Vistas overcome shaky pitching to sweep Roughriders in season opener

The Minot Vistas' pitchers couldn't hit their spots and the Dickinson Roughriders' batters couldn't get a hit.

The Vistas swept what looked very much like season-opening American Legion baseball doubleheader Wednesday at Southside Municipal Ballpark.

Together, Vistas pitchers Sheldon Marmon and Marcus Quist walked 12 batters and gave up a combined six runs. Somehow though, the duo also managed to take a combined no-hitter into the seventh inning and had solid help as the Vistas compiled 12 hits and fed off 10 Dickinson walks to claim a 13-6 victory in the first game of the doubleheader.

In the second game, Minot pitcher Dallas Klassen walked nine but gave up just one hit over four innings and got nice help from his hitters as the Vistas came back from a five-run deficit to win 8-5.

"It was a weird game," Roughriders head coach Cory Hansen said of the first game. "We had some untimely errors. We had some guys in scoring position early in the game and we only get one run in the first inning. That was kind of a tell-tale sign."

The breaking point in the opening game came in the fourth inning when Minot went to plate 11 times, chased Roughriders starter Alex Huschka and reliever Taylor Kraenzel before finally surrendering to a second reliever, Brett Schweitzer.

The Vistas scored five runs in the inning to take an 8-4 lead.

Dickinson errors led to three Vistas runs, including two in fourth when Dickinson shortstop Dylan Skabo let a grounder from Klassen slip through his glove with two outs. Earlier in the inning, Taylor Kraenzel replaced Huschka with the bases loaded, hit a batter and walked in a run.

The Vistas piled it on in the fifth against new pitcher Luke Herauf, getting a two-run double from Micah Holmen and a RBI single from Ethan Stein.

Klassen, Holmen and Stein each had three RBI.

"We were just fortunate to mix up some hits throughout the game," Minot head coach Todd Larson said. "I'm very pleased with our bats, one through nine in the lineup. Patient, but yet aggressive on the pitches we were looking for."

Quist settled things down for the Vistas when he relieved Marmon with two outs in the third.

After taking a line drive to his midsection on his first at-bat, Quist settled in and powered through the next three innings. He earned the win, striking out five over 4 1/3 innings.

"I come in, throw strikes, work at a quick pace and get us on and off the baseball field," Quist said.

Huschka took the loss, going 3 2/3 innings with five earned runs, five hits, six walks and two strikeouts.

Dickinson finally mustered two hits in the seventh and each scored a run.

James Kary, who drove in Dickinson's only run in the first on a fielder's choice, had a double to plate Skabo and Aaron Berg's deep single to left-center field scored Kary.

"We've got to be more aggressive at the plate too. We're taking too many first-pitch strikes that we should be stroking," Kary said. "Walks are great. But when we walk the bases loaded, we've got to somehow find a gap to get all three in. We load the bases up and get a double-play ball, or weak fly balls that don't score anybody."

In Game 2, Dickinson manufactured runs on Minot miscues.

Skabo scored on a wild pitch and Kary stole home in the first inning. Then, Taylor Dutchak and Skabo each scored on passed balls before Kary added a RBI double in the second to give the Roughriders a 5-0 lead.

That was as good as it got for Dickinson.

Brock Krueger got Minot going with a two-run single in the third to make it 5-3. In the fourth, Austin Bernston added a RBI single and Holmen put the Vistas ahead for good, 6-5, on a two-run single to left.

Quist and Krueger added RBI singles in the sixth.

Klassen earned the win and Bernston got the save after keeping the threatening Roughriders from plating a run in the seventh. They combined with Caleb Fornshell to allow just three hits.

Cole Anderson, who relieved starter Kary, took the loss.

The Roughriders are back in action at 5 p.m. Friday against Jamestown Post 14 at Southside.

"We need more practice time, obviously," Hansen said. "We need a lot of time to get some continuity going. It's tough with guys in and out. ... It's going to take a while. Hopefully we get it put together by the end of the year."

Minot 021 530 2 -- 13 12 1

Dickinson 103 000 2 -- 6 2 3

Sheldon Marman, Marcus Quist (3) and Dallas Klassen. Alex Huschka, Taylor Kraenzel (4), Brett Schweitzer (4), Luke Herauf (5) and Brady Dutchak. W-Quist. L-Huschka. HR-None.

Highlights: M, Brock Krueger 1-for-3, 3 BB, 2 runs; Austin Bernston 1-for-4, 2 RBI, run; Micah Holmen 2-for-3, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 3 runs; Hunter Oothoudt 1-for-2, RBI; Ethan Sein 2-for-3, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 runs; Dallas Klassen 1-for-4, 3 RBI; Marcus Quist 2-for-3, 2 RBI, 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 5 K, 3 BB; Sheldon Marmon 2.2 IP, 8 BB, 2 ER, 4 R, 2 K, 0 H. D, Dylan Skabo 0-for-0, 2 HBP, 2 BB, 2 runs; James Kary 1-for-2, 2B, 2 RBI, run; Aaron Berg 1-for-2, RBI; Alex Huschka 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 R, 5 H, 6 BB, 2 K; Luke Herauf 3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 K, HBP.

Minot 003 032 0 -- 8 11 1

Dickinson 230 000 0 -- 5 3 0

Dallas Klassen, Caleb Fornshell (5), Austin Bernston (7) and Casey Ryan. James Kary, Cole Anderson (3), Aaron Berg (7) and Mark Erickson. W-Klassen. L-Anderson. S-Bernston. HR-None.

Highlights: M, Brock Krueger 3-for-4, 3 RBI, run; Bernston 2-for-3, 2 2B, RBI; Ryan 2-for-4; Micah Holmen 1-for-4, 2 RBI; Alex Howell 1-for-4. D, Dylan Skabo 0-for-2, 2 runs, 2 BB; Korey Kallenbach 0-for-1, 2 BB, SB, run; Kary 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, run; Taylor Kraenzel 1-for-3; Aaron Berg 1-for-3.

Records: Dickinson 0-2, Minot 2-0.