Most baseball games are played over nine innings, on Tuesday night the Minot Hot Tots and Badlands Big Sticks needed 11 long innings to determine a winner. After the near, four-and-a-half hour long affair, the Big Sticks took the win, 13-12.

Minot had things rolling right away. With six runs plated in the first four innings, it seemed a series sweep was just about locked away. The early fireworks included a two-run home run by Caleb Gipson and a solo shot from Chris Daniels.

Hot Tot starting pitcher Christian Henderson gave Minot five strong innings, trusting his defense to escape the few jams he got into. Minot’s pitching was the star of the show on Monday, and set up to be the same on Tuesday. Cade Dickinson went nearly three innings of relief, retiring six in-a-row to start out. Cristian Garcia helped escape the eighth inning with the Hot Tots in front 7-4.

It was all set up for the debut pitching appearance for Clayton Stewart in a save situation. He had Badlands down to their last strike, but an RBI hit by Braylon Mitchell kept the Big Sticks’ hopes alive. On the very next pitch, Nathan Nance Jr. cleared the wall in left field for a go-ahead three-run homer to completely flip the trajectory of the game. One more run for the Sticks would conclude a five-run ninth and put Badlands ahead 9-7.

The Hot Tots weren’t ready to wave the white flag, though. Nathan Belle led off the inning with a single and Gipson followed with a walk. Both got in motion a few pitches later with a double steal. The throw down to third got away, scoring Belle and moving Gipson ahead 90 more feet. A sacrifice fly from TJ Stottlemyre would bring in the tying run and force extra innings.

Badlands was quick to score in the top of the 10th, plating two runs and putting the pressure squarely back on the Tots. Trailing 11-9, Minot’s Tyler Arnold came up with a clutch double to right field, scoring the ghost runner from second. Micah McCoy and Belle each followed up with hits, bringing Arnold across and tying the game at 11-11.

In the 11th, it was all the same. The Big Sticks got two more runs across and Minot needed another comeback. Stottlemyre brought in the ghost runner with an opposite-field single, but after back-to-back strikeouts, he was left at first base as the tying run.

Minot fell in a dramatic, extra-inning game 13-12. The Tots are now 1-1 on the season with a six-game road trip in Minnesota starting on Wednesday night in Willmar.

The SRT Fastest Pitch was recorded by Cade Dickinson at 87 mph. SportClips MVP honors were given to Caleb Gipson who reached base three times and recorded two RBI on his home run which was also the First Command Play of the Game.