In a comeback for the ages, the Bismarck Larks, playing as the Missouri River Motorboaters, hosted the Rochester Honkers for the first of a two-game series and came out on top after a late rally.

The Honkers struck first, scoring once in the first and then three in the fourth thanks to Andy Miller’s (Seattle) two-RBI base hit and a wild pitch to knock out Bismarck Starter Colton Dorsey (Wallace – Dothan). The Motorboaters would get a run back thanks to a Honker error in the outfield, but Rochester still led 4-1 after three innings. 

In the seventh, Rochester’s Mattie Thomas (San Fransico) scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead back out to four, but that’s all the scoring the Honkers would do.

With the Motorboaters still trailing by four in the bottom of the eighth, the Larks sent 13 men to the plate and scored seven runs on seven hits, with Rochester having to use three different arms to get out of the frame. Thanks to Benjamin Rosengard’s (Undecided), or should we say, Captain Clucth’s, two-run single with two outs, the Motorboaters took their first lead of the night at 8-5

Ryan Taylor (Dallas Richland) would shut the door, going 1-2-3 in the ninth to secure his first save of the summer and help the Motorboaters snap a five-game losing streak and take game one of this two-game series.

On the mound for the Missouri River, Jacob Arndt (Missouri – St. Louis) got the win out of relief, moving to 2-0. Despite Cole Seward’s (Colorado Mesa) incredible 6.1 innings for Rochester to start, he would get the no-decision, and John Largespada (Los Angeles Harbor) would get the loss after losing the lead in the eighth. The Metro Area Fastest Pitch of the Game came in the ninth inning when Larks closer Ryan Taylor hit 89 mph.

The Fetzer Electric Play of the Game in the field during the top of the fifth inning when Motorboaters’ centerfielder, Brock Kleszcz (UC San Diego), made a spectacular diving grab in the left-center field gap to save a run.

The Motorboaters and Honkers will meet for one final time this summer on Friday at 7:05 p.m. CT. It is also German Heritage Night & Touchstone Energy Member Appreciation presented by Basin Electric Power Corporative and Mor-Gran-SoU Electric Corporative. Join the Motorboaters to celebrate German Heritage at Dakota Community Bank & Trust Field with Oktoberfest-themed festivities.