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DICKINSON —The Dickinson Roughriders concluded regular season play with a state division, at-home double header against the Minot Vistas July 21. They went 1 for 2, clenching a victory in a close contest 9-7 finish in game one but lost momentum in the squelching heat in game two, where the Vistas swept the field with an 11-2 shut out.
Roughriders head coach Tyler Frenzel says the team kicked off the match up on a low note after their ace pitcher and short stop Jadon Bast was injured in batting practice right before the game.
“The boys got up and played hard for him,” Frenzel said. “We are just saying prayers for him and hoping that he’s ok.”
Isaac Daley scored on a double in the first to give the Riders an early lead. Drew Kovash also struck a four-bagger to keep the Riders momentum going.
By the second inning, the Riders had gained an 8-1 lead on Minot. Troy Berg scored on a double followed by a groundout by Kaeden Krieg. In the fourth, Daley was on point again at the plate knocking a single on a 1-0 count to score another run.
The Vistas gradually closed the gap, racking up 3 runs in innings three through five, while the Riders remained relatively stagnant. In the sixth, the Vistas were two points short of tieing the score.
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Riders Carson Weiler pitched for five and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits. Throughout the game he walked 3 and tallied 6 strikes. Aiden Haich and Colin Tschetter were pulled from the bullpen to pitch for the remaining two. Haich kept things under control on the mound but Tschetter had a rough go. In less than half of an inning, he allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk.
“We came into this game a little slow, but we got the win and that’s all that matters,” Haich said. “It will be a good momentum swing for us going into the state tournament next week.”
Both teams finished with four errors each. The Vistas had a total of eight hits compared to the Riders five.
“It was kind of a sloppy game on both sides,” Frenzel said. “We had some guys out of position due to injury too, so we were trying to shuffle guys around… We fought well and ended up closing it out. They (Minot) made a run, but we brought in Aiden Haich and another senior who came in, shut the door and did a good job for us.”
Game two began after a short intermission and both teams were already drenched in sweat. The Riders were first on the scoreboard with a run by Haich. In the fourth, the Riders scored again to take a 2-0 lead on Minot, but the Vistas came back with a fiery vengeance in the fifth, scoring 4 runs to take control of the game.
Daley toed the rubber for the first five but let 4 runs slip by on 2 hits. Kovash hopped on the mound next to throw for less than an inning and allowed 6 runs on 3 hits. Relief pitcher Jeremiah Jilek wrapped up the game and held the Vistas to one run.
In the sixth, the Vistas slammed the door of opportunity in the Riders face with 7 runs scored. Vistas starting pitcher Jaxson Radke performed exceptionally on the mound allowing only 2 runs on 7 hits through six. The Riders struggled again with errors and were unable to load the bases for a comeback. Minot capitalized on singles, walks and doubles to take the win.
In their last 15 games, the Riders went 10-5 and are making a run at state as the fourth seed. The expect to face Mandan in game one of the State Tournament in West Fargo July 26.
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