The wild rides were not only available down the road at the North Dakota State Fair on Monday. Those who were at Corbett Field were treated to a roller-coaster-like baseball game between the Minot Hot Tots and Badlands Big Sticks. Despite a big eighth inning, the Hot Tots still came up short, losing 15-10.

A struggle keeping the Big Sticks quiet at the plate was evident from the first inning. Connor Massimini and Gavyn Schlotterback pieced together extra-base hits to create the first run of the game. Schlotterback would later score on a sac fly, making the score 2-0 Badlands. Minot got one run in response from an Ethan Reader RBI single to cut the deficit in half but the scoring was only just getting started.

Badlands scored two in the second inning with the help of a Minot fielding error, another two runs in the third inning thanks to a triple by Bo Shinkle and three runs in the fourth all scoring on another Schlotterback hit.

Down 9-1 halfway through the game, hope was diminishing for the Hot Tots, winners of four straight entering play. Some of that hope was restored after Blake Cavill doubled down the right field line, scoring Robbie Demetree. The Tots were back on the board in the same inning following a bases-loaded walk. In the bottom of the sixth, Jonah Shields launched his first home run of the season and fourth career long ball to make the game 10-4, Big Sticks.

Walks were an issue for the Hot Tots on Monday, issuing 12 free passes and hitting four more Badlands batters. The extra help the Big Sticks were getting would go a long way in preserving the lead. What was a 12-4 score by the eighth inning came in handy when the Hot Tots exploded for their biggest inning yet.

With one run already in, Blake Cavill came up with the bases loaded and unleashed a long fly ball to right field. Easily clearing the wall, Cavill had a grand slam that started to turn the momentum of the game. Two batters later, another big play would take place when Max Ortega crushed a solo home run to left field. After seeing six runs cross the plate, Minot had a new mojo going into the ninth.

Not yet satisfied with a 12-10 lead, the Big Sticks proceeded to manufacture three more runs in the game’s final inning, stretching the lead to five. The Hot Tots sent three batters to the plate in the bottom half and none of them reached base. Badlands evened the series at one a piece before the matchup heads to Dickinson tomorrow. As for the season series, the Big Sticks and Hot Tots are at an even 2-2 with eight games remaining.

Blake Cavill was the game’s SportClips MVP bringing in five runs on three hits. His eighth inning grand slam also took the honor of First Command Play of the Game. The SRT Fastest Pitch was thrown by Braden Booth at 89 mph. Five Buffalo Wild Wings Walks were drawn by the Tots in the game.