One out.
That’s how close the Dickinson Roughriders American Legion baseball team came to an opening win against Mandan.
The Chiefs’ Alex Weiand beat out a double play, which tied the game at 8-8.
Mandan used the rally for momentum going into extras and scored five runs in the eighth inning en route to a 13-8 win over Dickinson on Monday at Southside Municipal Ballpark and Astoria Field. Mandan finished the sweep with a 6-2 win in the nightcap.
“We continue to not make a play when we need to and that’s what happens,” Dickinson head coach Cory Hansen said. “We have to figure it out eventually. If we don’t make those plays, we are going to get beat 10 out of 10 times. It keeps happening and we keep getting beat.”
The Chiefs’ bats received a power boost from first basemen Logan McDowall, who hit a pair of home runs, went 3 for 4 with five RBI and scored four runs.
The Roughriders (23-16) returned with firepower of their own with Tanner Hopfauf. The second basemen ripped three home runs in the opener. He finished with five RBI and scored three runs.
As a team, the Roughriders supplied 14 hits. Dickinson had four players with two or more hits -Kendall Jones, Dylan Skabo, Cam Jorda and Hopfauf. Skabo went 3 for 5 with a solo home run, a RBI and scored two runs.
“We all hit really well as a team in that first game and it just didn’t work out for us,” Hopfauf said. “We didn’t the W. In the second game, we could get anything clicking. It’s tough to a win a game if we aren’t hitting.”
Skabo started the game. He went seven innings, allowed eight runs on 11 hits and struck out four. Tanner Ouellette was charged with the loss after going one inning and allowing five runs.
Zach Scott picked up the win after coming in for relief during the sixth inning. He allowed two runs on three hits and struck out two. Jared Walters started for the Chiefs and went five innings, allowed seven runs (five earned) and struck out two.
Mandan’s Parker Harm went 3 for 5 with a double, triple, RBI and scored three runs. Walters added three hits, two RBI and scored three runs. Matt Ziemann and Bryce Andreson each went 2 for 4.
“It’s always good to score late and we always talk about winning the middle innings,” Mandan head coach Ryne Jungling said. “When you get to that situation, our guys stepped up. The big thing was the guys that should step up were up to the plate when they needed to be. They did a good job - Parker, Walters and Logan. Those guys came up to the plate and hit the ball hard.”
During the second game, Mandan jumped out to an early 1-0 in the second inning after Zach Scott hit a RBI double to score Trevor Leingang.
Ziemann also helped the Chiefs extend their lead in the second game on a two-run single in the sixth inning. Harm and Jarad Zittleman scored on the play. Mandan tacked on another insurance run when Santana Butler hit a RBI sacrifice fly to score Ziemann. The Chiefs added their fifth run on a RBI triple to deep left-center field.
Dickinson made some noise in the bottom of the sixth inning, picking up three straight two-out hits. Hopfauf kicked off the rally with a double to deep center. Cole Anderson drove in Hopfauf on a RBI single. Jorda continued the hit streak with a single to short right field. Anderson came in to score on a Weiand wild pitch.
Zittleman went five innings, allowed two hits and struck out three. Weiand finished the game as he allowed two runs.
Kendall Jones, who went the distance for the Roughriders, was tagged with the loss after he allowed six runs over seven innings.
“Have to hand it to Jones for Dickinson, he kept us off balance,” Jungling said. “(Zittleman and Jones) were exactly the same. They were soft-throwing lefties that would hit their spots, got a lot of fly balls and a lot of keep ground balls.”
The Roughriders wrap up regular play by traveling for a doubleheader against Minot at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
“It’s sad that it’s coming to an end,” Hopfauf said. “It will be the last season for (Anderson) and (Huschka). We’d like to go out on a high note in the regular season and get a couple of W’s.”
Fargo Post 2 sweeps Roughriders
Fargo Post 2’s Seth Amundson and Carter Thompson proved to be too much for the Dickinson Roughriders American Legion baseball team on Sunday.
The Fargo duo combined for 12 hits, eight RBI and five extra base hits - including a pair of home runs from Thompson - en route to a 14-0 and 11-1 sweep of Dickinson.
Amundson finished the doubleheader going 7 for 8 with three doubles, four RBI and scored five runs. Thompson posted a two-run home run in the opener and finished with a solo homer in the second game.
Fargo also received a pair of strong pitching performances. Lincoln Voss and Jake Salentine each went the distance, allowed a combined one run on seven hits and struck out 13.
Dickinson’s Benson Kramer, who was playing in his first Roughriders doubleheader of the season, went 2 for 3 with a pair of singles in the second game.
The Roughriders’ lone run of the doubleheader came when Lucas Jones hit a RBI single to left field to score Dylan Skabo.
Fargo 200 84 - 14 15 1
Dickinson 000 00 - 0 2 3
Lincoln Voss and Andrew Penny. Brett Schweitzer, Andrew Heckaman (5) and Heckaman, Logan Jones (5).
W–Voss. L–Schweitzer. HR–F, Carter Thompson.
Highlights: F, Thompson 2 for 4, HR, 2 RBI, run; Seth Amundson 4 for 4, 2B, 3 runs, 2 RBI; Mike Boutain 1 for 4, 2 runs; Jake Salentine 1 for 2, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 runs; Andrew Lien 3 for 4, 3B, 3 RBI, run; Cass Meyers 1 for 3, 2 runs; Steven Rider 1 for 1; Penny 2 for 3, 2 RBI, 2 runs; Gunnar Linstaedt RBI, run. D, Cam Jorda 2 for 3.
Fargo 222 32 - 11 15 0
Dickinson 001 00 - 1 5 0
Jake Salentine and Andrew Penny. Lucas Jones, Benson Kramer (5) and Logan Jones.
W–Salentine. L–Lucas Jones. HR–F, Carter Thompson.
Highlights: F, Seth Amundson 3 for 4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 runs; Mike Boutain 1 for 4, 2 runs; Salentine 2 for 4, 2 runs; Seth Tollefson 2 for 2, 2B, RBI, run; Andrew Penny 3 for 4, 3 RBI, run; Thompson 2 for 3, HR, 2 RBI, run; Lincoln Voss 1 for 4, 2 RBI, run; Alex Steffen 1 for 3, run. D, Dylan Skabo 1 for 2, 2B, run; Lucas Jones 1 for 3, RBI; Benson Kramer 2 for 2; Logan Jones 1 for 2.
