Sports

Dimond thumps Juneau to move into American Legion baseball title game

Jordan Clevenger drove in two runs, scored two runs and surrendered just two hits in going the distance Wednesday to lead Dimond Post 21 into Thursday's championship game of the American Legion state baseball tournament at Mulcahy Stadium.

Dimond eliminated Juneau Post 25, 11-1, in six innings.

Dimond (3-1 in the tournament) on Thursday at 2 p.m. will face South Post 4 (3-0), the only undefeated team in the eight-team tournament. Dimond must win that game to force a 6 p.m. if-necessary game for the title in the double-elimination tournament.

Dimond plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Tony Hillman's walk-off single with one out invoked the 10-run mercy rule. Mahlon Cleveland, who drove in three runs, furnished an RBI single earlier in the inning.

Clevenger pushed Dimond to a 2-0 lead with a two-run single in the first inning and his club added two more runs in the third despite not getting a hit. Five walks in the inning helped greatly. Kyle Bremont added a two-run single in Dimond's three-run fourth inning.

Kyle Hendrickson, Payton Lauwers, Grant Remmer and Clevenger all scored twice.

Clevenger struck out six and walked two in a complete-game performance he wrapped in 81 pitches.

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Dimond's victory was its second beating of Juneau by virtue of the mercy rule. Dimond won the previous match-up 10-0.

South on Tuesday defeated Dimond, 14-1 in five innings, to send Dimond to the losers bracket.

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