The Mandan Flickertails bats came alive in the fifth inning on Friday night, as they scored five runs en route to a 10-8 win over the Bismarck Larks. The win moves the Flickertails to 5-3 on the season, putting them in first place in the North Dakota pod. The Larks drop to 4-3, and are now in second place.

Cole Elvis (California-Berkley) had a monster game for the Flickertails, as he went 3-4 with two home runs, three runs scored and four RBI. His first home run came in the bottom of the first, when he deposited the baseball past the right field fence to put the Flickertails up 1-0. His second came in the fifth, when he hit a three-run shot to left field. Ben Rushing (Central Florida) was 2-5 on the night with a double and one RBI to go along with one run scored. Jeffrey Elkins (Northwestern State) was 2-4, scoring one run and drawing one walk. Ben Schoneman (Colorado School of Mines) picked up the win, going five innings allowing five hits and no runs while recording six strikeouts. Trystan Vrieling (Gonzaga) picked up the save thanks to one inning of scoreless pitching.

Brant Schaffitzel (Drury) led the Larks offense, going 3-4 with two runs scored and one RBI. Connor Henriques (Santa Clara University) was 2-4, with a double and two runs scored, while Wyatt Urlich (University of Richmond) was 2-5 with a run scored. Noah Fisher (Northern Kentucky) went 1-3, but picked up a pair of RBI. Sam Hanson (St. John’s) was handed the loss for the Larks, despite a four inning performance, where he allowed one run on one hit while recording four strikeouts.

The Flickertails will face the Bismarck Bull Moose on Saturday in a day-night doubleheader. The first game is scheduled for a 12:35 p.m. first pitch, with game two set for 7:05 p.m.