RAPID CITY - It was a tight squeeze but Post 22 fought its way back to the .500 mark on the season with a 5-4 win over Minot, N.D., in the final game of the Dr. James "Pev" Evans Tournament on Sunday.

Post 22 finished the five-day tournament with a 3-2 mark and saw its overall record even at 26-26.

After watching its one-run advantage disappear in the top of the seventh inning, Post 22 got going in the bottom half when Kolton Emery hit a high fly ball to shallow right that the Vistas second baseman Josh Oothoudt was unable to catch. Emery advanced to second on a passed ball and moved to third on a groundout. After Parker Sullivan was intentionally walked, Jordan Mette put down a suicide squeeze bunt that shot toward Minot pitcher Ryan Bollinger. Bollinger fielded the ball but rushed his throw home missing the catcher as Emory slid in safely for the victory.

"It was a big win," Post 22 head coach Dave Ploof said. "We made some mental mistakes but we competed tough.

"(Minot) is an outstanding team and they saved their No. 1 for us. We played five games in this tournament and we saw five No.1s which says a lot because we are a young team, but they are saving their best for us."

The hardhats found themselves down 3-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning when they were finally able to get to Bollinger who had held Post 22 to one run on three hits to that point.

Brock Estes began the rally when he was hit by a pitch and Steven Ficken gave the hardhats two baserunners when he reached on an error. Jarrett Jensen drove in one run with a lined shot to the base of the wall in right, and Emery gave his team its first lead of the night with a two RBI single up the middle giving Rapid City a 4-3 lead.

The Vistas tied the score in the sevneth when Zac Elgie nearly connected on his second home run of the game, but had to settle for a triple before scoring on a liner to center field. Elgie rocked a solo home run in the third to put his team up 2-1 at the time.

Post 22 starter Jon Hass went 6-2/3 innings before John Jarding came in in relief to get the final out of the seventh. Hass, despite not being razor sharp, kept his team in the game by minimizing the damage against him allowing just single runs in four innings. He struck out four and walked three in getting the no decision.

"Jon started out a little shaky but he adjusted and really threw a good game," Ploof said.

Hass worked out of a bases loaded jam in the second inning to keep the game knotted at 1-1. He struck out the first two batters of the inning only to give up a pair of walks and a single with two outs to load the bases, but a grounder to shortstop Sam Wolff ended the threat with a flip to second base to record the force out. Hass was also the beneficiary of a tailor made double play turned by the hard hats in the fourth inning to keep runs off the board.

Post 22 did not help itself early on as it got lead-off singles in the second and third innings only to have the baserunner picked off first by the left-handed Bollinger. A third runner would be picked off in the sixth as he got caught between first and second.

"He had a good move and we were overaggressive, but I think you will find that with a young club," Ploof said.

Minot got on the board in the first when Bachmeier laced a ball to the left field gap for a double and scored on a Zac Elgie infield single that Sam Wolff was able to field, but couldn't make the throw to first in time to get the third out. Post 22 tied the game in the bottom of the first when Sullivan led off with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly.

The game was over when …

Emery came sliding across home plate to complete the comeback and get his team back to .500 on the season.

Sunday's MVP …

Emery went 3-for-3 on the day with three singles, two RBI and scored the winning run.

On deck …

Rapid City is back in tournament action as it hosts the Marshall Tubbs Classic at Fitzgerald Stadium beginning Thursday. The hardhats face Colorado Springs, Colo., at 7:30 p.m.

the ball but rushed his throw home missing the catcher as Emory slid in safely for the victory.

"It was a big win," Post 22 head coach Dave Ploof said. "We made some mental mistakes but we competed tough.

"(Minot) is an outstanding team and they saved their No. 1 for us. We played five games in this tournament and we saw five No.1s which says a lot because we are a young team, but they are saving their best for us."

The hardhats found themselves down 3-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning when they were finally able to get to Bollinger who had held Post 22 to one run on three hits to that point.

Brock Estes began the rally when he was hit by a pitch and Steven Ficken gave the hardhats two baserunners when he reached on an error. Jarrett Jensen drove in one run with a lined shot to the base of the wall in right, and Emery gave his team its first lead of the night with a two-run single up the middle, giving Rapid City a 4-3 lead.

The Vistas tied the score in the sevneth when Zac Elgie nearly connected on his second home run of the game, but had to settle for a triple before scoring on a liner to center field. Elgie rocked a solo home run in the third to put his team up 2-1 at the time.

Post 22 starter Jon Hass went 6 2/3 innings before John Jarding came in in relief to get the final out of the seventh. Hass, despite not being razor sharp, kept his team in the game by minimizing the damage against him, allowing just single runs in four innings. He struck out four and walked three in getting the no-decision.

Hass worked out of a bases loaded jam in the second inning to keep the game knotted at 1-1. He struck out the first two batters of the inning only to give up a pair of walks and a single with two outs to load the bases, but a grounder to shortstop Sam Wolff ended the threat with a flip to second base to record the force out.

The game was over when …

Emery came sliding across home plate to complete the comeback and get his team back to .500 on the season.

Sunday's MVP …

Emery went 3-for-3 on the day with three singles, two RBI and scored the winning run.

On deck …

Rapid City is back in tournament action as it hosts the Marshall Tubbs Classic at Fitzgerald Stadium beginning Thursday.

The hardhats face Colorado Springs, Colo., at 7:30 p.m.