The Dickinson High baseball didn't fair too well in its first true test of the season.
The team had a combined seven errors in two games and tallied six hits.
However, Dickinson head coach Pete Dobitz hopes his team learns from the mistakes it made as Bismarck High took a 4-2, 5-0 West Region sweep on Friday at Astoria Field and Southside Ballpark.
"As a coach, you hope this motivates the guys," Dobitz said. "You want them to have a little spit and vinegar in them. They are going to have to kick in and work harder in practice. They want to make it, so this type of thing doesn't repeat."
In the opening game, the Demons took advantage of five errors as Quinn Irey and Tanner Bittner each supplied two hits. Bittner also had a RBI.
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Nonetheless, the Midgets attempted to fight their way back in the sixth and seventh innings.
"The last two innings are the kind of baseball that we want to be playing," Dickinson sophomore right fielder Mark Erickson said. "We need to play like that for the first five innings."
Dickinson scored a pair of runs in the sixth and threated with runners on second and third in the seventh. Though the Midgets pushed across runs in the sixth, the team wasn't able to do the same in the seventh. Dylan Skabo, Brett Schweitzer and Erickson each had one hit.
"In the later innings, we went up there and wanted to hit the baseball," said Erickson, who had a double and scored a run. "That made our approaches at the plate better."
James Kary, the Midgets' senior right-handed pitcher, went the distance while Nathan Dinga picked up the win for the Demons.
Coming into the game, both teams knew the importance of the Friday doubleheader as each game would count in the West Region standings.
"We wanted our pitchers to be efficient," Patton said. "We also wanted to get comfortable at the plate. We had a lot of bad at bats at Jamestown."
After losing the first game, Dickinson coaches and players were focused on a split. That didn't happen.
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"We told the guys it's going to be a great measuring stick," Dobitz said. "Bismarck High is picked to win the whole dang thing."
The Demons scored three runs in the first and two runs in the sixth. Dickinson was only able to tally one hit -- a single by Schweitzer.
Bauer racked up two doubles, while Josh Seibel and Brett Hildestad each had a double and a RBI. Bauer took the win on the mound and Alex Huschka was tagged with the loss.
Dickinson will need a short memory. It travels to a doubleheader against Bismarck Century at 1 p.m. today. The Midgets swept the Patriots earlier in the season.
"Road trips are sometimes a good thing," Dobitz said. "It will give you some team-chemistry bonding. It gives them a chance to build some of that team unity that you know you're going to need to go far later on in the year."
Bismarck 100 210 0 -- 4 6 4
Dickinson 000 002 0 -- 2 5 5
Nathan Dinga and Quinn Irey. James Kary and Brady Dutchak. W-Dinga. L-Karey.
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Highlights: B, Kole Bauer 1-for-4 RBI, Irey 2-4, Tanner Bittner 2-4 RBI. D, Dylan Skabo 1-4 SB, Brett Schweitzer 1-2 RBI, Mark Erickson 1-3 run, 2B.
Dickinson 000 000 0 -- 0 1 2
Bismarck 300 002 x -- 5 10 0
Alex Huschka, Mitch Mehrer (6) and Dutchak. Bauer and Irey. W-Bauer. L-Huschka.
Highlights: D, Schweitzer 1-3. B, Josh Seibel 2-4 2B RBI, Bauer 2-3 2 2B, Brett Hildestad 1-3 2B RBI.
