Jul 25, 2007 - 04:03:55 CDT
The Mandan Chiefs were one strike away Tuesday night from snapping a long losing streak against the Bismarck Governors.The Mandan pitcher threw a strike, but it didn't bring the result the Chiefs were hoping for.
After falling behind in the count 0-2, Bismarck's Nate Schlosser singled in the tying run with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Then, Jeremy Campbell followed with a game-winning RBI single to give the Governors a 5-4 victory in the first game of a doubleheader at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark.
The Governors, who haven't lost to the Chiefs since 2004, also won the second game, 12-2 in five innings to improve to 27-10 overall.
With runners on first and third, Schlosser fouled off one 0-2 pitch before lining a Brian Borr delivery to left center to score Justin Connell from third.
"(Borr) threw me a curveball that hung over the plate," Schlosser said. "I was a little nervous after falling behind two strikes, but I knew I had to hang in there and be patient. The pitch was there and I got a good swing at it."
Campbell then stepped up and singled off the left field fence to bring in Tyler Johnson with the winning run. Johnson's two-out single sent Connell to third.
It was the Governors' first lead of the game.
"The great thing about baseball is you're never out of it until the final out," Bismarck coach Mike Skytland said. "Mandan did a lot of good things to put themsleves in a position to win, but our kids kept battling and battling. For most of this game, we had a tough time getting the timely hits, but they came in a bunch in the seventh."
The Chiefs nearly ended the game with a double play after Torey Bohan singled with one out. Connell hit a grounder to second baseman Paul Moch, who flipped to shortstop Brandon Coyle for the force out. However, Connell beat the relay to first, and three straight singles followed.
"When you look at it, Connell beating the throw to first was just as big as any of those hits that followed," Skytland said. "The little things you do on the field can add up. Connell hustled to first, beat the throw and kept the inning alive."
Mandan coach Len Stanley also cited Connell's play.
"It was a close call and it went (Bismarck's) way," he said. "Baseball is a game of inches and in that case, a couple of inches made a big difference.
"But we had a lot of chances to close this one out," Stanley continued. "Give Bismarck credit. They didn't quit."
The Cheifs led 4-1 after 3½ innings, scoring two in the top of the first, one in the second and one in the third.
Moch drove in a run with a double and later scored on an error to put the Chiefs on top 2-0. After Bismarck plated an unearned run in the bottom of the first, Mandan's Brandon Leingang brought in a run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the second, and Sam Salveson singled in another in the third.
Bismarck closed to within one in the bottom of the fourth following back-to-back RBI singles by Cody Erhardt and Jon Hausauer.
Bismarck got a solid performance on the mound from Matt Loomis, who struggled early but blanked the Chiefs on four hits over the last four innings. For the game, he allowed three earned runs on 11 hits, walked one and struck out five.
"Matt got off to a tough start, but it wasn't all his fault," Skytland said. "(Mandan) had a few hits drop and we made a couple of errors, but Matt had a good mental attitude through it all. He's one of our veterans ... he's been through it before. Today, he did a great job keeping us in it."
The Governors finished with 14 hits, with Hausauer, Bohan, Connell, Johnhson and Schlosser each getting two.
Salveson, Coyle and Jared Muth each had two hits for the Chiefs.
Chiefs 211 000 0 - 4 11 2
Governors 100 200 2 - 5 14 1
Brian Borr and Jason Mellmer. Matt Loomis and Tyler Johnson. W - Loomis. L - Borr. HR - None.
Highlights: Chiefs - Jared Muth 2-for-3, 2B. Brandon Coyle 2-for-4. Sam Salveson 2-for-3, RBI. Paul Moch 1-for-2, 2B, RBI. Governors - Cody Erhardt 1-for-3, 2B, RBI. Jon Hausauer 2-for-4, RBI. Torey Bohan 2-for-4. Justin Connell 2-for-4. Tyler Johnson 2-for-4. Nate Schlosser 2-for-4, RBI. Jeremy Campbell 1-for-4, RBI.
Governors 12, Chiefs 2
The Governors erupted for five runs in the bottom of the first inning and the rout was on.
The Governors batted around in the inning, getting a two-run single from Loomis and RBI base hits from Hausauer, Connell and Johnson (triple).
Later, Tom Seifert's two-run single and Bohan's two-run double highlighted Bismarck's seven-run third.
Mandan scored single runs in the second and fourth off Bismarck starter Jeremy Campbell, who allowed five hits, walked six and struck out one in five innings.
The Governors will host Dickinson today in a doubleheader, scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
Chiefs 010 10 - 2 5 2
Governors 507 0x - 12 10 2
Jared Qwast, Jeff Werner (3) and Jason Mellmer. Jeremy Campbell and Torey Bohan. W - Campbell. L - Qwast. HR - None.
Highlights: Chiefs - Jared Muth 1-for-3, RBI. Qwast 1-for-1, 2B. Brandon Leingang 1-for-2, Brandon Coyle 1-for-3. Governors - Bohan 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBIs. Justin Connell 2-for-3, 2 R RBI. Jon Hausauer 1-for-2, R, RBI. Tom Seifert 1-for-2, 2 RBIs. Tyler Johnson 1-for-3, 3B, RBI. Matt Loomis 1-for-3, R, 2 RBIs. Dustin Wenzel 1-for-3, R, RBI.
Records: Governors 27-10 overall 13-3, Western Division. Chiefs 16-30, 3-17.
Comments are reviewed for taste, tone and language before posting.
Some comments may be used in the Tribune's print edition.
We value and respect your privacy, but The Bismarck Tribune might
disclose certain information to governmental entities if served with subpoena.