DEVILS LAKE - Minot took a step toward its goal of defending its state Class A Legion baseball title on Saturday, but only a little step.

The Vistas won the Western Division tournament championship for the first time in seven years, defeating Williston 6-3 in the championship game at Roosevelt Park.

"We were talking about it on our way here," Minot shortstop Ryne Hornecker said, pointing to the Vistas' four runner-up finishes since their last divisional tourney crown. "Coming here and getting that (championship) was a goal of ours. But the big goal is winning state, so we've got to play well next week."

Minot and Williston both advanced to next week's state tournament, which begins on Wednesday in Fargo. They will be joined by Bismarck and Dickinson.

The winning Vistas never trailed in the contest. Zac Elgie jumped on Williston starter McHale Maristuen for a two-run home run in the top of the first inning and Williston was forced to play catchup the rest of the day.

Maristuen walked leadoff man Kory Houston and with one out Elgie launched the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for his 26th round-tripper of the summer.

Williston's high-water mark was the home fourth when RBI singles by Quinn Devlin and Tyler Liffrig enabled the Keybirds to knot the score at 3-3.

Minot quickly unsnarled the knot with a two-run fifth. Hornecker walked and Elgie singled to start the proceedings and both moved up on a wild pitch. Ryan Bollinger cracked a two-run single down the right field line, and the Vistas were in command to stay at 5-3.

Each team went to the top of its rotation for the championship game, but the game was anything but a pitcher's duel.

Minot starter Jordan Martinson picked up the victory, but lasted only five innings, surrendering five hits, five walks and three runs, two earned.

All told, Minot left 16 Williston runners stranded.

Minot 200 120 100 - 6 13 2

Williston 001 200 000 - 3 6 1

Jordan Martinson, Ethan Sundheim (6), Ryan Bollinger (9) and Dane Towery; McHale Maristuen, Zach Nelson (6), Trevor Sorenson (9) and Devin Kvernum. W - Martinson, 5-1. L - Maristuen, 6-6. HR - Minot, Zac Elgie.

Highlights: M - Ryne Hornecker 3-for-4, 2 R; Elgie 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBIs; Bollinger 2-for-4, 2 RBIs; Jordan Huettl 3-for-4, double. W - Andy Leer 2-for-5.

Records: Minot 43-13, Williston 33-22.

Bismarck 3, Dickinson 0

Matt Loomis pitched one of Bismarck's strongest games of the summer, stopping Dickinson with a two-hit shutout.

Loomis allowed only two men to advance into scoring position while hurling his third complete game of the season.

The only hits he surrendered were Alex Koppinger's fourth-inning double and Jamie Ollila's sixth-inning single. Ollila was erased by a subsequent groundball double play.

En route to 115 pitches, Loomis walked four, whiffed three and hit a batter.

During one stretch he retired 14 of 15 batters.

"I didn't think I'd come into today and shut Dickinson down," said Loomis, an 18-year-old right-hander. "But I've been pitching better lately."

Loomis said his late-season improvement is the result of harnessing his breaking pitches.

"My last two or three starts I've been able to mix my offspeed stuff in there," he said. "… If you can't locate your offspeed, they'll be sitting on the fastball."

Bismarck's support of Loomis came in one-run bites.

The Governors broke through against Travis Tooley in the fourth on a single by Dustin Wenzel, a walk to Zach Wentz and Justin Connell's RBI single.

Connell took Tooley deep in the sixth inning, just clearing the left-field fence for his first home run of the season.

A single by Nathan Schlosser, Darron Olson's sacrifice bunt and Tom Seifert's RBI single plated a third run in the seventh inning.

That was more than enough for Loomis, who posted his first shutout of the season.

Loomis' brilliant effort came on the heels of a route-going 7-3 victory over Mandan by lefty Jeremy Campbell in an elimination game earlier in the day.

Originally, the plan was to use Loomis in a relief role in the loser-out game. But instead of getting nine innings out of Campbell and Loomis, Governors coach Mike Skytland got 18 and, more importantly, two wins.

"We had two great pitching performances," Skytland said. "… We had to show some character today and we did."

Bismarck 000 101 100 - 3 12 1

Dickinson 000 000 000 - 0 2 1

Matt Loomis and Torey Bohan; Travis Tooley and Alex Koppinger. W - Loomis, 4-2. L - Tooley, 6-4. HR - Bismarck, Justin Connell.

Highlights: B - Connell 2-for-4, HR, 1 R, 2 RBIs; Nathan Schlosser 2-for-4, 1 R; Tom Seifert 3-for-3, 1 RBI; Loomis 9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 SO, 49 balls, 66 strikes. D - Jamie Ollila 1-for-3; Koppinger 1-for-4, double; Tooley 9 IP, 12 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO.

Records: Bismarck 34-14, Dickinson 35-23.