If you're going to get behind by six runs, it might as well be in the first inning so you have a few frames to play catchup.

Fargo rallied from six runs down after one inning to beat the Mandan Chiefs 8-7 on Zach Argall's two-out eighth-inning homer Wednesday in the first game of a Legion baseball doubleheader at Mandan Memorial Ballpark.

Argall ripped the first pitch he saw from Mandan reliever Jared Quast over the left-field fence to complete the comeback.

Fargo pitcher Jake Nystrom pitched 71/3 innings of one-hit relief to get the win.

"We started out with a rough spot, but we won the game. That says something," Fargo coach Jeff Fiechtner said. "Nystrom threw a great game. That's tremendous."

Mandan came back to win the nightcap 5-2 behind an equally tremendous five-hit complete game by Sam Salveson.

"Everybody was pretty down," Salveson said of the break between games. "You just move on. It's another game."

Fargo trailed 7-1 after the first inning in the opener and was down to its last at-bat. Brady Kays opened the seventh by reaching on a misplayed double to short right-center.

Mandan reliever Jared Quast struck out Matt Wawers and got Matt Achter to pop to short. He then got Justin Fahy to hit a one-hopper to second-baseman Steve Pletan, whose throw pulled the first-baseman off the bag and allowed pinch-runner Eric Jagim to score the tying run.

Mandan coach Ryne Jungling said he kept telling the Chiefs not to get complacent.

"One of the first things everybody recognized was we can't be complacent. We kept harping on it, but their pitcher threw well," Jungling said.

Fahy staked Fargo to a 1-0 lead in the first when he reached on a bunt, stole second and third and scored on Christian Barnum's single.

That, and a solo homer by Ethan Schnabel in the third, was all Chiefs' starter Jacob Friesz allowed through five innings. But he ran into trouble in the sixth, giving up four runs and giving way to Jay Flaa, who completed the inning.

Mandan scored seven runs, all earned, to chase Fargo starter Anthony Schutz after two-thirds of an inning.

Salveson had a three-run double and later scored as the first seven Mandan hitters crossed the plate.

There was a downside to that, however, as Fargo brought in Nystrom in relief. Nystrom shut down the Chiefs from that point on. He did not allow a hit until two outs in the seventh, then hurled a perfect eighth to get the win. Nystrom struck out eight and walked one.

Argall was 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Schnabel, Barnum and Kays had two hits each for Post 2.

Jared Muth and Salveson had two hits apiece for the Chiefs.

The nightcap followed much the same format, as Fargo scored twice in the top of the first and Mandan answered with three in the bottom. Quast's two-run single was the big hit.

"Coming back to get those three runs right away was huge. Then you could see the change," Jungling said.

Salveson got stronger as the game went on.

"I had a couple rough innings. I couldn't hit my spots," Salveson said. "Toward the end of the game I started hitting my spots."

Salveson scattered five singles. Ryan Messerschmidt took the loss despite a seven-hitter.

Mandan added an unearned run in the third to go up 4-2 and tacked on another run on Pletan's two-out double in the fifth.

Fargo 8, Mandan 7 (8 innings)

Fargo 101 004 11 - 8 11 1

Mandan 700 000 00 - 7 7 4

Anthony Schutz, Jake Nystrom (2) and Mike Jones. Jacob Friesz, Jay Flaa (6), Jared Quast (7) and Steve Serr. HR: Fargo, Ethan Schnabel, Zach Argall. W -Nystrom. L -Quast.

Highlights: Fargo - Nystrom 7.1 IP, 1 H, 8 K, 1 BB; Schnabel 2-5, homer, 3 RBIs, 2 runs; Christian Barnum 2-4, 2 RBIs; Argall 3-5, homer, 2 RBIs; Brady Kays 2-4, double, 2 runs. Mandan - Jared Muth 2-5, RBI; Sam Salveson 2-3, double, 3 RBIs.

Mandan 5, Fargo 2

Fargo 200 000 0 - 2 5 2

Mandan 301 010 x - 5 7 2

Ryan Messerschmidt and Andy Schweigert. Sam Salveson and Jason Mellmer. HR: None. W -Salveson. L -Messerschmidt.

Highlights: Fargo - Zach Argall 2-3. Mandan - Salveson 7 IP, 5 H, 4 K; Reid Jungling 2-3, 2 runs; Matt Keller 2 runs; Jared Quast 2-3, 2 RBIs.

Records: Fargo 12-2 statewide, 23-7 overall; Mandan 2-2 statewide, 13-14 overall.