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FARIBAULT — The Luverne town team had a slugging summer in the Gopher League, but the Redbirds came up empty here Saturday night in the Minnesota Baseball Association’s Class C state tournament.
Matt Tautges of the Buckman Billygoats pitched a five-hit shutout en route to a 4-0 victory over the Redbirds. Tautges, a former Pierz High star and all-conference ballplayer at St. Scholastica in Duluth, also had two hits and an RBI for the Billygoats.
Derek Lundgren, Phil Paquette, Ben Serie, Declan Beers and Jake Haugen all had singles for Luverne.
The Redbirds, champions of Region 13C, had a first-round bye at the state tournament.
Haugen took the pitching loss for Luverne, working five innings and yielding four hits and two earned runs. Ben Serie and Windom draftee Kobe Lovell also pitched for the Redbirds.
Luverne, managed by Brooks Maurer, finished with a 29-5 record.
Region 13C teams from Fairmont and Milroy were ousted in the first round of the tournament. This is the second year in a row that all three Region 13C teams lost their State C openers. Two years ago, the Fairmont Martins won the state championship.
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Buckman Billygoats 002 101 000 — 4 8 1
Luverne Redbirds 000 000 000 — 0 5 1
