By Scott A. Kolb
Post-Bulletin, Austin MN 

WILLMAR -- Faithful fans of Riverland baseball who followed the team to state and regional championships can now pack their bags for a trip to Texas.

The Riverland Blue Devils will be playing in the Junior College World Series later this week in Tyler, Texas. This entry comes on the heels of a decisive 14-3 win over Northland to claim the title in the Region XIII Tournament on Saturday.

Continuing their perfect run so far through the post-season, the Blue Devils broke it open with six runs in the top of the fourth inning in the region final against Northland.

Ryan Palmer started on the mound and went five innings to get the pitching win for the Blue Devils. Mitch Jaeger threw two innings of relief, then Alex Buckentine and Nate Steenblock each pitched an inning of relief for close it out.

"After we took the big lead in the fourth inning, I wanted to get some of the other guys on our pitching staff a little work," Riverland coach Scott Koenigs said. "They all did a great job, and our bats came alive."

It was a 1-1 tie heading into the top of the fourth, when the Blue Devils put together a big rally. The six-run uprising started with a single from Shane Lange. After an out, Derek Emanuel doubled and Chris Lindemann was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Another out followed and threatened the legitimacy of the rally, but then Shawn Pape smacked a bases-clearing double. This plated three runs and gave the Blue Devils the lead for good. Kyle Starkey kept the rally rolling by drawing a walk.

Brandon Huhn answered the call with a two-run double as the Blue Devils broke it open. Andy Behnke then capped the rally with an RBI single to score Huhn for a 7-1 lead.

"The guys really stepped it up and we just went crazy in the fourth inning," Koenigs said. "This gave us a comfortable lead and we kept adding to it over the final few innings."

Palmer exited the hill after the fifth inning with a 9-2 lead. The series of relievers had no problem protecting his lead, especially after the offense added even more runs.

The offense added another run in the top of the sixth. Putting the finishing touches on the region title run, Lindemann bashed a homer to highlight a four-run rally in the top of the eighth inning.

"We had a number of guys play well in the region tournament," Koenigs said. "Lindemann went 6-for-8 over the weekend with three doubles, a home run, and a total of six RBIs out of the ninth spot in our batting order.

"Pape went 7-for-13 over the three games and delivered some clutch hits. We had so many guys that stepped up and helped us win the regional title. I'm very proud of team, and it's satisfying to see the guys rewarded for all their hard work. We had a great turnout of fans at the state and region, so it's great to see the people out there supporting us."

Riverland (37-8) plays the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, the Richland (Texas) Thunder Ducks, in their first game of the JUCO World Series.

REGION XIII BASEBALL

RIVERLAND 14, NORTHLAND 3

Riverland 001 621 040 -- 14 17 4

Northland 001 010 100 -- 3 7 1

Riverland: Zach Vlietstra 2-5, 2B, HBP, SB, run; Shawn Pape 3-5, 2 2B, walk, 2 runs, 5 RBIs; Kyle Starkey 2-2, 2B, 3 walks, run, 2 RBIs; Brandon Huhn 1-5, 2B, HBP, run, 2 RBIs; Andy Behnke 3-6, run, RBI; Shane Lange 1-5, run; Kody Retterath 0-1; Brian Voigt 1-5, SB, 2 runs; Derek Emanuel 2-4, 2B, run, RBI; Chris Lindemann 2-3, HBP, walk, HR, 3 runs, 3 RBIs. WP: Ryan Palmer 5 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K. RP: Mitch Jaeger 2 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K; Alex Buckentine 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K; Nate Steenblock 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 K.