CLARK – Four Faulkton-Highmore pitchers combined on a four-hitter as the Hitmen defeated the Clark-Willow Lake Senators 5-2 in a winner’s bracket contest during the Region 6B American Legion baseball tournament on Tuesday.

Clark-Willow Lake scored the game’s first runs in the bottom of the first inning on an error and Connor Mudgett’s RBI double. However, the Senators were unable the score the rest of the way as Faulkton-Highmore’s Carson Stephenson, Layne Cotton, Blaze Herdman and Cade Schick combined on six shutout innings.

Meanwhile, the Hitmen scored all the runs they would need with three runs in the second inning. Herdman had an RBI double, Gus Kopecky drove in a run with a single, and another run scored on an error.

Herdman added another run-producing hit in the third, and Miles McPeak drove in the final run for Faulkton-Highmore.

Herdman finished with three hits and drove in a pair for the Hitmen, who will face Groton in a winner’s bracket game tonight.

Jack Helkenn had two hits for the Senators, who will take on Mobridge in a loser’s bracket game this afternoon.

Clark-Willow Lake stopped the Claremont Honkers 9-1 to open the tournament.

The Senators jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first as Jacob Steen and Mudgett drove in runs. C-WL added six more runs to pull away late. Collin Gaikowski had two RBI singles, while Tyson Huber and Helkenn also drove in runs.

Chris Cutler accounted for Claremont’s lone run with an RBI single in the second.

Steen and Gaikowski each had two hits in the win, while Steen, Mudgett and Gaikowski each drove in a pair.

Cutler had three hits and Rennan Bruns two for Claremont, which takes on Warner-Ipswich-Northwestern in a loser’s bracket contest this afternoon.

Faulkton-Highmore Hitmen 031 001 0 – 5 6 2

Clark-Willow Lake Senators 200 000 0 – 2 4 4

Carson Stephenson, Layne Cotton (4), Blaze Herdman (5), Cade Schick (7) and Schick; Cooper Pommer, Tyson Huber (7) and Jakob Steen. 2B – Faulkton-Highmore, Herdman, Cotton; Clark-Willow Lake, Conner Mudgett, Jack Helkenn.

Clark-Willow Lake Senators 300 121 2 – 9 8 2

Claremont Honkers 010 000 0 – 1 9 5

Josh Kannegieter, Will Hovde (6), Max Bratland (7) and Conner Mudgett; Kassen Keough, Grant Cutler (5), William Schuller (7) and Chris Cutler. 2B – Clark-Willow Lake Senators, Mudgett, Hovde; Claremont Honkers, Nate Schuller.