DICKINSON, N.D. — Fargo Shanley was playing in its third state championship game in four seasons and senior shortstop Tommy Simon has started in all three.

Simon and the Deacons weren’t going to be denied Saturday after title games losses in 2021 and 2022.

Landon Meier and Simon both cracked home runs and drove in three runs each to spark the Deacons to an 11-6 victory against Bismarck Legacy for the North Dakota Class A state baseball championship at Dakota Community Bank & Trust Ballpark.

“It means just about everything,” said Simon, who has committed to play baseball at Nebraska. “I’ve kind of given my life to baseball since I was 12. It’s pretty nice to win one for my school. … It would have sucked to go 0-for-3 (in title games) and I’m really glad we didn’t.”

Shanley won its first state title since 2013.

“I was excited for them to be able to finish this off,” Shanley head coach Luke Rustad said of his team.

Meier went 3-for-4 and also scored three runs. Simon was 2-for-4 and scored two runs. Both had doubles to go along with their home runs.

“The entire lineup was hitting the ball very hard,” Simon said. “It was great to see.”

The Deacons built a 10-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning before Legacy scored three in the bottom of the fifth and another in the sixth to narrow the gap.

In the first inning, Adam Leininger drove in a run on a ground out, Simon belted a solo home run and a third run scored on an error.

Legacy scored two in the second to make it 3-2, but the Deacons got both runs back in the third on Simon’s two-run double.

In the fourth inning, Landon Meier doubled in two runs and a third scored on a Legacy error. Boden Meier drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 9-2. Landon Meier made it 10-2 with a solo homer in the fifth.

“That’s my guy,” Simon said of Landon Meier. “I’m going to be pretty sad that our time together could be over.”

In the sixth, Jordan Leininger was hit by a pitch, Quinn Miller singled and Boden Meier walked to load the bases. Landon Hale followed with a sacrifice fly to left to drive in Jordan Leininger for an 11-5 lead.

“Every time they got a run, we answered back,” Rustad said.

Legacy’s Drew Beasley was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.

Greg Noel started for Shanley and went two innings. Hale relieved and worked the final five, giving up three earned runs on four hits, striking out four and walking one.

Simon said it was nice to see classmates who don’t play baseball make the trip to Dickinson for the title game.

“It’s a special group of guys in this class,” Simon said. “That was sweet. It was a good bunch of them that made the trip.”

Rustad said this team had a special resolve.

“I think the biggest thing is they didn’t ride an emotional roller-coaster,” Rustad said. “They just played mature. They were focused. Baseball is about being consistent.”

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JAMESTOWN, N.D. — Jansen Jordheim, Cora Johnson and Braya Mauch each drove in two runs to help spark Kindred-Richland to a 6-1 victory against Central Cass on Saturday for the North Dakota Class B state softball championship at Lyle “Trapper” Lawrence Field.

The Vikings won their first state crown since 2017.

Senior pitcher Danica Rath earned the complete-game victory, allowing one unearned run on five hits. Rath struck out four and walked one.

Whitney Mitchell went 1-for-2 with an RBI for Central Cass.

Thompson and Grafton are set to play for the Class B state baseball crown Saturday night at Jack Brown Stadium.

Below are scenes from Saturday’s championship games:

Peterson covers college athletics for The Forum, including Concordia College and Minnesota State Moorhead. He also covers the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks independent baseball team and helps out with North Dakota State football coverage. Peterson has been working at the newspaper since 1996.

GRAND FORKS – North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe and his team on Friday helped conduct a public test of voting equipment being used for early voting for the June 11 primary.

All 53 counties across North Dakota will be conducting their tests before early voting begins next week. In Grand Forks, residents can begin in-person voting at the Alerus Center on June 4. Votes can be cast from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Additionally, absentee ballots sent via mail have to be postmarked by June 10 to be counted in the election.

Grand Forks County Auditor Debbie Nelson, the chief election officer for the county, walked through the process that she and her team take to ensure the equipment used is accurate, safe and secure before ballots are cast. Friday’s test was only for the equipment being used for early voting. There will be another test in the coming days for the Election Day equipment.

The county has 37 different ballots and had 34 versions of each for a total of 1,258 test ballots being used for each machine. The test ballots don’t count toward any final tabulation, but help ensure the equipment works and is accurate.

“The premarked ballots come to us, we pick out four of them and replace one with red pen, one with blue pen and one with pencil, and we then we do an express vote, which is the ballot from the marking device people are allowed to use,” Nelson said. “When we test, we always turn them each way so that the results are accurate, like we expect.”

Erika White, elections director for the state, said that if a ballot is damaged so the machine can’t read it, they have remedies to ensure North Dakotans can still have their vote counted.

“You have a bipartisan board and they will recreate your ballot so they can scan it and they get saved with each other,” White said. “I’ve received ballots that the postal service has shredded, so there’s a process to make sure that all valid ballots that are returned are counted.”

Howe said it’s also important that people know what’s on the ballot to ensure that there are no issues with the ballot they receive.

“This has happened before I took office and may happen again this election: Someone says, ‘I didn’t see this candidate and I’m pretty sure I live in his district and wanted to vote for him.’ That voter was handed the wrong ballot,” Howe said. “In that rare instance where you’re handed the wrong ballot, you know what to look for.”

Sample ballots and election information can be found on the secretary of state’s website, vote.nd.gov. Grand Forks County and Grand Forks election information can be found on the county’s website

gfcounty.nd.gov/information/elections

or by contacting Nelson’s office at 701-780-8200. Nelson is also looking for election workers. More information about eligibility and applying can be found by contacting her office at 701-780-8200.

Voigt covers city government in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.