Powell wins title as Dahlgren named MVP Tyler Dahlgren cemented an MVP performance with three and two-thirds innings of solid work to enable the Powell Pioneers Post 26 American Legion baseball team to score a 13-5 win over the Billings Cardinals. The win cinched the title of Aaron's Class-A Tournament for the Pioneers.

“Tyler had an excellent tournament and we're really putting it together as a team,” said Pioneer coach Jeff Young, who was surprised when the championship game was stopped early due to the eight-run margin on the scoreboard. “We won four out of six games and everyone played solid.”

Trailing 5-1, Powell turned the championship game on its ear with an eight-run fourth inning. Andrew Young tripled home a pair of runs while Gianluca Giarrizzo and Scotty Jameson each added two-run hits as Powell pushed seven runs across home plate before tallying an out.

From there, Dahlgren took over. The Pioneers' reliever, who tagged in for starter Jake Beuster in the second inning, allowed just two hits for the Cardinals over the final two innings. He was responsible for doubling home a pair of Powell runs in the fifth inning before racing in to score the game-ending run on a base hit by Auston Carter.

Powell advanced to the championship contest after scoring preliminary round wins over Great Falls (19-8), the Billings Blue Jays (10-2) and the Immanuel Halos (13-0). The Pioneers' two losses came in the tournament opener against the Cardinals (9-3) and to Bozeman (5-4).

“Last year, we played Bozeman up there and it ended up being something like a 26-25 game,” said Young. “They saved their best pitcher for us this time and we weren't quite able to get the win.”

The early loss to the Cardinals came as the Pioneers were playing with a makeshift lineup as two of the team's players were in Casper for the Shrine Bowl.

“Once we got everyone together, it made a big difference,” said Young. “We were able to keep enough people fresh to throw for us the rest of the way through the tournament.”

None of those pitching performances were more impressive than the two-hitter fired by Jameson against the Blue Jays. Jameson fanned five batters, and baffled the Blue Jays on just 84 pitches.

The hits allowed by Jameson came on back-to-back singles with one out in the third. Both runs came around to score later in the inning on an infield error.

Meanwhile, Powell was in control on the scoreboard from early on. The Pioneers tagged the Jays for five runs in the top of the first. Seven different players drove in runs as Powell uncorked an 11-hit assault on the Jays.

Powell's bats were plenty hot in the team's other two wins as well. The Pioneers tagged Great Falls pitching for 22 hits in that 11-run victory. Andrew Young's three-run home run was part of a 4 RBI night for him while Colter Bostick was a perfect 5-for-5 in the box with three runs scored.

Against the Halos, Powell scored 12 of its 13 runs in the second inning as the team sent 17 batters to the plate. Every starter in the Pioneers' lineup contributed at least one hit and one run to the win.

Post 26 ran its season record to 13-9 overall with its performance in Billings. The team continues its marathon road trip this weekend with double-headers at Gillette on Friday, Douglas on Saturday and Sheridan on Sunday.

“We're giving them today off to rest,” Young said Wednesday morning. “They've earned a day off and then we'll get back to business.”