By John RittenhouseThe Luverne Redbirds remain alive in the fight for a berth in the region tournament after going 2-1 in the first three rounds of the Gopher League Playoffs.Luverne posted an eight-run win over Worthington during the tournament opener Wednesday, July 20, in Luverne.After losing a five-run decision to Hadley in Windom Friday, the Redbirds posted a 10-run home win over Heron Lake in an elimination game in Luverne Sunday.The 12-12 Redbirds played an elimination game against Pipestone Wednesday night (July 7). A Luverne win would set up another elimination game at a site yet to be determined on Friday.Luverne 12, HL 2A four-RBI effort from Mike Miller and a strong pitching performance by Jared Pick carried the Redbirds to a 10-run win over Heron Lake during Sunday’s elimination game in Luverne.Pick tossed seven innings of nine-strikeout, two-run ball to get the win. Miller delivered a pair of two-run singles during the contest, including one during a seven-run rally in the fourth inning.The teams battled to a scoreless draw until the bottom of the fourth. Tony Sandbulte doubled home two runs, Jesse Kuhlman and Rob Fodness slapped run-scoring singles, James Fisher recorded a sacrifice fly and Miller added his two-run single to give the hosts a 7-0 cushion.Miller singled home two more runs and Zach Wysong added an RBI single to give the Redbirds a 10-0 lead in the fifth inning.HL scored twice in the top of the seventh, but Wysong chased home a run with a single in the bottom of the seventh before Fisher reached base on an error and scored on an error to end the game in the bottom of the eighth.Pick gave way to Wysong, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning.Box score AB R H BIM.Boen 6 2 1 0Sandbulte 3 2 2 2Kurtz 2 0 0 0Wysong 4 1 2 2Miller 4 1 3 4Fodness 4 1 2 1Kreun 1 0 0 0Jo.Pick 4 0 0 0Fisher 3 1 0 0Reisch 2 1 1 0Kuhlman 3 2 1 1Jr.Pick 3 1 1 0Wenninger 0 0 0 0Hadley 11, Luverne 6Hadley sent the Redbirds to the loser’s bracket of the tournament by handing them a five-run setback Friday in Windom.The Buttermakers scored seven runs in the first three innings of the game and never lost control of the contest.Luverne trimmed the difference to five runs (7-2) when Sandbulte and Wysong came up with run-scoring singles in the top of the fourth, but Hadley answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning to lead 11-2.Two-run sixth and ninth innings by Luverne ended the scoring in the game.Mike Wenninger doubled home a run and Fisher added an RBI single in the sixth. Miller singled home a pair of runs in the ninth.Adam Kurtz surrendered seven runs in the first two and two-thirds innings, taking the loss for Luverne. Kuhlman, Kyle Kreun, Wysong and Fisher pitched in relief.Box score AB R H BIM.Boen 4 2 1 0Sandbulte 5 2 1 1Miller 5 0 2 2Wenninger 4 1 2 1Reisch 1 0 0 0Wysong 5 0 1 1Jo.Pick 4 0 1 0Fisher 4 0 1 1Kurtz 1 0 0 0T.Boen 3 0 0 0Fodness 4 1 2 0Luverne 10, Worthington 2The Redbirds passed their first test of the playoffs by defeating the Cubs in Luverne Wednesday, July 20.Joey Pick and Jake Studer drove in a combined five runs for a Luverne team that outscored Worthington 9-1 after the first inning.Worthington led 1-0 after scoring a run in the top of the first, but Luverne’s Mike Boen singled and scored on a ground out by Miller in the bottom half of the frame to knot the score at one.Pick singled home the go-ahead run in the second inning and drew a bases-loaded walk during a two-run fourth frame that ended with Luverne leading 4-1. Boen contributed a sacrifice fly to the cause in the fourth.Worthington scored once in the top of the sixth to make it 4-2 before Luverne countered with one run in the bottom of the sixth, two in the seventh and three in the eighth to prevail by eight.Studer reached base on an error and scored on an error in the sixth, and delivered a two-run single to account for Luverne’s seventh inning runs.Pick received an RBI for a ground out, and Sandulte doubled home a run before scoring the final counter of the game on a passed ball in the eighth.Kreun pitched seven innings of two-run ball to pick up the win. Fodness tossed two innings of scoreless relief.Box score AB R H BIM.Boen 5 2 2 1Sandbulte 4 1 1 1Miller 5 1 1 0Wenninger 4 1 2 0Wysong 4 0 0 0Studer 4 3 2 2Fisher 3 1 1 0Kurtz 1 0 0 0Shelton 2 0 2 0Fodness 2 1 1 0Jo.Pick 2 0 1 3