Day 1 of the Class A baseball state tournament is now in the books, as eight teams duked it out in the opening round on Thursday at Corbett Field. Here’s a look at how each of the four games played out:

Minot High 6, West Fargo Sheyenne 4

(8 innings)

Even after a lengthy battle, Kyler Stenberg and company still had a little magic left in them.

Justin Martinez/MDN Shanley junior Jace Dew (8) celebrates with his teammates after scoring the game-winning run in the Deacons’ 4-3 victory over Williston on Thursday in the opening round of the Class A baseball state tournament at Corbett Field.

West Region No. 4-seeded Minot had to dig deep in its opening-round contest against East Region No. 1-seeded West Fargo Sheyenne, as the Magicians struggled to shake the pesky Mustangs.

Alex Schimke was the driving force for the Magi in the early going. The senior stole home in the top of the third inning to give Minot a 1-0 lead, and he made it a 3-0 contest in the fourth with an RBI double to left center.

But the Mustangs caught fire in the fifth. Sheyenne senior Caden Jastram connected on a pitch from Schimke for an RBi triple to make it a 3-1 ballgame, and Carter Dodd tied the score a few at-bats later with a single that brought in two runs.

Now tied 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Mustangs had a chance to end it with the bases loaded and one out.

Kyler Stenberg, who was now the mound, had other plans. The senior bailed the Magi out, delivering a strikeout and forcing a pop fly to send the game into extra innings.

Now with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the eighth inning, none other than Stenberg stepped up to the plate. The senior saw a pitch he liked, pulled the trigger and sent a shot into the outfield for an RBI single to give Minot a 5-4 edge.

“In my high school career, that’s one of the top moments for sure,” Stenberg said. “It was awesome, and it just gave us reassurance to be ahead again.”

Minot added another run off a Sheyenne error, and Stenberg kept the Mustangs off the board in the bottom of the frame to secure the 6-4 victory.

Sophomore Chase Burke, Schimke and junior Derek Nygaard each recorded an RBI and a run in the win. Stenberg finished with one RBI in a game where his impact wasn’t done justice by the stats.

“Kyler (Stenberg) is a competitor,” said Pete Stenberg, who is the MHS head coach and Kyler’s father. “He wants those opportunities, and he’s always going to give it his all.”

Sheyenne falls to a consolation semifinals game against Dickinson today at 2 p.m., while the Magi advance to a state semifinals showdown against West Fargo today at 4:30 p.m. with a spot in the championship up for grabs.

Shanley 4, Williston 3

It was now or never for the Shanley Deacons.

East Region No. 4-seeded Shanley spent the entire game playing from behind in its opening-round match against West Region No. 1-seeded Williston. The Coyotes jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning and played some stellar defense the next four innings to preserve the score.

Now, in the top of the seventh inning, the Deacons were just three outs away from seeing their hopes of a state title vanish. Shanley head coach Lucas Rustad rallied the troops.

“If you have a pulse, there’s always a chance,” Rustad said. “I just told the kids, ‘Don’t get discouraged and keep hitting.'”

The first run for the Deacons came free of charge when an error allowed junior Brayden Altringer to come home and make it a 3-2 contest. Now with the bases loaded and two outs, Brayden Koenig stepped up to the plate.

The senior got a pitch from Williston’s Charlie Whitlock and connected with a shot up the middle. The ball zipped past the outstretched glove of a diving Reed Hanson and bled into the outfield. That allowed two runs to score and gave the Deacons a 4-3 lead.

“It was awesome,” Koenig said. “You can’t really describe that feeling. I just got fired up on first (base). It’s unexplainable, honestly.”

None other than Koenig sealed the deal from the mound in the bottom of the seventh. Just three pitches away from reaching the daily limit for a pitcher, the senior got the final out to secure the Deacons’ 4-3 victory.

Koenig finished with two RBIs on 1-for-3 hitting, while sophomore Dylan Erholtz tallied one RBI on 1-for-2 hitting in the win.

The Coyotes will play Fargo North today at 11:30 a.m. in the consolation semifinals, while Shanley will face Century today at 7 p.m. with a trip to the state championship on the line.

West Fargo 18, Dickinson 3

(5 innings)

Respect the mustache.

The power of East Region No. 3-seeded West Fargo’s facial hair proved to be too much for West Region No. 2-seeded Dickinson, as the Midgets couldn’t keep pace with the dapper Packers en route to an 18-3 loss.

“In years past we’ve (grown mustaches) for the postseason, so we just wanted to keep the tradition going,” West Fargo sophomore Brayden Jacobson said. “We just came in prepared and were ready to play today.”

Jacobson led the charge. The sophomore, sporting a pencil mustache, got a single on the opening at-bat and came home soon afterwards thanks to an RBI groundout by senior Adison Krank.

But the mustached menace wasn’t finished. With the bases loaded in the top of the second inning, Jacobson delivered once more with a booming shot to right field that brought in two runs.

Now leading 6-0 in the top of the third inning, another furry-faced sophomore made his presence known.

Carter Birrenkott, also rocking a pencil mustache, pushed the lead to 8-0 with a hit that leaked into the outfield and platted in two runs. Jacobson brought Birrenkott home on the next at-bat with an RBI single up the middle.

Dickinson sophomore Landon Aman got the Midgets on the board with an RBI single in what was a three-run fifth inning, but the late scoring burst wasn’t enough to avoid the 18-3 mercy rule defeat.

Jacobson (4-for-5), Birrenkott (2-for-3) and junior Anthony Villanueva (1-for-3) each recorded four RBIs in the win.

Dickinson will play West Fargo Sheyenne today at 2 p.m. in the consolation semifinals, while West Fargo takes its momentum into a state semifinals match against Minot High today at 4:30 p.m.

“We just have to keep doing what we’re doing,” West Fargo head coach Brett Peterson said. “As long as we keep swinging the bats like that, we like our chances.”

Bismarck Century 7,

Fargo North 0

In Cade Feeney we trust.

The Bismarck Century junior drew first blood for the Patriots in the opening inning against East Region No. 2-seeded Fargo North as he sent a rolling ball to Spartan third baseman Dan Christianson for what appeared to be a routine groundout.

Instead, Christianson’s throw eluded the first baseman and allowed two runs to score. West Region No. 3-seeded Century never looked back, as Feeney gave up just one hit in six innings on the mound to lead the defending state champs to a 7-0 victory.

“Our goal is always to get runs on the board right away,” Feeney said. “It calms the whole team down. I was just locating really well (on the mound).”

Century senior Paydin Slette provided some extra insurance in the top of the sixth inning with a double up the heart of the Spartans’ defense that brought in two runs. The Patriots scored another three runs in the frame to take a commanding 7-0 lead.

Junior Mike Hallquist got Fargo North’s first hit of the contest in the bottom of the sixth with a triple, but Feeney bailed the Patriots out of the jam soon afterwards to preserve the shutout. Junior ace Skyler Reidinger closed out the game in the seventh to secure the 7-0 win.

“It all starts with pitching and defense,” Century head coach Kent Schweigert said. “We knew we were going to have a big challenge today, and we just kept (Fargo North) at bay.”

Feeney finished with 11 strikeouts and one hit allowed in six innings pitched, while Slette led the way at the plate with two RBIs and one run on 1-for-4 hitting.

Fargo North will play Williston today at 11:30 a.m. in the consolation semifinals, while Century will face Shanley today at 7 p.m. in the state semifinals.

Justin Martinez covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JTheSportsDude.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)

• Daily Newsletter
• Breaking News
• Obituaries

Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

• Yes
• No