LANCASTER — Napoleon Legion Post 300 escaped near elimination, but came away with an 8-7, eight-inning win over Beverly-Lowell in a loser’s bracket final at the legion state baseball tournament on Sunday afternoon.

The win takes the River Bandits (33-14) to their first state title bout since 2021, and they did it after losing their tournament opener to their now state championship opponent Harrison Post 199, 7-6.

The Bandits will need to beat Harrison (23-5) twice on Monday to take home their first state title since 2017. The first game will be at 10 a.m. with a second game, if needed, to follow shortly after.

With runners on second and third and one out for defending state champions Beverly-Lowell (30-11) in a tie game in the bottom of the seventh, it looked like the River Bandits’ run through the loser’s bracket might finally come to an end. The Bandits had won two-straight on Saturday and Sunday to get to the loser’s bracket final.

Ryne Maag (Ayersville) threw a scoreless sixth in his first inning of relief, but saw a one-out triple by nine-hole hitter Jack McCurdy and a walk put the Bandits in major danger. He was able to get Easton Walker to dribble one back to the mound for an easy second out, then on the first pitch to Kainan Bradford, Beverly-Lowell’s three-hole hitter, who already had two hits in the game, Maag got a pop up in foul territory down the left field line Camden Bukowski (Bryan). Bukowski ran down the ball to the exclamation of the Bandits’ dugout.

Napoleon put the pressure on right away in the eighth, getting back-to-back singles from Elijah Arend (Fairview) and Kenneth Smeltzer (Napoleon), as well as a walk from Tripp Langenderfer (Archbold) to load the bases with one out.

Kaden Kreinbrink (Liberty Center) already had three RBIs, but grounded into a 4-2 fielder’s choice. Zack Boecker (Holgate) came to the plate to pinch hit, working a 3-1 count before skying one to left. Smeltzer tagged up and scored on a throw that took the catcher up the third base line.

That was all the Bandits got out of the inning, but it’s all they needed, as Anthony Singer (Fairview) came in and shut the door in the eighth, hitting a batter with two outs but getting a groundout to third to send the Bandits to state.

The seventh wasn’t the only time the Bandits looked like they were headed for elimination. After scoring a run in the opening inning on a Kreinbrink single, Beverly-Lowell scored two in the bottom and three more in the second off of Bandits’ starter Smeltzer to take a 5-1 lead. The three second inning runs all came with two outs on an error and two singles.

Napoleon responded with five runs in the third to take a 6-5 lead, getting a two-RBI triple from Kreinbrink, RBI singles from both Cade Carlin (Bryan) and Bukowski , and a fielder’s choice RBI groundout from Maddox Baker (Edgerton).

Beverly-Lowell tied the game in the bottom of the third with a leadoff triple and a passed ball off of Bukowski, who relieved Smeltzer in the second. Baker again gave the Bandits the lead in the fifth with a two-out inside out RBI single to left. Beverly-Lowell tied it with a safety squeeze off of Kreinbrink, who came in to throw the fifth for Napoleon.

Maag picked up the win on the mound, allowing no earned runs on two hits with one strikeout and two walks. Kreinbrink’s triple was the only extra-base-hit for the Bandits. Arend was 3-for-5 with two runs scored.

American Legion State Tournament

Loser’s Bracket Final

Napoleon 8, Beverly-Lowell 7

Napoleon;105;010;01;-;8;12;1

Beverly-Lowell;231;010;00;-;7;11;2

Records: Napoleon 33-14, Beverly-Lowell 30-11.

Winning pitcher: Anthony Singer (1 inning, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 strikeout, 0 walks). Others: Kenneth Smeltzer, Camden Bukowski, Kaden Kreinbrink, Ryne Maag.

Losing pitcher: Easton Walker (2 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 0 strikeouts, 2 walk). Others: Grady Hesson, Jacob Laswell.

Leading hitters: (Napoleon) – Kaden Kreinbrink triple, single, 3 RBIs; Eliijah Arend 3 singles, 2 runs; Camden Bukowski 2 singles; Maddox Baker 2 RBIs. (Beverly-Lowell) – Jack McCurdy triple; JR Curry triple; Cameron Sidwell double, single, 2 runs; Kainan Bradford 2 singles, 2 RBIs; Grady Hesson 3 singles.