By John RittenhouseA pair of one-run losses in the opening rounds of the Area A American Legion Playoffs ended a 10-8 season for Luverne.The Cardinals fell in Friday’s opener at Slayton before ending the campaign with a loss in Adrian Tuesday.Luverne capped the regular season by besting Okabena by 14 runs in Okabena Thursday.Adrian 6, Luverne 5The home-standing Dragons rallied from three deficits to oust the Cardinals from the playoffs Tuesday in Adrian.Luverne sported 2-0, 4-3 and 5-4 leads during the game, but Adrian answered every challenge and prevailed by one in the bottom half of the eighth inning.Luverne took a 5-4 lead when Jared Pick doubled and scored on an RBI single by Adam Reisch in the top of the sixth inning. The Dragons bounced back to knot the score at five when Glen Kruger reached base on an error and scored on Will Lutmer’s single in the bottom half of the frame.The score remained deadlocked until the bottom of the eighth, when Brandon Wolf singled, stole second and scored the game-winning run on a single by Kruger.David Hoffer, who went the distance on the mound for Adrian, found himself in some early holes when he surrendered two runs to Luverne in both the first and second innings.Pick walked and scored on a passed ball in the first inning. Zach Wysong singled and scored on a single by Adam Kurtz to give the Cards a 2-0 lead as the inning progressed.Adrian scored three runs in the bottom of the first to move in front 3-2, but Luverne regained the lead at 4-3 in the second before Adrian tied the game with a single run in the third.Taylor Graphenteen and Pick singled before scoring Luverne’s second-inning runs on a two-run single by Kurtz.Pick tossed the first six and two-thirds innings for the Cards without earning a decision. Kurtz took the loss after yielding Adrian’s eighth-inning run.Box score AB R H BIPick 4 3 2 0Wysong 4 1 3 0Johnson 0 0 0 0Reisch 4 0 1 1Kurtz 4 0 2 3Fodness 3 0 1 0Herman 5 0 0 0Bruynes 3 0 0 0Goembel 3 0 0 0Graphenteen 4 1 2 0Slayton 7, Luverne 6Luverne was sent to the loser’s bracket of the Area A Playoffs when it lost a one-run game in Slayton Friday.In a game that concluded with a wild finish, the Cardinals rallied to score two runs in the top of the seventh inning to knot the score at six before losing it by allowing one run in the bottom of the inning.The Cardinals, who allowed Slayton to score five unearned runs in the game, plated a pair of unearned runs for themselves to knot the score at six in the top of the seventh.Pick drew a two-out walk to start the rally. Wysong then chopped the ball to Slayton’s shortstop and beat what ended up being a wild throw to first base for an infield single.The ball proceeded to roll down the right-field line, allowing Pick to score and giving Wysong a chance to race to third base. Wysong drew a throw to third that skipped past the Slayton defender, allowing the Luverne runner to race home with the tying run.Slayton answered the challenge in the bottom of the seventh by placing a runner on second base with one out. A single to center field by Mitchell Magnus gave the hosts a chance to score the tying run, but Luverne’s Pick gunned the runner down at home plate for the second out.Slayton’s Buddy Prahm stepped to the plate with Magnus positioned at second base, and Prahm sent a single to center field that chased Magnus home with the winning run.The teams scored 10 of the game’s 13 runs in the first four innings.Luverne took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Reisch chased home a run with a groundout and Mark Remme delivered an RBI single, but Slayton tied the game at two in the bottom of the first.Brad Herman doubled and scored on a single by J.T. Bruynes to give the Cards a 3-2 edge in the top of the second only to have Slayton plate a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame to take a 4-3 edge.Reisch doubled and scored on a single by Kurtz to tie the game at four in the top of the third. Slayton, however, scored single runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 6-4 lead that lasted until the seventh frame.Kurtz tossed all six and two-thirds innings for Luverne and took the loss. He fanned nine batters and yielded eight hits.Box score AB R H BIPick 3 2 1 0Wysong 4 2 1 0Reisch 4 1 1 1Remme 3 0 1 1Kurtz 3 0 1 1Fodness 2 0 0 0Herman 3 1 1 0Bruynes 3 0 1 1Goembel 2 0 0 0Graphenteen 1 0 0 0Luverne 16, Okabena 2The Cardinals wrapped up a 10-6 regular season by rolling to a 14-run win in Okabena Thursday.J.T. Bruynes tossed a complete game and Seth Goembel drove in five runs to lead the Cardinals during the lopsided victory.Bruynes pitched all five innings, limiting Okabena to one earned run and three hits. Bruynes fanned eight batters and walked two.Goembel, who led Luverne with three hits, delivered a two-run triple and a two-run single in the game. He also drew a bases-loaded walk.Okabena scored twice in the home half of the first inning, but the Cards outscored the hosts 16-0 the rest of the way.Goembel’s two-run triple highlighted a five-run second inning that put Luverne in front to stay. Kurtz singled home two runs in the frame. Rob Fodness singled and scored on an error.Fodness reached base on an error and scored the first run of a two-run third inning when Derek Johnson was hit by a pitch with the bases full. Goembel drew a walk moments later to give the Cards a 7-2 cushion.Luverne scored five runs in the fourth inning and four in the fifth to ice the victory.Goembel singled home two runs and Bruynes, Pick and Kurtz added run-scoring singles during the five-run fourth.Pick doubled home two runs, Bruynes slapped an RBI single and Johnson picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly during the four-run fifth.Box score AB R H BIPick 3 1 2 2Kurtz 5 0 2 3Reisch 4 0 1 0Remme 4 1 1 0Fodness 4 3 2 0Herman 2 4 1 0Bruynes 3 3 2 2Johnson 2 1 0 2Goembel 3 3 3 5