Thompson Tommies win first state baseball title since 2016

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - After winning their first two tournament games by a combined score of 38-6, the Thompson Tommies capped off their remarkable season with an 11-7 win over Lamoure/Litchville/Marion on Saturday at Newman Outdoor Field.

This one was a bit different than what the Tommies had seen in their previous tournament games.

They got off to their normal hot start, hanging up three runs in their first at-bat.

But the Loboes battled back to take a 4-3 lead immediately, scoring those four runs in the bottom of the first.

That would just reignite the Tommies, who outscored the top-seeded Loboes 8-3 in the following six frames.

This wouldn’t come without any drama though.

The Loboes had a runner on in the seventh inning, but Thompson finished things off for good with a double-play.

From there, the Hats and Gloves flew into the air and the Tommies piled onto the pitcher’s mound, celebrating their first state title in five years.

This was a long time coming for this group of seniors.

Designated hitter Ryan Strande telling us postgame that: “We’ve been dreaming of this for a long time. We thought we had a good chance in the year that covid shut everything down. Last year we came close, third place. This year we finally just got the job done”

His classmate Kyle Odenbach agreed, saying “As a senior I know it’s probably a little more special for me but these guys behind me earned it just as much as me. Summer lifting and into the baseball season, we grinded hard all year long for the last four years and it’s finally paid off.”

“This was the goal all year.” Added Head Coach Nate Soulis. “It was win regions, get to state, have a great weekend, win three games and be champs. We did exactly that so we can cross that one off the list.”

The Tommies finish with just one loss on the year while Lamoure/Litchville/Marion once again finish one win away from a state title.

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