BILLINGS — “It’s been a hell of a long wait,” Ed Bayne Jr. said with a big grin as he watched the Billings Scarlets being honored during a ceremony at home plate as the American Legion Baseball Northwest Region 7 Tournament champions on Sunday.
Sixty-two years to be exact.
That was the last time that a Magic City team, Billings Post 4, claimed a regional championship and advanced to the American Legion World Series.
That all changed on Sunday, when the Billings Scarlets defeated Eugene (Oregon) 5-4 and 7-0 on a beautiful day at Dehler Park to win the regional championship.
On hand in the crowd of approximately 1,800 were backers of this year’s Billings American Legion Baseball teams, former Scarlets players, former Billings Royals players, parents of former players, and overall baseball enthusiasts. And sitting down the third-base line were Ed Bayne Jr., and Jack Bayne, former Billings Post 4 players themselves and sons of legendary former Billings Post 4 coach Ed Bayne.
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