BUTTE — Belgrade's baseball team bounced back from its first loss of the season and secured a top seed at state along the way.
Three Panthers notched a pair of RBIs and Belgrade — coming off a loss to Sidney — used a hot start and strong finish to hold off Butte High 12-10 at 3 Legends Stadium on Monday to earn a regular season sweep over the Bulldogs and lock up the No. 1 seed from the East division at next week's inaugural state baseball tournament which will also take place at 3 Legends.
Butte will be the No. 2 seed out of the East, and with the Bulldogs and Panthers on opposite sides of the bracket the two teams could potentially meet in the championship if both win their quarterfinal and semifinal games.
Belgrade piled up three runs in the top of the first inning before the Bulldogs responded in the bottom of the second a sac fly from Trey Hansen. The Panthers then built a 5-1 lead in the top of the third before Butte notched four runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.
Belgrade then went on a 7-0 run over the next three innings and never relinquished the lead.
Diego Casas, Collin Delph and Ryas Olson each batted in two runners on two hits for Belgrade. Delph earned the win with 5.2 innings pitched where he surrendered four hits and two earned runs.
The Bulldogs were led by a three-RBI outing from Cayde Stajcar and two RBIs from Zach Tierney.
