EL DORADO ? The Lawrence Bandits scored all their runs in the first two frames and left-hander Caleb Gress threw four solid innings to earn a 6-4 victory over host El Dorado in a winners’ bracket showdown at the Class A American Legion state baseball tournament.

The Bandits scored five times in the first and tacked on a solo run in the second before falling silent on offense. Alex Hardman was 2-for-3 with a double, Ben Wilson was also 2-for-3, and Hunter Scheib finished 1-for-2 with two walks and scored two runs.

“It don’t know if we rested on our laurels a little bit,” said Bandits coach Mike Hill. “(But) I thought the kids still showed some composure. They put a little pressure on us late and the kids handled it well.”

Gress tossed shutout ball for four innings before tiring in the fifth, when he was charged with three runs. El Dorado added one more run in the sixth to close out the scoring.

The Bandits advance to the winners’ bracket final tonight at 6 against Manhattan.

Manhattan 8,

Mavericks 3

El Dorado – The Lawrence Mavericks were unable to duplicate their offensive explosion of the previous night and fell to Manhattan in a winners’ bracket contest.

Though they didn’t light up the scoreboard, as they did in Thursday’s 14-13 nine-inning victory against Newton, the Mavericks had plenty of opportunities, coach Brad Stoll said.

“We didn’t get the big hits,” he said. “When we were threatening to score and blow it open, we didn’t get the job done.”

The Mavericks’ season is still alive, though they are relegated to the losers’ bracket of the state tournament. They will face Hays at 10 a.m. today.