Berryhill just kept going on Sunday – straight into the semifinals of the American Legion Baseball World Series.

Post 165 defeated Billings, Mont., 4-3 in its final group game in Shelby, NC, to finish first in the Stripes Division with a score of 3-0 and secure a spot in the semifinals on Monday at 4 p.m. Berryhill will face the second-place team in the Stars Division for a spot in the final on Tuesday.

“It’s not easy (to advance),” said Berryhill manager Dan Cronkright, whose team last reached the semifinals in 2022 before losing to eventual champion Troy, Alabama. “And I think this is the first time we’ve done it 3-0, which is really cool.”

Sunday’s game followed a script that is very familiar to Berryhill fans: solid pitching and defense, aggressive baserunning and timely hits paved the way to victory.

After Berryhill’s starting pitcher Sam Briggs retired the team in order to start the first inning, his teammates scored two runs in the second. Aidan Robinson started the game by getting hit by a pitch, stealing second base and then coming home on Cayden Smith’s RBI single. After an infield single by Mitch Walters put runners on the corners, Nate Ball’s sacrifice fly brought Smith home, making it 2-0.

Billings loaded the bases with a walk, an infield hit and a hit batsman in the second inning, but Briggs induced a ground out to end the threat. Post scored again in the second half, 165, when Jack Sequin led off with a double to right-center field and then came home on Smith’s RBI double down the right field line to make it 3-0.

“He’s an ideal two-hitter. He stays in the pitch and doesn’t try to pull everything, and he uses both gaps, both fields,” Cronkright said of Smith. “He’s very disciplined. He has a really good approach to the plate. I watch him bat and I can see his approach, what he’s thinking.”

“There’s more to hitting than people think, and Cayden knows what he can do and he just does it,” Cronkright added. “Both of his at-bats today were two strikes.”

Billings cut the lead to 3-1 in the fourth inning by scoring on two walks and an infield hit, but Berryhill answered in the second. Sequin led off with a walk, stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch and came home on a groundout by Robinson for a 4-1 lead.

However, Billings did not disappear quietly.

In the sixth inning, Billings loaded the bases with two walks between a hit and then scored on a fielding error. Moments later, a wild pitch scored a second run and cut Berryhill’s lead to 4-3.

Billings threatened to tie the game in the seventh inning, but left a runner on third base and ended the game.

Cronkright was pleased with his players’ approach to the game, considering Berryhill had already secured a place in the semi-finals.

“That’s a credit to the young men. They could have just kept going, but they didn’t,” he noted. “We came out and scored two in the first inning, then scored another run in the second and basically took the lead and held it from there. That’s definitely a credit to our young men.”

Briggs earned the win by going 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs, one earned, on three hits and four walks while recording five strikeouts.

Sequin got the save, pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, and allowed one hit and one walk.

“Sam did a good job, and then Jack came in and did a good job, too. Sam had a good fastball today,” Cronkright said, adding of Sequin, “…Jack had a nice day today, too, really nice.”

Smith went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs batted in and scored once, while Sequin went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk and scored twice.

When asked what he liked most about his team, which is now 14-1 in the postseason, Cronkright replied, “I think they get along really well. It’s a team that enjoys practicing together and playing together.”

“We’ve been on the road for almost two weeks now, and they play cards together, go swimming together and do all these things as a group, and that’s probably what I’m most proud of,” he added.

Looking ahead to Monday’s semifinals, Cronkright said he will start Luke Lacourse on the mound and use Sequin and Smith as possible relievers. When Berryhill makes it to the final game on Tuesday, Chad Brown, Brett Faccio, Sequin and Smith will all be available as pitchers.

“We’ve got to go out there tomorrow (Monday) and win a game,” Cronkright said. “We just have to win one game and not worry about Tuesday. Let’s just worry about tomorrow.”