WILLISTON - The game was delayed for several hours, but the Dickinson Roughriders would have hoped for a little longer.
After a morning of waiting due to rainfall in the area, Dickinson and Mandan appeared headed to extra innings, but Mason Huntley had other plans.
To cap his four-hit day, Huntley came up with with runners on first and second with two outs and struck a single through the middle into center field. Ty Leingang scored the winning run as Shawn Steffan's throw from center was just a little late. Instead of extra innings, the Chiefs - the tournament's No. 9 seed - streamed out of the dugout as 4-3 winners of a loser-out game in the North Dakota Class AA American Legion State Baseball Tournament at Ardean Aafedt Stadium.
"I was just trying to drive the ball up the middle like I was doing all game," said Huntley, who had three singles and a double. "And I was hoping Ty would be able to score. I was just trying to put it in play. I feel confident hitting with two outs."
Dickinson, the No. 3 seed for the tournament, was eliminated from the tournament with the loss. After a 13-4 loss to Minot on Wednesday, the Roughriders had a tough road ahead of them, but their visit was cut short.
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"It sucks that it's two games and it ended that quick," Dickinson starting pitcher Tanner Ouellette said. "We played a good game throughout seven innings, and they started hitting the ball in the eighth and ninth. They just hit when they needed to."
It didn't serve as much of a consolation Thursday, but Dickinson's summer is not over. The Roughriders still host next week's Central Plains Regional where they will hope to put on a better show.
"I'm hoping we can get it back to us," Ouellette said. "I hope we can win a couple games at regionals or win it all, that's our goal, and I hope we can go out on a high note because we've all done this for the last 10, 15 years. It would mean a lot if we could come back strong at regionals."
For a while, both Ouellette and Leingang were locked in a pitchers duel. Neither was dominant, but both were effective.
"He's a hell of a pitcher, and I was feeling pretty good today," Ouellette said. "We were both hitting out spots and throwing what we could. We were 1-1 going to the seventh, but it was close all the way through."
Ouellette scattered five hits and one earned run over 6 1/3 innings with three walks and two strikeouts. Leingang lasted 7 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits, three runs (one earned) with three walks and three strikeouts.
"They both had their best stuff. They locked horns, and it came down to the little things," Mandan head coach Jake Kincaid said. "I told Tanner he threw a heck of a game, and he has nothing to be ashamed of."
Dickinson held an early lead after Michael McChesney scored on a passed ball in the first inning, and the Chiefs didn't answer until Huntley singled in the sixth to score Jaden Andresen.
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The Roughriders answered with one run apiece in the seventh and eighth innings for a 3-1 lead.
Cam Jorda singled to lead off the seventh, and he scampered to third on an errant pickoff throw from Leingang. Jorda scored on Treven Hopfauf's sacrifice fly to left field. And in the eighth, Jorda singled to center to score McChesney.
Mandan loaded the bases with no outs against Lucas Jones in the bottom of the eighth, and a pair of groundouts from Quinn Halstengard and Noah Gerhardt tied the game.
Dickinson got a runner aboard in the top of the ninth but couldn't advance him.
In the bottom half, Jones got Evan Arenz and Andresen out, but Leingang and Alex Horner tagged him for singles. Then Huntley ripped the first pitch he saw into center to end the game.
"I just wanted him to hit it hard somewhere," Kincaid said. "We've been waiting all year long for somebody to get the big hit, and we're fortunate to make it happen. You just try to see the next day, so it's good for our confidence. We've got some young kids, so hopefully they see what it takes to win a game at the state tournament."
Mandan 4, Dickinson 3
D 100 000 110 - 3 9 1
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M 000 001 021 - 4 9 3
D: Tanner Ouellette (6.1), Lucas Jones (2.1) and Tristen Brunk. M: Ty Leingang (7.1), Evan Arenz (1.2) and Mason Huntley.
W-Arenz. L-Jones. HR-None.
Highlights: D, Cam Jorda 3-4, 1 R, 1 RBI; Shawn Stoltz 2-3; Treven Hopfauf 1-2, 1 RBI; Tristen Brunk 1-3; Michael McChesney 1-4, 2 R; Lucas Jones 1-5; Tanner Ouellette 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R (1ER), 3 BB, 2 K. M, Mason Huntley 4-5, 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI; Alex Horner 1-4, 1 R; Jaden Andresen 1-4, 1 R; Ricky Zander 1-3; Ty Leingang 2-5, 1 R, 7 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 3 K; Evan Arenz 1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K.
