Time, it's been said, can be a great healer.

Bismarck Governors pitcher Jon Hausauer can testify to the validity of that claim.

Hausauer, an 18-year-old right-hander, flirted with a no-hitter and finished with a one-hitter Thursday night in a 9-0 victory over Wahpeton.

The shutout completed a sweep for Bismarck at Municipal Ballpark and gave the Governors a 12-6 record in the statewide Class ALegion baseball standings. Bismarck won the first game 10-2.

Hausauer took his no-hitter into the seventh inning and fired two quick strikes against the first Post 20 batter, Blake Kretchman. He missed on the next two pitches and Kretchman launched the 2-2 pitch over right fielder Taylor Isakson's head for a triple.

The next three Wahpeton hitters went down via a strikeout and two fly balls. The shutout was preserved, but the no-hit gem died.

Hausauer said he didn't fall victim to nerves as he battled Kretchman. "Istayed composed. I really didn't get bothered by it," he said.

He's been there before. He no-hit Williston three years earlier in the West Region Babe Ruth tournament on the same diamond.

Hausauer, brilliant as a junior at Bismarck High, didn't come close to duplicating that success as a senior, going 1-4.

Legion baseball has been another matter, though. The one-hitter against Wahpeton lifted Hausauer's record to 6-2, including wins in his last four decisions. He walked one and struck out four.

"I'm hitting spots. That's usually the key,"Hausauer said of Thursday's outing. "Ihad three out of four pitches going, Jon (Herold, the catcher) called a great game, so I stayed with it for the most part and it worked."

Hausauer threw just 64 pitches, 43 of them strikes.

It's that command of his stuff that's made Hausauer a new man this summer. As the innings have piled up, his control of his pitches has become sharper and sharper. For a guy without an overwhelming fastball, the command is vital.

"I've added a slider this summer and my curveball is breaking harder," he said. "I've been able to spot the ball better, and I've had command of all my pitches."

The Governors banged out a dozen hits in support of Hausauer.

Hunter Johnson led the way, belting an RBI double in the first inning and a two-run single in the six-run sixth.

Brady Wolf contributed a two-run double to the sixth-inning rally, in which 10 Governors batted.

Wolf was an offensive force in the first game, too. He singled twice and walked, knocking in three runs. The Governors second baseman is on a spree that's part of a strong second half.

"I kind of struggled the first half of the season. Now I'm starting to come around a little bit,"Wolf said. "At Dickinson (onWednesday) I was 2-for-4 with a home run. … Now I'm feeling a lot more comfortable at the plate."

Thursday's sweep of Wahpeton pushed the Governors to within two games of their goal - closing the season on a six-game run. They won two at Dickinson onWednesday, games that didn't count in the statewide standings. OnSaturday they play host to Fargo in two pivotal statewide games.

"We need three (from Wahpeton and Fargo), but four is what we're shooting for,"Wolf said."…We're trying to put ourselves in a position where we don't have to rely on other teams to get us in there (the top five)."

The top five teams in the statewide standings qualify for the state tournament in Minot two weeks down the road.

The five qualifiers play a round-robin tournament at Williston next week to determine state tournament pairings. The bottom six Class Ateams go to Jamestown next week for a qualifying tournament with three teams advancing to state.

A seven-run fourth inning turned a close contest into a runaway in the first game. The Governors sent 11 men to the plate in that decisive frame. They needed just two hits -an RBIsingle by CodyErhardt and a two-run single byWolf - to rack up seven runs. Wahpeton contributed three walks, two hit batters and an error to the uprising. One of the runs was unearned.

NOTES:The doubleheader required just 3 hours and 28 minutes to complete. The first game was over in 1:40 and the nightcap required just 75 minutes. … Wahpeton has dropped eight straight games, while Bismarck has won four straight. … Saturday's doubleheader with Fargo closes the regular season for the Governors. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. … Both teams are in the thick of the battle for the top five. Going into Thursday's action the top five consist of Dickinson (14-4), Fargo (9-3), Minot (13-5), Williston (13-7) and Bismarck. Grand Forks was sixth at 11-7.

Bismarck 10, Wahpeton 2

Wahpeton 100 001 0 - 2 9 2

Bismarck 012 700 x - 10 8 0

Lucas Bumgarner, RyanSheeley (4)and Jordan Ralph; Hunter Johnson, Jacob Hruby (5) and Taylor Isakson. W- Johnson, 3-1. L- Bumgarner. Save - Hruby. HR - None.

Highlights: W - Luke Holkup 2-for-3, double, 1 R; Evan Berndt 3-for-3, 2 RBIs; Ralph 2-for-3. B-Isakson 2-for-2, 3 R, 2 RBIs; BradyWolf 2-for-3, 3 RBIs; Johnson 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO; Hruby 3 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.

Bismarck 9, Wahpeton 0

Wahpeton 000 000 0 - 0 1 2

Bismarck 200 106 x - 9 12 1

Jeremy Bontjes, Luke Holkup (6) and Holkup, Bontjes (6); Jon Hausauer and Jon Herold. W - Hausauer, 6-2. L- Bontjes. HR- None.

Highlights:W -Blake Kretchman 1-for-3, triple. B - CodyErhardt 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB; Hunter Johnson 2-for-4, double, 3 RBIs; Jacob Hruby 2-for-3, 1 R; BradyWolf 1-for-3, double, 1 R, 2 RBIs; Hausauer 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO.

Records:Wahpeton 4-16 statewide standings, 10-30 overall; Bismarck 12-6, 26-12.