Grand Forks Red River’s hopes to ride its three standout pitchers in three games this weekend at the East Region tournament got off on the right foot Thursday.
Red River senior left-hander Brady Regimbal tossed six innings, allowed three hits and struck out eight as the Roughriders beat Wahpeton 10-0 in an East Region quarterfinal at Kraft Field.
The game was called after six innings due to the 10-run rule.
“With (Regimbal), he always goes out and competes,” Red River coach Mark Varriano said. “He’s an 18-year-old senior, so you’ve got to rely on him. Teams don’t see a lot of lefties, especially one of that caliber.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Red River, the No. 2 seed, advances to face the winner of West Fargo and Grand Forks Central in the semifinals at 6:30 p.m. today.
The Roughriders, 19-3 overall, have won 11 straight games and 19 consecutive against East Region opponents.
“A tournament like this is set up well for us,” Varriano said. “We have three good pitchers. I feel confident in the guys we’ve got left.”
Red River can still throw the region’s wins leader Ryan Richardson and Colin Hennessy.
Against Wahpeton, Red River pulled away in the third. With the bases loaded, junior right fielder Jayce Turner hit a bases-clearing double to right field to give Red River a 4-0 lead.
“We had better situational hitting today,” Varriano said. “Over the course of the year, we didn’t come through much in those situations so that was good to see.”
Red River’s offense was paced by second baseman Logan Montgomery (3-for-4 with a double and three runs) and designated hitter Eric Leach (2-for-3).
“(Montgomery) is coming on as of late,” Varriano said. “He’s swung the bat well the last couple of series. (Montgomery and Leach) are quick little guys who can put pressure on the defense. They’re a terror for a defense.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Wahpeton committed eight errors.
