DICKINSON, ND – Down 8-6 entering the bottom of the 9th, Chayton Fischer (UT – Rio Grande Valley) and Jalen Evans (Wingate) combined forces with a two-run home run and a walk-off RBI single to give the Badlands Big Sticks (9-8) the victory against the Minot Hot Tots (9-10) on Saturday night.

 

The Hot Tots led off the top of the 1st with a bang, scoring Nathan Belle on a sac fly by Drew Reaves and scoring TJ Stottlemyre on a 1st and 3rd base design play, jumping out to an immediate 2-0 lead.

 

The Big Sticks responded in kind with Gamaliel Jones (Angelo State) hitting a single to start the inning. With two outs, Chris Fox (New Orleans) hit an opposite-field two-run home run to tie the game at 2-2.

 

After a scoreless 2nd inning, Minot started the scoring up again by taking advantage of multiple errors by the Big Sticks. Stottlemyre started the inning by reaching on an error, then later came around to score on another fielding error. Micah McCoy then hit a three-run home run to right field, putting the lead to 6-2.

 

Badlands once again responded strongly. Fischer came up to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs and mashed a bases-clearing double into left-center field to drop the deficit to 6-5.

 

The Hot Tots then added one more in the top of the 4th when Stottlemyre scored for the third time on an RBI groundout by Andrew Clapinski. They grabbed another in the 6th inning with the same combination, as Clapinski grounded into a double play that allowed Stottlemyre to score for the fourth time, making the score 8-5.

 

The Big Sticks got one back in the 8th inning when Jones walked with the bases loaded to bring home Fischer. Though Badlands had the bases loaded with no outs, they failed to capitalize, hitting into a double play and flying out to strand all three runners.

 

With one out in the 9th inning, Jackson Ellison (Liberty) reached on a fielding error on a groundball, which set the stage for Fischer. On a 1-0 count, Fischer smashed a two-run home run over the center field wall to tie the game at 8-8.

 

Braylon Mitchell (Dayton) pinch hit with two outs, knocking a single into left field to keep the inning alive. Jones then came up and drew a walk, putting a man on first and second base for Evans.

 

Evans took the first pitch he saw and drove it into deep left-center field. Neither outfielder could reach it, landing on the warning track and allowing Mitchell to score from second for a walk-off win, the first of the season for the Big Sticks.

 

Badlands improves to 9-8 with the victory and 2-1 against Minot this season in another wild game with late-inning drama. The Big Sticks will complete the series against the Hot Tots on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 4:35 p.m. MST.