BURNSVILLE -- One win on Saturday was enough for the Bemidji American Legion baseball team to advance to the championship of the Burnsville Snakepit Tournament.
The Centaurs defeated Excelsior #2 by a 7-0 margin before an 8-1 loss to Burnsville, and their 3-1 record throughout pool play was good enough to advance them into Sunday’s championship game against a to-be-determined opponent.
Brandon Lussier tossed a four-hit shutout for Post 14 in game one of the day while striking out five. He allowed just five baserunners, none of which passed second base.
Offensively, Bemidji got off to a hot start with three runs in the first inning. Ben Corradi doubled in a run and scored on Ty Lundeen’s single, and Grant DeClusin also crossed the plate for a 3-0 edge.
The Centaurs tacked on two more runs in the third inning thanks to Lundeen’s two-RBI single, then two more runs off errors in the sixth inning for the final difference.
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Post 14 faced a less favorable fate in game two, as Burnsville hung four runs on the scoreboard in each the fourth and fifth innings. That wiped away a 1-0 edge for Bemidji that came on Parker Mistic’s RBI double from the third inning.
Colt Uhlenhopp was saddled with the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits over 3 1/3 innings.
After Sunday’s championship game, which will also feature either Woodbury or Hopkins, the Centaurs will be home for the first time this summer with a 4 p.m. doubleheader against East Grand Forks on Wednesday, June 23, at the BSU baseball field.
Bemidji 7, Excelsior 0 (six innings)
BEM 302 002 -- 7-10-0
EXL 000 000 -- 0-4-2
WP: Lussier (CG, 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K)
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LP: Vanderplas (5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 6 K)
Burnsville 8, Bemidji 1
BEM 001 000 0 -- 1-6-2
BRN 000 440 X -- 8-9-2
WP: Bowar (CG, 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K)
LP: Uhlenhopp (3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K)
