Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
The state bound New Rockford Post 30 Black Sox. Back row (from l to r): Coach Jake Bilden, Haydon Meier, Brody Weisenburger, Alex Weisenburger, Keaton Cudworth, assistant coach Koby Duda; front row: bat boy Bryce Yri, Easton Simon, Skye Kramlich, Connor Knatterud, Lucas Yri, Thomas Allmaras, Jackson Schumacher.
Alex Weisenburger takes a swing during the first round matchup against Post 25 on Monday, July 17. Weisenburger played well on defense during the District 4 Tournament in Steele, N.D.
Luke Yri pitched the first 2.2 innings against Post 25 on Monday, July 17. Yri allowed seven hits with eight errors and two strikeouts.
Keaton Cudworth makes contact with a pitch against Post 25. Cudworth was a major factor in punching Post 30's ticket to the State Legion tournament.
Question: What's better than one local team qualifying for state?
Answer: Two local teams qualifying for state!
That's right, the New Rockford Post 30 Black Sox have joined the New Rockford Babe Ruth team in qualifying for their respective state tournaments!
Post 30 punched their ticket to the legion baseball state tournament in a nail-biter against the Linton/Ashley/Wishek Rattlers on Tuesday, July 18.
The win also advanced them to the grand finale against the Carrington Post 25 Cardinals, but the Sox didn't need a win over Carrington to advance.
As hosts of the legion baseball tournament this year, the Cardinals automatically qualify for the state tournament, meaning that whichever team got second place at the District 4 Tournament would also qualify for state.
Carrington first faced off against Post 30 in the first round of the tournament on Monday, July 17 – and it wasn't a good time for the Black Sox.
A dominant 13-0 victory for Carrington relegated Post 30 to the losers' bracket, but that's where the Black Sox did their best work.
Their first game in the losers' bracket was against Kidder County, the team Keaton Cudworth dominated from the mound in the last game of the regular season – and they got to experience more of the same on Tuesday, July 18.
Cudworth pitched in all seven innings and gave up just one hit and one unearned run, while striking out nine batters.
His domination allowed Post 30 to rely on a 3-run lead they had built in the first inning, and that they later expanded on with another 3-run inning in the seventh.
The final score was 6-2, advancing the Sox to the next round in the losers' bracket, where they took on Linton/Ashley/Wishek for a berth in the state tournament – and it was a nail-biter.
Limited by a daily pitch count requirement, Cudworth wasn't able to start on the mound for Tuesday's second game, forcing Post 30 to rely on Connor Knatterud.
Thankfully for the Sox, Knatterud was more than just reliable. For over five innings he delivered a stellar pitching performance that allowed his team to scrape by with a low-scoring win – and he would play an important role of offense as well.
Neither team scored for the first three innings of Tuesday evening's game, as the opposing pitcher, Jace Nitschke, was also performing well – but he did have one lackluster inning.
A walk, a hit-by-pitch and a single from Skye Kramlich meant the bases were loaded with Black Sox when Knatterud stepped to the plate in the top of the fourth inning.
Knatterud capitalized on the opportunity with a single into right field, allowing Alex Weisenburger to score from third base. Thomas Allmaras was next to the plate with the bases still loaded, and he grounded into an RBI fielder's choice that scored Haydon Meier, giving the Sox a 2-run lead.
That would be the last offense Post 30 would experience, but with Knatterud on the mound that's all they needed.
In his 5.1 innings of work, Knatterud allowed just four hits and a single earned run while striking out three batters.
That one run came at the end of his outing, when a double followed by an RBI single in the sixth inning suddenly cut the Sox' lead in half. That's when Cudworth returned to the mound in relief, and got right back to his usual dominance.
With only a 1-run cushion to lean on, Cudworth managed to earn the five outs Post 30 needed to secure the victory and officially punch their ticket to the state tournament.
The win also advanced Post 30 to the District 4 Championship Game against Carrington. However, much like the first game between the two rivals, it was the Cardinals who came away with an easy 14-0 victory and championship honors.
Nevertheless, it was a fantastic tournament for the Black Sox, who started their season on a tough losing streak before getting on a roll late in the season.
Now – however improbable it may have seemed when the season started – Post 30 are headed to the state tournament, and they won't have to travel far.
The legion baseball state tournament will take place in Carrington this year, with the first pitch to be thrown on Wednesday, July 26 and a champion crowned on Saturday, July 29.
The Black Sox will be one of the tournament's underdogs, but they're sure to have a large presence of fans cheering them on throughout their tournament run.
A bracket for the state tournament will be shared on the Transcript's Facebook page as soon as it's made available.
