LaMoure players greet Ben Watkins as he crosses home plate after his grand slam in LaMoure’s 9-7 victory over Minot during the State Class B Legion Baseball Tournament in LaMoure. LaMoure now faces Casselton Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals. The winner is guaranteed a spot in the championship game Sunday. (Mark Potts/VCTR)

By Mark Potts
Valley City Times-Record

While day one of the State Class B Legion Baseball Tournament featured brilliant pitching performances, day two was all about the offense.
LaMoure’s Ben Watkins hit a grand slam in the final game, capping off a day of scoring at Townsend Field in LaMoure. The four winning teams scored a combined 38 runs, compared to 14 runs the winners put up Wednesday.
Watkins’ grand slam in the second inning gave LaMoure a 7-0 lead they wouldn’t relinquish as they held on for a 9-7 victory over Minot.
Casselton defeated Beulah in the other winner’s bracket game, exploding for 13 runs just one day after squeaking out a 1-0 victory.
West Fargo defeated Makoti 14-4 in loser-out action while Harvey ended Grafton’s season with a 2-0 victory.
LaMoure and Casselton meet Friday night at 7:30 p.m. with the winner guaranteed a spot in the championship Sunday. West Fargo and Beulah play at 2:30 p.m. in loser-out action and Harvey meets Minot at 5 p.m. in loser-out action as well.

LaMoure 9, Minot 7
LaMoure jumped on top early, scoring a run in the first on a Donny Schrader sacrifice fly, but the big blow came in the second inning.
Two runs had already crossed the plate in the inning when Ben Watkins stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. Four more runs scored after his at bat as he blasted a grand slam to dead center, clearing the 360-foot sign.
“I was just looking for a fastball and it was a good pitch to hit,” said Watkins. “It was a little up and a good pitch to hit a good line drive.”
Watkins stepped up to the plate again in the fourth inning with runners on second and third but was intentionally walked. Schrader then drilled a two-run double to right center, making Minot pay for their decision to walk Watkins. Schrader’s two RBI’s gave LaMoure a 9-1 lead but Minot would not go quietly.

For full story, see Friday's edition of the Valley City Times-Record.