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The Stevens Point American Legion team wasn't ranked in the latest Class AAA state poll, but that should change after this past holiday weekend.

The Sixers capped a perfect run through the Firecracker Classic with a 5-4 win over Beloit on Monday at Bukolt Park to capture the tournament championship for the first time in four years.

The Sixers never trailed in winning five tournament games, and have won 10 straight games overall.

"The rankings are nice and give you something to shoot for, but ultimately for coaches and players it doesn't mean anything," said Point coach Luke Suchon, whose team improved to 14-4 overall. "What really means the most to us is championships. Winning the tournament, winning the (Wisconsin) Valley and state. (Rankings) are good recognition, but at the end of the day its all about winning."

Jake Tepp's bases-loaded single past Beloit shortstop Jordan Harris scored Logan Mallek with the winning run with one out in the seventh. Mallek led off the inning with a walk before Dillion Schmenk sacrificed him to second. Nick Yenter was intentionally walked and Ryan Williams drew a walk to load the bases and set up Tepp's heroics.

"I was just trying to get the ball in play where someone's not and get the run in," Tepp said. "(The win) was big, we haven't won this tournament in quite awhile.

"It was a big thing to win it."

Matt Dana earned the win for the Sixers as he pitched the seventh in relief of starter Derek Kawlewski, and allowed one hit. Aaron Roth took the complete-game loss for Beloit.

Stevens Point beat Wausau 8-0 late Sunday behind a complete-game performance from the Sixers' Brad Stroik. The Bulldogs' Ryan Zweck allowed three runs before leaving after seven innings, and the Sixers scored five times in the eighth.

The game counted in the Wisconsin Valley Legion conference as well, and with the victory the Sixers moved a half-game ahead of Plover for first place.

Point came into the Beloit matchup having outscored its previous four tournament opponents 39-10, including 10-0 in the first inning. That trend continued as Mallek singled to open the game and Schmenk was hit with a pitch before Nick Yenter followed with a home run to left-center to give the Sixers an early 3-0 lead.

Beloit responded with two runs in the second inning off Kawlewski and then tied the game at 4-4 with a pair of runs in the fifth.

Beloit's Kyle Woodworth was tagged out at home by Point catcher Adam Bartlett with one out in the sixth trying to score from second on after Aaron Roth's hit glanced off Point second baseman Jake Tepp's glove and went into short rightfield.

Beloit 020 020 0-- 4 10 2

Point 300 100 1 -- 5 8 1

WP - Matt Dana. LP - Aaron Roth. 2B -- B, Kolin Hamilton; SP, Ryan Williams. HR -- SP, Nick Yenter.

Tournament standings: Stevens Point 5-0, Beloit 4-1, Wausau 3-2, Beaver Dam 3-2, Oshkosh 1-4, Bloomington 0-5.

All-tournament team: Stevens Point (Adam Bartlett, Brad Stroik, Ryan Williams, Nick Yenter), Wausau (Jake Lindmeier, Tanner Blaschka), Beloit (Aaron Roth, Aaron Jones), Oshkosh (Beau Burgert, Brandon Lalk), Bloomington (Zach Horn, Kris Ashland), Beaver Dam (RJ Shelton, Trent Diekvoss).

But Point's bats have been as hot as the weather for the Firecracker Classic that the Sixers are hosting this holiday weekend at Bukolt Park.

Brandon Mendyke had a grand slam during a 12-run third inning as Point rolled to a 13-2 win in five innings over Bloomington (Minn.) on Saturday, making quick work of its opponent for the second time in as many tournament games.

"Our hitters look comfortable up there and are taking good approaches (at the plate)," Point coach Luke Suchon said. "Sometimes when you're hot, you're hot. The hitters are hot right now."

Ryan Williams went 3 for 3 with an RBI to lead the Sixers' 10-hit attack.

"Maybe they just like being back at Bukolt Park," Suchon added. "We have a lot of home games this year, and (a Class AAA) regional is here, so maybe getting to know the friendly confines (of Bukolt) is going to help us out in the long run."

The Sixers defeated Oshkosh 6-5 in the final game of the day. Nolan Hurrish had a bases-clearing double and Adam Bartlett hit a home run in a five-run first inning for the Sixers.

Stevens Point faces Wausau at 6:30 p.m. today in a game that will count in the Wisconsin Valley Legion standings. The Sixers, who rallied for a win in Wausau last week, are tied with Plover for first place in the conference standings with a 4-1 mark.

Logan Mallek earned the win for the Sixers, allowing six hits while striking out four and walking four.

Zack Horn and Kris Ashland had RBI singles in the third inning as Bloomington took the lead after Williams singled home a run in the first.

Bloomington's advantage was short-lived as the first three Sixers reached base in the bottom half of the inning, and Jake Tepp lined a shot up the middle to score two runs. The Sixers scored nine runs in the inning before an out was recorded, highlighted by Mendyke's home run that came off a 0-1 fastball from Bloomington reliever John Riebel.

"The first (pitch) came in, and I thought, 'Oh shoot, I missed it.' The next pitch came in and looked even better and I just put a good stroke on it," Mendyke said.

Bloomington 002 00 -- 2 6 1

Stevens Point 10(12) 0X -- 13 10 0

WP - Logan Mallek. LP - Austin Nordby. 2B - SP, Ryan Williams. HR - Brandon Mendyke.

Record: Stevens Point 11-4.

The Stevens Point American Legion baseball team took the field Friday at Bukolt Park roughly an hour later than it was originally scheduled to.

Then the Sixers wasted little time in taking control of their matchup with Beaver Dam, scoring six runs in the second inning on the way to a 13-3 win on the opening night of the Firecracker Classic.

"It's not just hitting the ball, it's our approach at the plate," Point coach Luke Suchon said. "The guys are willing to take walks and they're finding their pitches. We're making the pitchers work and that's what we preach."

"We want guys to settle into their at-bats and take a good approach," Suchon added. "You get guys on and then it's a little blood in the water-type of feel."

Stevens Point plays Bloomington (Minn.) and Oshkosh today at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively.

The start of Friday's game was pushed back due to the length of the Wausau-Oshkosh matchup that preceded it, but the delay was not an issue for the Sixers.

"We got a little rest and let the heat die down," said Point catcher Adam Bartlett, who went 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs. "We took advantage (of the delay) and made sure we were fully prepared for (the game)."

Nick Yenter earned the complete-game win for the Sixers, allowing just four hits.

Beaver Dam, which beat Bloomington 4-1 in the opening game of the tournament, scored a run on a wild pitch in the first inning and then Trent Diekvoss crushed a two-run home run to left with one out in the fifth. Beaver Dam entered the game as the top-ranked Class AA Legion team in the state.

Derek Kawlewski broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI double to center with one out in the second. After drawing back-to-back walks to load the bases, the Sixers strung together four consecutive RBI singles to take a 7-1 lead. Jake Tepp's single to center scored the final two runs of the inning.

Beaver Dam 100 02 -- 3 4 2

Stevens Point 160 42 -- 13 10 0

WP - Nick Yenter. LP -Matt Sabel. 2B - SP, Ryan Williams, Derek Kawlewski. HR -- BD, Trent Diekvoss; SP, Adam Bartlett.

Sometimes it comes down to who can get the big hit in the right situation.

That is where Stevens Point Post 6's Nolan Hurrish enters the picture.

Hurrish came up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning and delivered a two-run single to help propel the Sixers to a 6-4 win over rival Plover at Bukolt Park on Wednesday night.

"In a situation like that you need to put runs on the scoreboard. I wanted to put the bat on the ball and hope it gets down," Hurrish said. "It was an outside pitch and you want to go with it and take it to right (field)."

Hurrish did his part as Stevens Point put up four runs on only two hits to build a 5-1 lead.

But no lead is safe in this rivalry, however.

As a result, the Sixers needed reliever Logan Mallek to make some clutch pitches in a nearly identical situation when Plover had the makings of a huge inning.

"We felt if it was a one- or two-run game tonight, it would be to our advantage with our pitching staff," Stevens Point coach Lucas Suchon said.

That sentiment turned out to be the difference, although not before a few anxious moments.

Mallek found himself in a pressure-cooker of a situation when he came on for starter Brad Stroik with one out in the top of the eighth inning.

The Black Sox had runners on second and third with no outs and Stevens Point holding a 6-2 lead. Mallek walked Bobby Gregorich to load the bases, but limited the damage to two runs on an RBI groundout by Kelvin Stroik and a wild pitch.

"With the bases loaded there in the eighth, you have to score more than two runs," Plover coach Wayne Sankey said. "We've got to try to find a way to score more runs earlier as good as our bats are, but you have to give the credit to Brad (Stroik)."

Odds were pretty good that a Stroik was going to be the winning pitcher with Kelvin towing the rubber for Plover and Brad tossing for the Sixers.

And for all intent and purposes, the game was shaping up as a pitcher's duel until Stevens Point's Jake Tepp unloaded for an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth.