MONTEVIDEO -- Granite Falls' five-run outburst stood until the top of the seventh, then Wheaton plated two runs and held on to eliminate Granite Falls from the District 7-II American Legion baseball final four 6-5 Thursday.
In the third, Granite Falls scored five times on a sacrifice fly by Braden Lee, a two-run single by Taylor Tollefson, Derek Dyrdahl's single and an error.
But Wheaton's Dylan McCalip clubbed a two-run single in the seventh and then Granite Falls couldn't get a runner from second base home.
Mason Hegna hit a pinch-hit single and Phil Johnson bunted for a base hit to start the threat. But Granite Falls' lead runner was thrown out at third trying to advance on a fly ball to right-center field, then a ground out to second base ended the game.
Down 5-1 after four, the defending champions scored three times in the top of the fifth with Riley Wilson's two-double the big hit.
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Johnson went 3-for-4 to lead Granite Falls.
Wheaton 6, Granite Falls 5
Wheaton 001 030 2 -- 6 8 4
Granite Falls 005 000 0 -- 5 7 3
HITTING - Wheaton: Sam Thielen 2-for-4, 2 runs; Kevin Coffman 1-for-3, rbi; Luke Schmitz 2-for-2, rbi; Riley Wilson 1-for-4, 2b, 2 rbi; Jay Nelson 1-for-2; Dylan McCalip 1-fo-3, 2 rbi ... Granite Falls: Mason Hegna 1-for-1; Phil Johnson 3-for-4; Tollefson 1-for-3, 2 rbi; Derek Dyrdahl 1-for-4, rbi; Tyler Sand 1-for-3
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) -- Wheaton: Nathan Lampe (W) 7-7-5-4-3-6 ... Granite Falls: Phil Johnson (L) 7-8-6-6-5-7
