VALLEY CITY, N.D. — The Valley City Post 60 Royals split a doubleheader with the Bismarck Senators on Tuesday, dropping the opener 16-10 before bouncing back with a 7-2 victory behind a dominant pitching performance from James Schwehr.

In Game 1, despite tallying 11 hits and drawing nine walks, the Royals couldn’t keep pace with the Senators’ relentless offense. Valley City jumped ahead 3-2 after the first inning thanks to an RBI single from starting pitcher Adam Shanenko. But Bismarck responded with four runs in the second and five more in the third, pulling away early.

Shanenko labored through 4.1 innings, allowing 13 runs—nine earned—before Leighton Hendrickson came on in relief. Hendrickson gave up three runs across 2.2 innings, walking five.

The Royals showed signs of life late, trimming the deficit to 15-10 in the sixth inning after a four-run rally, but Bismarck added one more in the seventh and shut the door to secure the win.

Game 2 told a different story.

Bismarck jumped out to a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and second innings against Schwehr, but the right-hander settled in and shut the door the rest of the way. Schwehr went the distance, throwing seven innings of five-hit baseball while striking out 10.

Offensively, Valley City capitalized on unforced errors, as Bismarck committed five miscues in Game 2 after making just one in the opener. Only three of Valley City’s seven runs were earned. Corbyn Powell and Trevor Fetsch each drove in runs as the Royals took advantage and evened the series with a 7-2 win.

Up Next: The Royals will be back in action Friday at 5:30 p.m. when they host the Williston Oilers. The game will air on 1490 AM/96.3 FM KOVC and stream online at NewsDakota.com.