With the Bismarck Reps hitting around .340 as a team entering the 16-18-year-old senior Babe Ruth state tournament, their bats may have earned a day off.

The sticks took one on Saturday, but it didn't matter, as the Reps took advantage of some free passes and Williston miscues for a 4-2 win at Municipal Ballpark.

"It doesn't matter how you get on base, because getting runners out there is how you win games," Reps coach Mike Gustavsson said. "It was definitely important that we took advantage of the breaks we got and the mistakes they made."

The win put the Reps in today's championship game against Williston, slated for 10 a.m. A second title game will follow if Williston beats Bismarck in the morning game. The Oilers advanced with a 5-3 win over Fargo in Saturday's loser-out game.

Bismarck managed just four hits in the win, but still had no shortage of baserunners against the Oilers. Bismarck drew four walks, had three hit batsman and another reached on an error.

The Reps scored two runs in each of the third and fourth innings, and none of the four runners that crossed the plate for Bismarck reached base on a hit.

"We were just being patient and doing our job waiting for our pitch at the plate," said Jon Hausauer, who walked twice and also scored a run. "We get runners on, and we're very aggressive out there. We got some guys on, and managed to get four runs even though we didn't have our best hitting day."

Hausauer was also sharp on the mound, while he got into trouble early - Bismarck trailed 2-0 after two innings - the pitcher calmed down, and went the distance for the victory. At least one runner reached base in the final four innings, but Hausauer did a fantastic job in slamming the door any time trouble arose.

"He struggled a little at the start, but after he got the ball down, he really got into a rhythm," Gustavsson said. "He's a good competitor for us. He's a good athlete that plays in a lot of sports, and he knows how to get wins."

Williston got its runs thanks to leadoff doubles by Jordan Braun and Trevor Sorenson in the first and second innings, respectively.

Brett Colebank plated Braun in the first inning on a groundout, and Sorenson came around for a 2-0 lead after a sacrifice bunt and and an infield single from Adam Pozgay in the second.

Then the Oilers started to slip up. Alex Allen led off the third inning with a fly to right field, which the Williston fielder dropped. Allen got to second on an errant pickoff throw.

Zach Miller was then hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second, and both moved up a base on a wild pitch.

Allen scored on a groundout by Zach Klabo, and a Darron Olson single tied the game when Miller trotted home.

The fourth was a display of patience, as Hausauer, Drew Eichele and Allen all drew one-out walks - two of which came on full counts. Hausauer scored on another Williston error, and Eichele came in on a single by Miller.

"Errors can keep a team in the game, that's for sure," Hausauer said. "You look at this game, we only get four hits. They get three errors, and we end up with four runs. They make a huge difference."

Bismarck 002 200 0 - 4 4 1

Williston 110 000 0 - 2 8 3

Jon Hausauer and Tyler Johnson. Alex Mock, Zack Nelson (6) and Nate Wingerter. W - Hausauer. L - Mock. HR - none.

Highlights: Williston - Jordan Braun, 2-for-4, double. Trevor Sorenson, 2-for-3, double. Zack Nelson, 2-for-4.

Williston 5, Fargo 3

Trevor Sorenson dangled the carrot in front of Fargo, but he just wouldn't let them have it.

The Williston hurler pitched out of jam after jam, as the Coyotes won to stay alive at the state tournament.

Four times Fargo left runners in scoring position without plating a run in the inning.

Williston got a pair of runs in the first, but the real damage was done in the third.

Alex Mock led off the inning with a double, and the next three hitters all reached base.

Pozgay singled in Mock and loaded the bases, and the second run trotted home when Jordan Braun drew a walk Quinn Devlin's sacrifice fly that scored Pozgay ended the scoring.

Trailing 5-2 entering the bottom of the seventh, Fargo made things interesting when Brian McCann hit a two-out double. He moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Justin Sheets.

Fargo got another runner as far as second in the final inning, but pinch hitter Alex Hill lined out to Colebank at shortstop, ending the game.

Fargo scored two run in the second inning, and both came with two outs. Both Parker Kruckenburg and Tyler Klein came in on a single by Adam Clapp.

Williston 203 000 0 - 5 7 1

Fargo 020 000 1 - 3 8 1

Trevor Sorenson and Nate Wingerter. Brian McCann, Cody Cusey (3), Eric Hague (4) and Erik Carlson. W - Sorenson. L - McCann. HR - none.

Highlights: Williston - Alex Mock, double. Fargo - Tyler Klein, 2-for-3. Adam Clapp, 2 RBIs. Brian McCann, double. Justin Sheets, 2-for-2. Austin Richard, 2-for-3.