HELENA — The Belgrade Bandits and Gallatin Valley Outlaws each won their second round games on Friday afternoon at Kindrick Legion Field in Helena to set up a meeting in the undefeated semifinal of the American Legion Southern A district tournament.
Top-seeded Belgrade hung five runs up in the bottom of the first inning on their way to a 10-4 victory over the Bozeman Bucks. Brendon Matthews went 3-4 with three runs scored and one RBI, while Cole Thomas drove home a pair of runs. Starting pitcher Coby Richards gave up just one earned run in six innings of work as he picked up the win.
Gallatin Valley moved into the undefeated semifinal with a dominant victory over Livingston, 12-2, in five innings. The Outlaws scored four runs in both the first and fourth innings to blow the game open.
First baseman Ryan Murphy went 2-2, scoring two runs and driving in five on the evening. The Outlaws were a menace on the basepaths, too, stealing nine bases. Connor Johnson, Derik DeFrance and Dalton Mitchell each recorded two steals.
First pitch between Belgrade and Gallatin Valley is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
