DICKINSON, ND – The Badlands Big Sticks (29-28 overall, 11-12 second half) opened the two-game set against the Minot Hot Tots (22-35 overall, 9-12 second half) in a dramatic affair, eventually taking the victory 8-6 after a back-and-forth final third of the game on Sunday evening.
The Big Sticks put up the first run of the ballgame in the top of the 1st inning when Derek Martinez (Arkansas State) blasted a solo home run over the centerfield wall.
Minot responded with two runs over two innings, scoring one run in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Joe DuSell crossed the plate on an error, then scoring another run in the bottom of the 3rd inning on an Alex Altmann sacrifice fly, giving the Hot Tots the lead 2-1.
Badlands then came up in the top of the 4th inning and pushed back with Martinez scoring on a Gavyn Schlotterback (Kansas) double. Jace Jarrett (Dawson CC) came up later in the inning and lifted a sacrifice fly, scoring Schlotterback and retaking the lead 3-2.
After Theodore Herce (Wharton County) tossed a zero in the bottom of the 4th inning, Blake Beheler (Blinn JC) gave some more run support, slashing an RBI double in the top of the 5th inning, scoring Dylon Myrow (Nebraska) and extending the lead for Badlands 4-2.
Herce then put up another zero in the bottom of the 5th inning, finishing his day with just two runs allowed and giving way to the bullpen.
After a few more zeroes, the Hot Tots struck when DuSell scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 7th inning, dropping the deficit to 4-3.
But the Big Sticks fought back in the top of the 8th inning. Beheler and Schlotterback reached, then Samson Pugh (Texas State) hit a two-run single to score both runners and add two more runs to the cushion.
The Hot Tots then added to the late-inning drama, scoring two runs in the bottom of the 8th inning off a DuSell single and a sacrifice fly by Isaac Huettl to put the lead back to just a single run 6-5.
However, Minot’s defense crumbled in the 9th inning, allowing two runs to score on errors. Myrow hit a sacrifice fly that was mishandled by the center fielder, allowing Cougar Cooker (Arkansas State) to score and letting Myrow advance to third base. Myrow then scored during Beheler’s at-bat on an error by the second baseman, pushing the lead back to three at 8-5.
Minot managed to scrap one more run back in the bottom of the 9th on an RBI single by Keoni Painter, but ultimately fell short, losing 8-6.
The Big Sticks continue the push for the playoffs on Monday evening against Minot, closing out the final game of the Battle of the Badlands rivalry series this season at 5:35 p.m. MST.
