Pitching pushes Elks into final

• Bryan Erstad

(John M. Steiner/The Sun) Jamestown Merchants hitter Bryan Erstad watches the ball in the air Sunday at Jack Brown Stadium.

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The Elks moved into Sunday’s championship game with a comfortable win on Friday night and a narrow decision over the Merchants on Saturday.

Paul Roers fired a three-hit shutout late Friday night over Groton, S.D. On Saturday, the Merchants were down 4-0 early, got within 4-3 before the Elks got a strong relief outing from Jay Flaa to win 5-3.

Elks 9,

Groton, S.D. 0 (7 innings)

Roers’ three-hit shutout moved the Elks back into good position with his gem Friday night.

The tall right-hander from Moorhead, who pitches for the Jimmies, struck out 10 and retired the last 13 batters he faced.

The Elks didn’t score off Manuel Rivera in their first two at-bats, but scored at least one run in each of the final five innings highlighted by back-to-back three-run frames in the third and fourth.

Jeremy Newman had three hits to lead the Elks, including a double. Boya Quichocho added two hits and stole two bases.

All three of Groton’s hits off Roers were singles.

Fargo 8, Groton 5

Fargo had to wait out a 52-minute rain delay, but it proved worth it as the Expos eliminated Groton, S.D., 8-5 in the first game on Saturday.

Former Fargo South High School star Billy Sholl went a perfect 5-for-5 for the Expos. Sholl doubled twice and had two RBIs in the win.

Groton scored first, but Fargo took control with a five-run top of the second inning.

Braden Rahman and Paul Deutsch each had two hits for the Expos.

Matt Krey went eight-plus innings, had to sit through the nearly hour-long delay, but then returned for the top of the ninth to strike out the side to earn the complete-game win. Only two of the five runs he allowed were earned.

Zach Harry led Groton with a pair of hits.

Elks 5, Merchants 3

The Elks moved within one win of another Class AAA title with a 5-3 win over the Merchants on Saturday.

Flaa worked four shutout innings in relief to serve as the difference in the game. He entered with the Elks up just 4-3.

Jordan Tescher had three hits and an RBI as the Elks outhit the Merchants 12-5.

Travis Kurokawa got the win on the mound despite five shaky innings, which included five walks.

Bryan Erstad bombed his second home run in as many days, a two-run shot in the fifth for the Merchants. Joe Vannett added a pair of singles.

Merchants 10, Expos 5

A fast start by the Merchants moved them back into another title showdown with the Elks.

The Jamestown team scored three runs each in the first and second innings and added two more in the third for an 8-0 lead en route to a 10-5 win over the Expos.

Andy Young had a big game in the win for the Merchants, going 3-for-4 with a solo home run in the fifth. Erstad added a pair of hits. Preston Jensen and Joe Vannett each had two RBIs.

Merchants ace Greg Lunski went five innings, but gave way to Dan White in the sixth. Lunski got the win, while White allowed just one run over the final four innings to get the save.

Sholl capped off a huge day for the Expos, going 3-for-3 with a long solo home run into the ivy above the left-field fence. In the two games Saturday, Sholl went 8-for-8 with a sacrifice fly.

Friday

First round

Jamestown Elks 9, Groton, S.D. 0

Groton 000 000 0 — 0 3 4

Elks 003 311 1 — 9 10 0

Manuel Rivera, Chad Ellingson (6) and Mitch Locke. Paul Roers and Jake Ohmann. W—Roers. L—Rivera. 2B—Elks, Jeremy Newman, Jeremy Sheely. SB—Elks, Boya Quichocho 2, Landon Uetz 2, Mitch Stevens.

Saturday’s games

Loser out

Fargo Expos 8, Groton, S.D. 5

Fargo 050 110 010 — 8 13 3

Groton 102 200 000 — 5 7 3

Matt Krey and Nick Tweiten. Tyson Paulson and Mitch Locke. W—Krey. L—Paulson. 2B—Fargo, Billy Sholl 2.

Winners’ bracket

Jamestown Elks 5,

Jamestown Miller Lite Merchants 3

Elks 310 000 010 — 5 12 1

Merchants 000 120 000 — 3 5 2

Travis Kurokawa, Jay Flaa (6) and Jake Ohmann. Brandon Baumgartner, Tanner Dahl (7) and Anthony Fontana. W—Kurokawa. L—Baumgartner. Save—Flaa. 2B—Elks, Mitch Stevens. 3B—Stevens. HR—Merchants, Bryan Erstad. SB—Elks, Kacy Gardiner. Merchants, Jared Purdy.

Loser out

Jamestown Miller Lite Merchants 10,

Fargo Expos 5

Merchants 332 010 001 — 10 9 4

Expos 002 201 000 — 5 11 3

Greg Lunski, Dan White (6) and Anthony Fontana. Cody Rahman, Ben Sand (7) and Nick Tweiten. W—Lunski. L—Rahman. Save—White. 2B—Merchants, Jared Purdy, Andy Young. HR—Expos, Billy Sholl. Merchants, Young.

Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at daves@jamestownsun.com

Tags: amateur baseball, sports, baseball, elks