VALLEY CITY, N.D. — The Valley City Post 60 Royals opened their American Legion baseball season in dominant fashion Tuesday, sweeping a doubleheader against the Gardner Snakes with wins of 8-1 and 12-4 at Charlie Brown Field.

In Game 1, the Royals jumped on Gardner early and never looked back. Jack Samuelson launched a towering three-run homer in the first inning—clearing the left field wall and striking the light pole—to give Valley City an immediate spark. The Royals tacked on runs in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, steadily building an 8-0 lead.

On the mound, Valley City used a three-man rotation to shut down the Snakes. Bryson Heck and James Schwehr each tossed three scoreless innings, while Luke Praska closed it out with a one-inning appearance, striking out two. As a unit, the Royals’ pitching staff combined for eight strikeouts and allowed just one run.

Game 2 followed a similar script, as Post 60 exploded for seven runs in the first inning. After Gardner rallied for three in the top of the second, the Royals immediately responded with five more runs in the bottom half to stretch the lead to 12-3. The pitching staff did the rest, limiting the Snakes to just one additional run over the final three innings to secure the sweep.

Valley City will return to action Friday, June 6, when they host Edgeley in the opening round of the Valley City Mid-Summer Classic. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on 1490 AM / 96.3 FM KOVC and streamed online at NewsDakota.com.