneers then pushed across a run in the 8th but couldn't gain anymore ground and the Pioneers emerged victorious.
The Pioneers only had 6 hits in the game and struck out 9 times. Parry was 1-3 at the plate with a home run and Krump was 1-2 with the home run and 3 RBI. CF Jake Lacey was 2-4 and scored 2 runs.
Keith Manby got the start on the mound for MCC going 5.2 innings and giving up 3 hits and 2 runs. Manby walked 3 Bucs and notched 11 strikeouts. Sunday starter Anthony Bleggi came in to give the Pioneers 3 innings of work and gave up 3 hits and a run. He struck out 1 DCC hitter. Deklan Harper struck out the final batter of the game with the tying runs on base.
Game 2 - Pioneers 6... Bismarck State 8
Bismarck State scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th in a back and forth game and then held on for an 8-6 win and the MonDak Conference Tournament Championship. The Mystics scored 2 in the bottom of the 1st and the Pioneers matched that with 2 in the top of the 2nd after a DH Lewis Johnson single and a LF Ian Krump home run. MCC climbed ahead 3-2 in the 3rd on another 1B Dawson Parry home run. The Mystics then tied things up in the bottom of the 3rd making the score 3-3.
In the top of the 5th inning, 2B Cade Stuff doubled to left field and scored on a Parry single giving the Pioneers a 4-3 lead. That lead was short lived as the Mystics plated 3 in the bottom of the 5th for a 6-4 lead. The Pioneers quickly rallied in the 6th inning with a RF Hunter Lasko single and was pushed to 2nd on a sacrifice bunt by C Jaden Webster. SS Brayden Howard doubled to left field driving in Lasko cutting the lead to 6-5. Stuff reached base on an error and Howard ended up at 3rd. Parry then hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield tying the game at 6. The Mystics took immediate control in the bottom half of the 6th with 2 runs and an 8-6 lead that would hold up until the end.
The Pioneers cracked out 17 hits but only 6 runs to show for it as they struck out 8 times. Howard was 2-4 with a RBI and a run scored, Stuff was 2-5 with a run scored. Parry was 2-4 with 3 RBI and a run while Johnson was 2-5 and a run scored. Krump hit 2-5 with 2 RBI and a run scored, CF Jake Lacey was 2-5, and Hunter Lasko was 2-4 with a run scored.
On the mound for the Pioneers, Grayson Skinner got the start and went 4.1 innings and gave up 6 hits and 6 runs. He struck out 6 and walked 1. Stockton Brems came in to pitch the next 3 innings and gave up 5 hits and 2 runs. He struck out 1 and walked 1. Cy Miller finished things off with 0.2 innings of no hit ball and 1 strikeout.
The Pioneers will now be the #2 seed in the Region XIII Playoffs and play host #3 Dakota County Tech in Rosemount, MN on Friday at 11:00 AM MST. #1 seed Bismarck State will play #4 Dawson in the other 1st round game at 2:30 PM MST. The Region XIII Champion will advance to the North Plains District Title series the following week.