With the Larks coming off of a much-needed day off on Monday, the yellow birds hit the road for three consecutive games to take on the Mankato MoonDogs and the Minot Hot Tots.

First up, the Larks went to Minnesota to take on the orange and black for a two-game series. Going into the set, Bismarck was just 1-7 in the first eight games played against Mankato, as well as losers of their last three straight, and that trend would continue in game one, where the MoonDogs would win in a squeaker.

The scoring started in the third, as both teams would plate a run. Bismarck’s Jackson Beaman (Mizzou) would hit a sacrifice fly, while Mankato’s Dustin Crenshaw (Grand Canyon, would hit his own to even the game at 1-1. In the next inning, Mankato would take the lead thanks to an RBI double from Jake Duer (TCU) to get its first lead of the game to make it 2-1. 

Both teams would score once more in the sixth. Jackson Beaman also hit his league-leading tenth homer of the season.

With the Larks down by a run late, they would need some magic, and they would get it, once again from Beaman, who delivered with an RBI single to tie the game at 3-3. He finished with all three of the Larks’ runs driven in. 

However, in the bottom of the eight, Mankato would get to the Larks’ bullpen, as a hit by pitch and a walk would plate the two runs needed to help Mankato secure a 5-3 win in game one. The MoonDogs moved to 8-1 against the Larks in 2023. Luke McCollough (Utah Valley) got the win for Mankato, while Justin Goldstein (Middle Tennessee State) picked up his third loss of the season.

In game two, the Larks’ offense came out swinging right from the jump. Bismarck scored six in the first, which was highlighted by Dillon Goetz’s (Skyline) two-run double and Sam Bieser’s (North Greenville) second homer of the year, which also plated two.

After a scoreless second, both teams would have multi-run frames in the third, with Bismarck putting up two thanks to a Brock Kleszcz (UC San Diego) steal of home, and Mankato scoring three on a sacrifice, single, and groundout. It was 8-3 after three innings.

In the fourth, the Manakto offense exploded for four runs, partly due to costly errors in the field by Bismarck and a double. All of a sudden, we were tied at 8-8.

However, Bismarck responded quickly. Jack Herring (Rollins) blasted a two-run homer to right field to give the Larks the lead right back, and the yellow birds never looked back. The Larks finished winning 15-9 and split the series with the MoonDogs. The Larks snapped a four-game skid and won their first game against Mankato since June 6th.

To finish out the short road trip, Bismarck headed back to North Dakota and went up north to the Magic City to take on the Hot Tots, who were fresh off of a series split against the St. Cloud Rox themselves. The Larks needed just one more win to secure the Dakota Dust-up Rivalry Trophy, but they did get swept by the Hot Tots the last time they faced Minot in a two-game series.

Bismarck made a statement in the first inning, bringing all nine men to the dish and plating four thanks to RBI doubles from Nick Oakley (UC Santa Barbara) and Brock Kleszcz. Although Minot did answer with two of their own in the bottom half, Bismarck kept applying the pressure, scoring in the second and third as well, making the score 7-2 through the first third of the ballgame. 

That’s all the Larks would need for the rest of the game. Despite home runs from Max Lucas (Oral Roberts) and Drew Woodcox (Texas Tech) down the stretch, the Larks would score three more times in the sixth, with one of the runs coming thanks to the new guy, Garret Hill (North Dakota State), who finished his Larks debut 4-6 with three RBI.

Things got dicey in the bottom of the eighth and ninth, as Minot scored six times combined, but the Larks were able to hang on for a 12-6 win and open the home-and-home series on a high note and officially capture the Dakota Dust-up season series victory. The Larks have now won two in a row.

The Larks return to Bismarck Municipal Ballpark on Friday night for the series finale against the Hot Tots. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. CT. It is also Star Wars Night at the ballpark! From a galaxy far, far away, join us for Star Wars Night as we invite all rebels and Sith lords through our gates. Show your fandom by dressing up as your favorite Star Wars character! Plus, enjoy post-game fireworks.