LEWISTON, Idaho -- Another dominant pitching performance from the Bozeman Bucks propelled them to the Northwest Regional American Legion Baseball championship game. Bozeman defeated Medford (Ore.) 4-1 on Friday afternoon in Lewiston.
Michael Freund was the star on the mound for Bozeman on Friday. Freund threw a complete game with seven strikeouts, giving up just five hits and issuing two walks. Medford was held scoreless until a ground-rule double in the top of the seventh inning. With runners on the corners, Freund would induce a ground out to preserve his gem.
Bozeman got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI single by Preston Fliehman. But Freund wanted more breathing room on the bump, and he delivered. Freund ripped a two-run double to center field to push Bozeman's lead to 3-0. Freund then came around to score on an RBI single by Carsten Simcox to push the lead to 4-0.
That was all Freund would need. He continued to mow down Medford batters throughout the afternoon, as the Mustangs became the third team in three days to be stymied by Bozeman's pitching staff. Hunter Williams opened the tournament allowing five hits and two runs, then Sage McMinn threw a three-hit shutout on Thursday.
With the win, Bozeman moves into Sunday afternoon's championship game. The Bucks will face Idaho Falls in Saturday's semifinal at 1 p.m. (MDT). Medford and Kennewick (Wash.) will play a loser-out game at 10:30 a.m. (MDT).
As the final undefeated team remaining in the tournament, Bozeman is guaranteed to play on Sunday with a berth to the World Series on the line. To view complete scores and pairings from the Northwest Regional, please click here.
