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 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 and become the first Montana team since 1962 to advance to the national tournament. 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 players themselves and sons of legendary former Billings Post 4 coach Ed Bayne. Brothers Jack Bayne and Ed Bayne Jr.
, sons of legendary Billings Post 4 American Legion baseball coach Ed Bayne, pose for a picture Sunday at Dehler Park after the Billings Scarlets won the American Legion Baseball Northwest Region 7 Tournament championship. As the Scarlets were being recognized during the trophy presentation, both Ed Jr., now 81, and Jack, 77, were especially joyful.
Their late father — who passed away in 2003 at the .
