LIVNGSTON — On Friday afternoon in Livingston, four teams hoped to advance to the semifinals of the winners bracket in the Southern A Legion Baseball tournament. The two losers will have the grueling task of making their way through the losers bracket to the championship game if they wanted to make it to the state tournament in Havre next weekend.
(1) Belgrade Bandits 5 vs. (5) Dillon Cubs 1
The fifth-seed Dillon Cubs started the tournament with an upset over the four-seed Helena on Thursday. On Friday, they weren't able to muster up any offense against Bandits ace Coby Richards and Belgrade.
Richards lived up to his his ace billing. The pitcher was sharp on the mound. He pitched a complete game seven innings, striking out nine Cubs batters and only gave up one earned run.
The Cubs had three errors on the day that led to three Bandits runs. Richards and Aidan Kulbeck each had one RBI on the day.
(2) Gallatin Valley Outlaw 6 vs. (3) Butte Miners 1
Butte rolled over the Bozeman Bucks in the opening round and the Outlaws decimated Anaconda. Just like the Bandits game, Bo Hays, a pitcher for the Outlaws dominated. His offense scored five runs in the second inning to help Gallatin Valley secure a 6-1 win over the Miners.
Hays finished with a complete game, eight strikeouts, and one earned run while giving up only five hits.
Six different players scored a run for the Outlaws. Trevor Doud led the way with two RBIs.
Outlaws take on Belgrade at 2 p.m. on Saturday with a trip to the championship on the line.
If you would like to check out the full bracket you can find it here.