MILBANK – Groton built several large leads and ended up holding off a late Milbank rally for a 13-10 American Legion baseball victory on Tuesday night.

The visitors led 6-1, 9-3, and 13-5 before Milbank responded each time eventually falling short.

Groton scored four times in the top of the second after two outs. Alex Abeln had a two-run single, while Trevor Diegel drove in a run with a single, and Brevin Fliehs added a bases-loaded walk.

Groton added two more runs in the third as Abeln had another two-run single. Milbank responded in the bottom half of the frame on Mason Meister’s two-run single.

Groton plated three runs in the top of the fourth. Brevin Fliehs produced a RBI triple, Nick Morris drove in a run with a single, and another run scored on an error. Again, Milbank answered with a pair of runs, both coming in on back-to-back errors.

Groton tacked on four more runs in the fifth. Korbin Kucker had an RBI double, Fliehs followed with a sac fly, Carter Simon delivered an RBI triple, and Morris had another run-producing single.

Milbank made things interesting with five runs in the fifth, but that was a close as the hosts would get.

With two outs, Jayce Jonason drew a bases-loaded walk, before Meister had a bases-loaded triple, and then came home on the hit on an error.

Morris and Abeln each had two hits for Groton. Abeln knocked in four, Kucker had three RBI, and Morris plated a pair.

Reese Rabe topped Milbank with three hits. Meister finished with two hits and drove in five.

Groton 042 340 0 – 13 9 7

Milbank 102 205 0 – 10 7 5

Korbin Kucker, Teylor Diegel (4), TC Schuster (6) and Lincoln Krause; Josh Pederson, Reese Rabe (3) Joe Schulte (6) and Jayce Jonasen. 2B – Groton, Kucker; Milbank, Rabe. 3B – Groton, Brevin Fliehs, Carter Simon; Milbank, Mason Meister.