The Crosslake/Fifty Lakes/Pequot Lakes American Legion baseball team lost two games in the District 6 Division II tourney played in Pequot Lakes and Crosslake, and as a result, they were eliminated on Thursday of last week.
Coach Mike Monson's team lost 6-4 to Paynesville in the opening round in 10 innings in Crosslake and then had their season ended in the loser's bracket with a 7-5 loss to Royalton.
Staples-Motley won four straight games over the weekend to win the District 6 title and to earn a berth in this week's Division II State Tourney at Sacred Heart.
In opening round games at Pequot, Staples-Motley beat Upsala-Swanville 3-0 in 10 innings and Bertha-Hewitt defeated Pierz 9-3.
In the early game at Crosslake, Maple Lake edged Royalton 4-3 in the game before CL/FL/PL's 6-4 loss to Paynesville.
In Thursday's winners bracket game in Crosslake, Maple Lake squeezed by Paynesville 2-1, while in Pequot, Staples-Motley downed Bertha-Hewitt 7-1.
In Crosslake July 31, Staples-Motley made it to the finals. They trailed by 5-4 going into the top of the seventh, only to score eight runs for a 12-5 win and a berth in the title round.
In Thursday's losers' round in Crosslake, CL/FL/PL lost to Royalton 7-5, while Pierz trounced Upsala-Swanville 9-1, with both losers eliminated.
All the action switched to Crosslake on Friday and Saturday.
The 10 a.m. game on Friday saw Paynesville edge Pierz 8-7 in eight innings to oust them and at 12:30 Royalton eliminated Bertha-Hewitt 4-1.
In the final game on Friday, Paynesville sent Royalton packing by edging them 3-2.
Action resumed at noon on Saturday, and Paynesville ousted Maple Lake 9-5 to earn the right to meet unbeaten Staples-Motley for the title.
Staples-Motley then kept from having to play another game that would have to be played on Sunday, by pounding Paynesville 12-2 as catcher Trevor Ness had two doubles, a triple and a home run.
Staples-Motley scored twice in the first, three times in the second, single runs in the third and fourth, twice in the fifth and three times in the top of the seventh when Ness hit a two-run homer.
Lehman pitches 10 innings,
but locals' errors costly
Crosslake's Nate Lehman pitched all 10 innings against Paynesville in a 6-4 loss, but four errors by the locals were costly.
Paynesville got a single run in the first without a hit as the locals had two errors, but Crosslake/Fifty Lakes/Pequot Lakes came right back with two in their half.
Brandon Hilts was hit by a pitch, Ben Kepner doubled to drive in Hilts, Tyler Wittwer, Ryan Pahl and Josh Rudbeck all singled, with Kepner scoring the second run; but the locals left the bases loaded when Tyler Wicker popped up to short.
The score remained at 2-1 until the bottom of the fifth as Lehman and Nathan Nietfeld dueled on the mound.
