MANDAN, N.D. - Maybe the third time will be the charm for West Fargo.
The Packers, behind the one-hit pitching of Camran Bonnema, beat Wahpeton 6-0 on Friday in the semifinals of the North Dakota state Class A baseball tournament.
The Packers (32-5) will play Fargo Shanley in tonight's championship game. They have played in two previous title games, losing to Bismarck St. Mary's in 1997 and to Fargo South last season.
"This has been our goal all year to get back there and we accomplished that tonight," West Fargo coach Brett Peterson said. "Bonnema was absolutely outstanding on the mound. He just completely had them off balance."
Wahpeton (22-15) was trying to reach the title game for the first time. It will instead play Fargo Davies for third.
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Bonnema threw seven innings. The only hit he gave up was a single to Alex Lunneborg to lead off the game. Bonnema allowed only two runners as far as second base and only two base runners after the first inning.
Bonnema has Wahpeton's number, as he previously hurled a no-hitter at the Huskies.
"I felt confident tonight knowing that I had already beat those guys," Bonnema said. "I just had to bear down, throw strikes and make them put the ball in play."
The Packers committed just one error behind Bonnema.
Kory Wolden had three of the Packers' seven hits. Andy Young had a triple and drove in two runs.
Bonnema and Wahpeton hurler Cole Gilles dueled early before West Fargo broke through in the third. Wolden singled and Landon Uetz reached on an error. Young then tripled off the center-field wall to plate two runs and later scored on Tucker Bucholz's groundout for a 3-0 lead.
"We got some timely hits and played some small ball, got some bunts down and kind of did everything we wanted to do," Peterson said.
Gilles, who took the loss, was lifted after giving up a double to Bonnema to lead off the fourth inning. Bonnema later scored one of two Packers runs that made it 5-0.
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Only two of the four runs Gilles allowed were earned.
Wahpeton 000 000 0- 0 1 3
West Fargo 003 201 x- 6 7 1
Cole Gilles, Jeremy Bontjes (4) and Alex Lunneborg. Camran Bonnema and Tucker Bucholz. W-Bonnema. L-Gilles.
Consolation
Bismarck St. Mary's 3, Williston 2
Chris Klym pitched a four-hitter and worked out of a seventh-inning jam as St. Mary's beat Williston to advance to the fifth-place game.
Klym struck out nine and walked one. He retired the last two batters with the tying run on second in the seventh inning.
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Preston Tescher had three hits and two stolen bases for the Saints. James Schreiner added two hits.
St. Mary's 002 100 0- 3 9 2
Williston 100 001 0- 2 4 0
Chris Klym and Preston Tescher. Sam Falcon, Cody Laber (4) and Caden Lerbakken. W-Klym. L-Falcon.
