Robert Brewer/MDN Minot senior Chase Burke records an infield single in the first inning of the second game against St. Mary's at Corbett Field on Tuesday evening.

The Minot Magicians improved to 16-6 on the year as they went on to take both games in doubleheader action against the St. Mary’s Saints on Tuesday. Minot has now won three straight and five of its last six.

In the first game of the day, Minot had little trouble putting away St. Mary’s en route to a 10-0 victory in six innings. The Magi scored its first run in the opening inning as cleanup hitter Trent Greek’s RBI single allowed Chase Burke to reach home from third base.

Then in the following frame, Minot exploded for four more runs with Eli Nissen’s two-run double starting the Magi rally. Greek followed with his second single which allowed Nissen to advance to third. Nissen would later score on an outfield error, and Greek also came around to score after a single from Calvin Baker.

Up 5-0 after two full innings, Minot tacked on a run in the third, then two more in the fifth and sixth to salt away the victory. On the mound, Hunter Ruzicka was credited with the win as he allowed just one hit in four innings of work. In the process, Ruzicka struck out five batters while walking only two.

The second contest was much closer as Minot beat St. Mary’s by a final score of 10-8. The visiting Saints jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, and then Minot fired back with a run of their own in the bottom of the first with an RBI double from Dylan Buchanan.

More offense ensued in the second as St. Mary’s added a run, followed by three from the Magicians in the bottom half of the frame. An RBI triple from Burke was sandwiched between RBI singles from Morgan Nygaard and Nissen to account for Minot’s scoring in the inning.

The third saw St. Mary’s post two more runs, followed by a massive six-run inning by the Magi. After three, Minot led 10-5. However, the Saints persisted with a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to trim the Magicians lead to 10-8.

In the top of the seventh, closer Kaleb Bellew came in for relief of Burke and struck out three of the four batters he faced to preserve the Minot victory. All told, the Magi collected 14 hits compared to six for St. Mary’s.

Next up on the schedule, Minot plans to take on Bismarck Century in a home doubleheader this Thursday. Start time for the first game is slated for 4:30 p.m.