Badlands take game one 5-1

Josiah C. Cuellar, The Dickinson Press, N.D.
·2 min read

Jul. 27—A tie deciding series began in Dickinson, the last week of July for the Badlands Big Sticks and the Mining City Tommyknockers. They started the game tied for second place in the Lewis Division of the Expedition League. They will play one another for seven games, the first four will be at home for the Badlands.

The home side have found consistency coming into the game with a three game winning streak by defeating Wheat City at home 9-7.

The momentum seems to have carried over as they take game one 5-1 and are one win over the Tommyknockers.

With Josh Tucker on the mound plenty of strikeouts were issued to the away side, shutting them out until the fourth inning where Mining city would get their first and only run of the night. Relief pitcher Mason Hoover was awarded the save after taking the mound at the top of the sixth. Hoover would also take the Dickinson Eagles Club player of the game with eight strikeouts, no hits and one walk — all in four innings.

The Big Sticks went straight into making hits in eager fashion, which would have Angel De La Cruz left stranded on the hot corner after Carson Lundmark was caught stealing second for the third out. The Badlands were unfazed, getting a run in the second from Anthony Garrett single to bring in Eric Martinez.

"He saw a ball in the dirt and took a jump and the catcher did a nice job at getting it out of the dirt and throwing him out," head coach Billy Tomblin said.

The third inning had zero hits for both sides, Tucker would strike out two batters, already accumulating four in the early innings. The Tommyknockers would get on the scoreboard in the fourth from an RBI double. A chance to to rally would never come as the Badlands would make a clutch hit at the bottom. Derek Gellos hit a three-run double to left center to bring in Osborn, Garret and Alex Thurston.

Gellos would bring in another runner in from a walk with bases loaded.

The win comes as a birthday gift for Casten Reed who turned 20 today. Austin Bunn came on for Chewy Sanders who needed assistance walking off the field. Tomblin said they will know more soon of any injuries.

The series will continue tomorrow for game two at 6:05 p.m. expected to be in the upper 90 to 100 degrees.