JAMESTOWN - As Michael McChesney’s double bounced off the wall, the Dickinson High baseball team took a collective sigh of relief.
The senior slugger cleared the bases with the crushing hit in the bottom of the sixth, providing plenty of insurance in the Midgets’ 6-2 West Region quarterfinal victory of Mandan on Thursday at Jack Brown Stadium.
Third-seeded Dickinson plays second-seeded Bismarck High at 3 p.m., today in the first semifinal.
Ahead 3-2 with one out, pinch-hitter Treven Hopfauf walked to load the bases. Benson Kramer’s fielder’s choice set up McChesney’s short battle with Mandan reliever Jaden Andresen.
“The pitch before (the double) was a curveball,” McChesney said. “I was expecting more off-speed, and he came back with a second curveball. I sat back and waited for it, and then I drove it down the line.”
All of a sudden it was a four-run lead that Mandan failed to overcome against reliever Lucas Jones, who pitched a perfect seventh.
“That was a huge at-bat,” McChesney said. “Just getting a hit and getting some insurance runs for the next inning so we weren’t so tight. We played loose and finished out the game strong.”
Kendall Jones went six innings for the win, taking a no-hitter into his final frame. He allowed two runs on two hits with one strikeout. All four of his walks came in the third inning, leading to two Mandan runs.
“Kendall threw a good game, but not his best game,” Dickinson coach Pete Dobitz said. “He’s a battler. He battled through it.”
Mandan’s Ty Leingang started and pitched into the sixth inning, allowing two earned runs on six hits and two walks, striking out two in the loss.
“We were hitting the ball hard, but it seemed like it was right at them,” said Mandan coach Dewitt Mack, whose team plays Jamestown at 11 a.m. “I’m still encouraged by how well we stung the ball.”
Dickinson 6, Mandan 2
M 002 000 0 - 2 2 2
D 012 003 x - 6 7 0
Ty Leingang and Jaden Andersen (6) and Richard Bendish. Kendall Jones and Lucas Jones (7) and Chase Ballard.
W–K Jones. L–Leingang. HR–none.
Highlights: M, Jared Zittleman 1 for 2, RBI; Leingang 1 for 3; Garrett Murphy 0 for 2, RBI. D, Michael McChesney 2 for 2, 3 RBI, run; Tanner Oulette 2 for 3; Ballard 1 for 2; K Jones 0 for 2, RBI.
