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CLASS A BASEBALL:

Dickinson was 6-0 this past week including a big sweep over Minot. The Midgets actually trailed 6-0 after half an inning, but stormed back and led 9-7 by the end of the 3^rd inning in game two, eventually winning 11-7. The seven runs allowed was the most surrendered by Dickinson since April 20^th. The Midgets have also locked up the top seed in the west region. Midgets senior Cam Jorda told the Dickinson Press, “That’s nice to accomplish the first goal out of our three,” referring also to West Region and Class A state championships. North and West Fargo each lost a game, but they’re staying put. Both have just two EDC losses entering their final games of conference play. We spotlighted the relationship between junior pitcher Cameron Blazek (4-1, 2.75 ERA, 43 K) and junior catcher Chandler Ibach (.405 BA, 4 HR, 21 RBI) on this week's episode of Varsity Sports.

The two of them have helped provide a spark to the Spartans this season. North has some other good pitchers in Karson Spiess, Matt Pietsch, Coghlan Fisher and Ben Swanson. Pietsch leads the team with a .420 batting average. The Spartans have the weapons to make a return to state for the first time since 2014. Shanley swaps places with Century after sweeping Davies and splitting with Red River. The door was open for that 5-spot with the Patriots losing 3 games this past week, but no one took advantage of the opportunity. So, Century hangs in there with Minot, Davies and a surging Central team lurking.

1. Dickinson
2. Fargo North
3. West Fargo
4. Shanley
5. Bismarck Century

CLASS B BASEBALL:

Here are some numbers for you…

Since last Wednesday: Thompson 4-0, outscored opponents by a combined 37-0

                                          Kindred 6-0, outscored opponents by a combined 61-2

Those two teams have been doing that all year. It would be fun to see the two square off at the state tournament. The Tommies will be the top seed in the region two playoffs and the Vikings will be the favorite to win region one, but look out for Central Cass. The Squirrels have played the Vikings tough, their 3 losses to their rivals in blue have been by a combined 5 runs. I was close to giving Central Cass a spot in my top five, but for now I’ll stick with two west teams. Des Lacs-Burlington is slumping at the wrong time. The Lakers have lost 3 in a row after a 24-1 start. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood just beat last week’s #5 Bishop Ryan on Tuesday to swipe the final spot in the power rankings. The top seeds in Class B are: (1) Kindred-Richland, (2) Thompson, (3) Carrington, (4) Park River-F-L, (5) Rugby, (6) Bishop Ryan, (7) Des Lacs-Burlington, (8) TBD. Region playoffs begin Thursday, May 18^th. You can find the brackets here with the exception of region 8 which hasn’t been determined yet.

1. Thompson
2. Kindred-Richland
3. Park River-Fordville-Lankin
4. Des Lacs-Burlington
5. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood

CLASS A SOFTBALL:

West Fargo and Sheyenne continue to be 1-2. Packers senior catcher Sami Dullum grabbed the spotlight last Thursday by going 4-for-4 with 4 home runs in a game two win over the Mustangs.

Let me know if you've ever heard of that being accomplished in North Dakota in baseball or softball because I'm curious if she's the first. We spoke with her for this week's episode of Varsity Sports, so make sure to tune in for Wednesday's episode or catch it online later. Bishop Ryan takes the 3-spot from Minot. The Majettes drop to five after being swept by Bismarck. Dickinson is back in, while riding an 8-game win streak. The Midgets have found their groove again and that’s scary for the rest of the west. Century would be my #5B, if there was such a thing. The Patriots split with #3 Bishop Ryan and got swept by #1 West Fargo before sweeping Legacy this past week. Century is currently in 1^st place of the WDA, but the Patriots also have 2 games in hand on Dickinson and Bishop Ryan and 4 games in hand on Minot. Fargo North is another bubble team, but the Spartans can really prove something if they’re able to beat Sheyenne and Davies to wrap up the week.

1. West Fargo
2. WF Sheyenne
3. Bishop Ryan
4. Dickinson
5. Minot

CLASS B SOFTBALL:

The top four remain the same with Kindred-Richland still leading the way. The Vikings beat three Class A teams at the Class A vs Class B Jamboree, topping Fargo South 14-3, Fargo Shanley/Oak Grove 11-1, and Fargo North 7-3. Central Cass also swept a trio of Class A schools in the tournament. Des Lacs-Burlington finished the regular season undefeated. I’m excited to see what the Lakers and a team like Wilton-Wing can do in the postseason when they’re matched up with some of the best teams from the east. Thompson rounds out the top five. The Tommies are another team on fire right now, having scored 55 runs over their last 3 games. The Class B East and West Region tournaments begin with play-in games on Thursday. Kindred-Richland is the top seed in the east, while Des Lacs-Burlington is #1 in the west. You can locate the complete brackets on the NDHSAA website here.

1. Kindred-Richland
2. Central Cass
3. Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis and Clark
4. Wilton-Wing
5. Thompson

Let me know what you think the top five should be in the class(es) you follow the most! Thanks for reading and if you want to reach out to me my email is Jody.Norstedt@midco.com!