Mandan, N.D. ? The Lawrence Raiders squandered a 6-0 lead, losing, 8-6, Monday against Rapid City, S.D., in the championship round at the American Legion Central Plains Regional.

The Raiders led, 6-0, heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but Rapid City rallied to tie it at 6 against Lawrence pitcher Jake Hoover.

“We struggled in the sixth,” Raiders coach Kevin Tucker said. “They put a couple of hits together and managed to put up a crooked number.

“That inning kind of got away from us.”

Hoover survived that inning, but in the eighth he allowed another run and gave way to reliever Will Falk, who allowed one more run. The Raiders couldn’t rally in the ninth.

“Jake was pitching a heck of a game,” Tucker said. They found some gaps and found a way to tie it up and eventually go ahead.”

The Raiders would have had to beat Rapid City twice to win the Regional title.

Brian Heere was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, Tommy Fitzgerald was 3-for-5, and Jake Hoover was 2-for-5 with two doubles for the Raiders, who finished 38-8.

“We never lost to a team from Kansas all year, and we came down and battled this South Dakota team, which was a heck of a team,” Tucker said.

“I’m so proud of these kids and the way they’ve played.”