The Luverne Redbirds scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning on Sunday and then held on to edge Milroy 8-7 to win their best-of-three Region 13C amateur baseball series, two games to one.
Luverne earned the region’s top seed in the upcoming state Class C amateur baseball tournament. The Redbirds will receive a first-round bye and will play their first state tourney game at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 27 in Faribault against the winner of an Aug. 20 game between Cannon Falls and Buckman.
The Redbirds’ big ninth inning Sunday was boosted, in part, by a double, bloop single, three hit batsmen and a sacrifice fly that wound up scoring two runs. The Irish fought back with two runs in the bottom of the ninth before a strikeout with the bases loaded ended the game.
Also in Region 13C, Fairmont picked up the region’s third and final state tournament berth by topping Hadley 4-1 on Saturday afternoon. Fairmont scored three runs in the top of the ninth to capture the best-of-three series in a two-game sweep.
Fairmont will open its play in the state tourney against Avon at 11 a.m. Aug. 20 in Dundas. Milroy will meet Webster at 7 p.m. Aug. 20, also in Dundas.
