CASSELTON, N.D. — The Valley City Post 60 Royals battled the Casselton Post 15 Haymakers in a two-game Legion baseball series Monday, earning a split after a dramatic walk-off loss in game one and a bounce-back victory in game two.
Game One: Casselton 3, Valley City 2 (8 innings)
Valley City struck first, plating a run in the top of the third inning on a fielder’s choice. Bryson Heck gave the Royals a strong start on the mound, tossing three scoreless innings.
The Haymakers took advantage of control issues in the fifth. After a walk and two hit batters loaded the bases, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly brought in two runs — giving Casselton a 2-1 lead despite not recording a hit in the inning.
Valley City tied the game in the top of the seventh with a two-out rally. After Logan Braaten retired the first two batters, three straight singles culminated in Leighton Hendrickson delivering the game-tying RBI. Corbyn Powell threw a scoreless bottom half to send the game to extras.
Post 60 stranded two more runners in the eighth, bringing their total to 13 left on base. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, a bobbled grounder allowed Casselton’s Ryan Aasmundstad to beat the throw to first, bringing home the winning run from third in a 3-2 walk-off.
Game Two: Valley City 4, Casselton 2 (5 innings)
Adam Shanenko delivered a strong outing in the nightcap, holding Casselton to two runs over five innings while striking out six. It was a solid rebound performance after a tough debut against Bismarck.
Valley City took a 2-1 lead in the third inning thanks to a two-run homer by Jack Samuelson. The Haymakers responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth, tying the game 2-2.
In the top of the fifth, Corbyn Powell came through in the clutch with a two-run blast, giving Valley City a 4-2 lead. Shanenko closed the door in the bottom half to secure the win and a series split.
The Royals (8-3) are back in action Wednesday when they travel to Mandan to face the A’s. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. The game can be heard on 1490 AM/96.3 FM KOVC or streamed online at NewsDakota.com.