Jul 04, 2007 - 04:13:20 CDT
Hitting, the Bismarck Governors demonstrated, is contagious.Mandan showed the reverse can also be true, dropping a 14-0 decision to the visiting Governors Tuesday night at Memorial Ballpark. The game, scheduled for nine innings, went only seven due to the 10-run rule.
Bismarck banged out 17 singles, two doubles and a triple, doing most of the damage against Mandan ace Brian Borr.
Twenty hits is never a given, but Governors coach Mike Skytland said the indicators were good.
"We hit the ball pretty well this weekend (in a tournament at Fargo)," Skytland said. "It took a while. Borr kept us off balance the first four innings. It's a credit to our guys that they didn't get frustrated and finally we had a couple of big innings."
The eruptions came late. Bismarck led just 3-0 after five innings. The Governors got into a groove in the sixth, reaching Borr for seven hits and five runs. They added six more in the seventh with a six-hit salvo off Borr and reliever Jeff Werner.
Governors right fielder Nathan Schlosser had a good night both in the field and at the plate. He made a brilliant play in the first inning, gloving a long fly by Paul Moch after an all-out sprint to the foul line and crashing into foul territory. Then he ran down a long drive down the line by the next hitter, Brandon Coyle.
Schlosser gave Bismarck its 10-run margin in the seventh. He came to the plate with the Governors up 8-0 and the bases loaded and launched a Borr curveball into the gap in right-center. The ball rolled all the way to the wall, plating three runs. For the night, Schlosser was 2-for-4 with four RBIs.
"I'm pretty excited about the defense, but I'm pumped about the offense, too," Schlosser said. "I'm just kind of coming out of a slump. It was pretty bad. I was striking out every once in awhile."
Schlosser said he never would have predicted a 14-run outing against Borr, who slipped to 4-3 with the loss.
"He's a really good pitcher. I was pretty surprised we came out the way we did," Schlosser said. "This is a big confidence booster for us."
Bismarck right-hander Jon Hausauer, meanwhile, held Mandan to just three hits, two of them doubles by Paul Moch and Jared Quast.
He said the big innings late in the game made pitching easy. But for five innings it was anything but smooth sailing.
"When we got ahead I was able to relax and not worry about hitting corners. I just let my defense do the work," Hausauer observed. "But the first four or five innings it was still a close game and I was able to hit my spots. My change-up was on and I was hitting spots on the outside corner with my fastball."
Hausauer said he used few curveballs against the Chiefs. "I threw maybe five or 10 curveballs. Most of the offspeed stuff was change-ups," he noted.
All nine Bismarck starters garnered at least one hit. Zach Wentz, Justin Connell, Tyler Johnson and Matt Loomis all connected for three hits. Cody Erhardt, Torey Bohan and Schlosser added two apiece.
Mandan coach Len Stanley said the Chiefs' lack of offense was a disappointment in the wake of the 17 runs they scored Monday night in sweeping Valley City.
"Hausauer pitched a good ballgame. He kept us off stride," Stanley pointed out. "We're just struggling hitting the ball."
Tuesday's win was Bismarck's sixth in eight starts and lifted the Governors to 14-6 on the season, 4-1 in the Western Division. Mandan slilpped to 12-17 on the year and 2-7 in divisional play. The Chiefs have lost five of seven.
A rematch is scheduled at 4:30 p.m. today at Memorial Ballpark. Stanley will send Quast, a right-hander with a 2-4 record, to the mound. Skytland will counter with Wentz, a right-hander with a 4-0 mark.
Bismarck 030 005 6 - 14 20 0
Mandan 000 000 0 - 0 3 1
Game terminated by the 10-run rule.
Jon Hausauer and Torey Bohan; Brian Borr, Jeff Werner (7) and Jason Mellmer. W - Hausauer, 2-1. L - Borr, 4-3. HR - None.
Highlights: B - Cody Erhardt 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI; Zach Wentz 3-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBIs; Bohan 2-for-5, double, 1 R; Justin Connell 3-for-4, 3 R, 1 SB; Tyler Johnson 3-for-4, double, 2 R, 2 RBIs; Matt Loomis 3-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI; Nathan Schlosser 2-for-4, triple, 2 R, 4 RBIs; Hausauer 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 31 balls, 56 strikes. M - Paul Moch 1-for-2, double; Jared Quast 1-for-3, double.
Records: Bismarck 4-1 Western Division, 14-6 overall; Mandan 2-7, 12-17.
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