Bismarck and Fargo each put on baseball clinics Sunday during the championship game of the Senior Babe Ruth state baseball tournament.

Bismarck showed how to play the game right, while Fargo displayed most of the things not to do, including getting ejected.

The result was a 9-3 victory that earned the Reps a berth in the Midwest Region tournament in Williston.

"We just come to the yard to play baseball," Bismarck coach Mike Gustavsson said. "There were two different mentalities. We showed up for the game, and it didn't seem like they came with everything they had."

It might have been a carry-over from Saturday's Bismarck win in which the Reps won 4-2 on Jon Herold's two-run single in the sixth. Herold was the starting and winning pitcher in Sunday's title game.

Whatever Fargo might have had disappeared in the first inning when the Sox committed three errors, allowed two runners to score on a wild pitch by starter and losing pitch Cody Cusey and another when Cusey nonchalanted a return throw from the catcher and Hunter Johnson raced home.

Bismarck led 4-0 after one.

"We wanted to come ready to play and not give them a chance to jump on us," Johnson said.

Johnson, the cleanup-hitting third baseman, was 4-for-4, scored twice and drove in two runs.

"We wanted to get ahead and make them make plays," Gustavsson said.

Bismarck did get ahead, but Fargo had trouble making plays.

With two on and one out in the second, the Sox had a runner thrown out 1-4-5-2-6-4-1 at home after a botched double steal.

The Sox made two more errors in the third, leading to three Bismarck runs. The last two scored without a throw home on Brady Wolf's suicide squeeze bunt.

Another base-running blunder snuffed out the sixth inning after three runs had scored.

Finally, the game was halted in the seventh as umpires tossed a Fargo player from the dugout for chirping.

Bismarck, meanwhile, simply played ball. And no one played better than Johnson. With Bismarck up 4-0 in the third and Fargo batting with one out and the bases loaded, Johnson made the play of the game.

Cory Althoff hit a slow bouncer toward short. Johnson cut the ball off and made an incredibly quick release to second. Second baseman Brady Wolf made a strong pivot to end the inning.

"There was no doubt in my mind that it was getting past him," Gustavsson said. "I don't know how he comes up with it. Hunter's done a great job all year over there."

Johnson said he was only thinking ahead when he took off after the ball.

"When I got it, I didn't have time to get the guy at home, so I wanted to make sure I got an out at (second). Brady Wolf made a great turn and got the guy at first.

"One thing I concentrate on is make sure you're ready for the next play and know what you're doing in all situations."

The Reps responded to that defensive effort with three runs off of Fargo reliever Eric Hauge in the third.

The Reps' 3-4-5 hitters - Taylor Isakson, Johnson and Jake Hruby - were 8-for-11 with six runs scored and three runs batted in. Isakson was 3-for-4 with two runs.

Cusey worked only one inning before he was replaced by Eric Hauge. Cusey gave up just two hits and one earned run.

Herold threw strikes. He hit one batter and struck out one. He had a shutout with two outs in the sixth inning before two misplayed fly balls eventually led to three runs.

"He's our ace," Gustavsson said. "Playing at this level, all you have to do is throw strikes and give yourself a chance."

Fargo 000 003 0 - 3 9 6

Bismarck 403 110 x - 9 11 1

Cody Cusey, Eric Hauge (2), Cory Althoff (5) and Nick Heinle; Jon Herold and Taylor Isakson. W - Herold. L - Cusey. HR: None.

Highlights: Fargo - Cusey 2-for-3, double, RBI, R. Hauge 2-for-3. Bismarck - Taylor Isakson 3-for-4, 2 R. Hunter Johnson 4-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBIs. Jake Hruby 2 R, RBI. Brady Wolf 2 RBIs.