From staff reports

sports@joplinglobe.com

MINOT, N.D. — Minnesota Eastview of Apple Valley pulled away late in the game to bring the Pittsburg Post 64 American Legion baseball season to a close on Saturday.

Eastview, which defeated Pittsburg 13-5, expanded a 6-4 advantage by scoring three times in the sixth inning in the losers’ bracket game of the Central Plains Regional Tournament.

Pittsburg, counting a forfeit in the Kansas Class AAA Tournament, finished 31-12. It was 1-2 in the regional hosted by Minot Vistas at Corbett Field.

“This was a great finish to an outstanding summer,” Pittsburg manager Mike Watt said. “The competition level was very high.

“We could have played better in the three games,” Watt said. “We didn’t play to our capability in any of the three games.

“We enjoyed coaching these players,” Watt, who was assisted by Kyle Wolf, said. “We had several kids that are going on to play baseball at the next level. It was a great group on and off the field.”

Post 64, which received a two-run home run from Tyler Bennett in the second inning against the Minnesota champion, also got three hits, including a double, from Willie Watt and two hits apiece from Brett Marshall and Jesse Watt.

Nathan Arnold, Shane Drenick, Adam McCormick and Tanner Smith also hit safely for the Kansas champion.

Pittsburg had two players hurt in unusual fashion, manager Watt said.

First, Marshall, running from first base in the top of the seventh, was struck by a thrown ball that resulted in five stitches in the forehead.

Then, in the bottom of the inning, shortstop Jesse Watt came up throwing after charging in to field a grounder and struck the umpire in the head and sustained a broken finger.

The Post 64 team is scheduled to arrive in Pittsburg at about noon today after driving from Kansas City. That meant checking out at 3:30 a.m. to catch a flight from Minot to Minneapolis and another to Kansas City.