Mandan Chiefs Legion baseball coach Len Stanley didn't particularly care for the scene that greeted him Tuesday evening as he gazed upon the Memorial Ballpark scoreboard.

"Five hits apiece, and we get beat 8-1," Stanley said.

Indeed, the annual Independence Day game between the Chiefs and the visiting Bismarck Governors was much more one-sided than the hit count would indicate. Most of that disparity could be traced to Bismarck right-hander Matt Loomis. Loomis surrendered only one run - unearned - in a route-going nine-inning effort.

Only three men had advanced beyond first base against Loomis until the ninth inning, when he loaded the bases before coaxing Mark Frenzel into a game-ending groundout.

"Give him credit. He was in control the whole ballgame," Stanley said. "He just flat out took the game to us."

Loomis had thrown just 93 pitches going into the ninth inning. He finished with a pitch count of 121, 79 of them strikes.

Governors coach Mike Skytland said the plan was to let Zach Wentz close the game in the ninth, but then Loomis mowed Mandan down with just six pitches in the eighth inning. "That swayed us," Skytland said. "We figured he deserved a complete game. … He threw well."

Bismarck catcher Justin Connell said Loomis had all the components of his repertoire working against Mandan. "He was solid with three pitches," Connell said. "He could throw the fastball, curve and change-up for strikes. He had great control with every pitch … and we never pitched the same way to the same guy twice."

Loomis walked two, hit two batters and struck out seven. He picked up five of his strikeouts in the first three innings.

"I was using a lot of change-ups today," Loomis said. "… Three or four of the strikeouts came off change-ups … and I think after they saw it a couple of times, they started to put it in play."

But the Chiefs didn't put the ball in play with authority. They didn't manage an extra-base hit off Loomis and only once did they bunch two hits. In the fifth inning they broke up the shutout bid as Wentz at shortstop booted Jared Quast's leadoff groundball. Mark Frenzel and Chad Brucker added two-out singles and the Chiefs were on the scoreboard.

Bismarck packed all its offense into the third and fourth innings. A groundball error by shortstop Steve Pletan, a walk and a hit batter opened the door in the third. The Governors obliged with three hits, including an RBI single by Cody Erhardt and a two-run double by Wentz for a 4-0 lead.

Mandan starting pitcher Andrew Tweet didn't survive the fourth. He walked the first two men and Stanley went to the bullpen for right-hander Mike Quast. Quast ran up a full count on Connell, who promptly drilled the sixth delivery over the 25-foot screen in left field for a three-run homer.

The round-tripper was Connell's first since his junior year of high school ball. "He threw some pretty good pitches and then he came with a fastball right down the middle of the plate," Connell said. "I put a good swing on it but I wasn't trying to hit it out. I was just trying to hit it hard."

Connell said Monday's 10-8 win over Mandan coupled with Tuesday's triumph is the perfect way to enter a week-long break. The Governors don't play again until July 11. "Its good to go into our little break on a positive note," he said.

Mandan, meanwhile, plays host to Minot in a Western Division game on Thursday and West Fargo on Friday.

Stanley said the Chiefs didn't really play badly in the two losses to Bismarck. "But the bottom line is they keep score - wins and losses. We have to try to learn from this and keep at it," Stanley said.

Bismarck 004 400 000 - 8 5 1

Mandan 000 010 000 - 1 5 4

Matt Loomis and Justin Connell; Andrew Tweet, Mike Quast (4) and Ryne Jungling. W - Loomis, 3-0. L - Tweet, 3-2. HR - Bismarck, Connell.

Highlights: B - Cody Erhardt 1-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI; Matt Kranzler 2-for-5, 1 R; Tim Jallen 0-for-1, 2 BB, 1 HP, 2 RBIs; Zach Wentz 1-for-5, double, 2 RBIs; Connell 1-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBIs, 3-R HR, fourth inning; Loomis 9 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO.

Records: Bismarck 5-6 Western Division, 16-13 overall; Mandan 3-8, 12-17.

Capitals 12, A's 2

Bismarck right-hander Jon Herold held the Mandan A's to three hits and his teammates supported him with a 10-hit attack as the Capitals won the preliminary game at Memorial Ballpark.

Taylor Isakson led the attack for the Capitals, a 15-year-old Babe Ruth team, with two singles and a double. He scored twice and knocked in a run.

All of the A's hits and runs came in the first inning. Herold didn't allow a runner beyond second base the rest of the way as the Capitals won the game by the 10-run rule.

Bismarck 204 402 - 12 10 1

Mandan 200 000 - 2 3 7

Jon Herold and Taylor Isakson; Brandon Leingang and Sam Salveson. W - Herold. L - Leingang. HR - None.

Highlights: B - Hunter Johnson 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 SB; Tyler Peterson 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 RBI; Matt Chuppe 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB; Isakson 3-for-4, double, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB; Jared Hochhalter 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 SB; Stephen Glasser 1-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI; Herold 1-for-3, 2 R; 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 SO. M - Matt Bosch 1-for-3, 1 RBI; Jeff Werner 1-for-3, double, 1 RBI; Leingang 1-for-2, 1 R.

Records: Capitals 21-2, A's 8-18.