DICKINSON, N.D. — The Valley City Post 60 Royals stayed red hot Monday, sweeping the Dickinson Volunteers in a road doubleheader to extend their win streak to nine games. Valley City earned a hard-fought 7-3 win in game one before rolling to a 17-1 rout in game two.

Game One: Valley City 7, Dickinson 3
Valley City overcame an early deficit behind strong relief pitching and timely hitting to take the series opener.

The Royals struck first in the second inning on a sacrifice fly from Will Schwehr. Dickinson responded in the bottom half with three runs — all coming with two outs — on a Brody Bollinger single and a David Barkley triple to take a 3-1 lead.

Both teams went quiet for a few innings before Valley City’s bats came alive in the fifth. Trevor Fetsch and Jack Samuelson each delivered run-scoring singles as part of a four-run rally that gave the Royals a 5-3 lead.

Bryson Heck took over in relief of Corbyn Powell and was lights out, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts to earn the win. James Schwehr pitched the final inning and a third to record his second save of the season.

Samuelson had a standout performance at the plate, finishing with two hits, two RBIs, and a pair of stolen bases to pace the Royals.

Game Two: Valley City 17, Dickinson 1 (5 innings)
Game two was all Royals from the jump, as Valley City’s offense exploded for 17 runs on the night in a five-inning run-rule win.

Jack Samuelson stayed hot, doubling home two runs in the first to give Valley City an early lead. The Royals poured it on in the second inning with five runs on five hits and broke the game wide open with six more in the third.

The offensive outburst allowed Valley City to rest key arms. After a brief appearance by James Schwehr, Luke Praska and Leighton Hendrickson combined to pitch the final three innings scoreless, preserving the bullpen ahead of a crucial matchup against Bismarck later this week.

Up Next:
Valley City (16-3) will look to extend their winning streak on Thursday, July 17, when they head to Bismarck to face the Representatives. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on 1490 AM / 96.3 FM KOVC and streamed online at NewsDakota.com.