By Owen Patterson

MINOT, ND – There was nothing that could stop the freight train that was the Minot Hot Tots offense on Sunday evening as season-bests in runs and hits were enough to do the trick in a 16-4 win over the Badlands Big Sticks.

Ayden Sauerbrei made his first start as a pitcher for the Hot Tots and excelled. Tossing a scoreless inning to begin the game. With the score still 0-0, the Hot Tots would start the fun in the bottom of the second inning. Evan Dempsey lead off with a triple and was brought in to score by Xavier Esquer. With the bases empty, Lucas Pringle shot a home run over the right field wall to make it a 2-0 game. Still in the second inning, the Tots would get an RBI from Jonah Shields and a three-run home run by Anthony Potestio to extend the lead to six. 

The Big Sticks would get their offense started in the third inning with two runs on Sauerbrei, but it wouldn’t be long before Minot was scoring again. In the fourth inning, the Tots would put up three runs followed by three more in the fifth inning. Up by double-digits, Sauerbrei would pitch into the sixth inning, being pulled one out away from a full six-inning start. Drew Maust got the final out of the sixth inning on one pitch and the score remained 12-3 in favor of the Hot Tots.

Still, there was more offense to be had for Minot. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Caden Parker would launch a three-run homer (the First Command Play of the Game) and after another rally was started, Potestio would drive in the 16th run of the game. Parker and Potestio would both finish a triple short of hitting for the cycle.

A Troy Berg RBI single in the seventh would bring the Big Sticks within twelve runs, but that is where the comeback stopped. A few scoreless innings later and the Hot Tots had officially snapped a seven-game losing skid with a 16-4 victory. The Battle of the Badlands Rivalry continues on Monday night in Dickinson, with the series once again tied at two wins apiece.