The right-handed hurler, and a part-time enthusiastic weatherman on the side, was too busy preparing for his third start of the season for the Souris Valley Sabre Dogs.

On a sweltering summer evening at Corbett Field, Brenzer-Mendoza turned up the heat even higher with an overpowering pitching display that left the Western Nebraska Pioneers looking for some shade.

Once the sun started to set and Brenzer-Mendoza was pulled after six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, the Pioneers started to fight back. But, by then, it was too late.

The Sabre Dogs (29-17) rode Brenzer-Mendoza’s hot arm to a 5-2 victory Saturday evening over the Clark Division-leading Pioneers (33-11).

Alex Eisen/MDN Sabre Dogs' Phillip Childs (right) exchanges a high-five with teammate Bo McClintock (left) after scoring the first run of the game Saturday against the Western Nebraska Pioneers.

“I was having really good command with my fastball and two-seam fastball, which was moving more like a sinker today,” Brenzer-Mendoza said. “I used that to keep them off balance. And I was able to throw in some sliders and change-ups to really seal the deal.”

Hits were hard to come by and each run had to be carefully manufactured.

The Sabre Dogs broke the scoreless deadlock in the fourth inning. A single by Phillip Childs and a pair of walks to Mason Dinesen and Crews Taylor loaded the bases with no outs.

After clean-up hitter Chauncey Callier struck out swinging, Josh Paino made solid contact for a deep fly ball to the outfield.

Center fielder Cole Gambill reeled in the catch and didn’t even bother putting forth the effort to throw out Childs, who casually strolled home from third base.

Paino wasn’t finished.

The Sabre Dogs’ fifth hit of the game in the sixth inning was a two-run single smoked back up the middle by the hard-hitting second baseman, who came into the contest with a meager .235 average and 13 RBIs.

Later in the inning, Nick Mistone brought Paino home with an RBI single into left center field to increase the Sabre Dogs lead to 4-0.

“Against a good team, you are going to have to (fight for) every single run,” Sabre Dogs head coach Corey Thompson said. “Phillip (Childs) just creates pressure on guys with the way he runs. That’s what he does best, so it worked out for us.”

Brenzer-Mendoza picked up an unearned run on his stat line in the seventh inning. After issuing a lead-off walk, he was replaced by Cody Waters. The runner Brenzer-Mendoza let on base came around to score on the Sabre Dogs only error of the game.

Souris Valley got the run back in the bottom half.

Childs showed some heads up base running by rounding third base and scoring when a cut-off throw was slightly overthrown. The ball rolled right through the center of the infield as Childs sprinted to the plate.

The Pioneers stranded runners on second and third base in the eighth inning after an RBI single by Cody Wagner, 5-2.

Jace Mapston only gave up an infield single in the ninth to earn the save for the Sabre Dogs.

“Getting a series win going into the All-Star break would be huge,” Thompson said. “Tomorrow is a big one for us.”

This four-game series between the cross-division foes concludes at 5:35 p.m. this evening at Corbett Field.

The best players in the Expedition League will takeover Corbett Field on Monday and Tuesday, as the Sabre Dogs host the All-Star Game on Tuesday with a precursor Home Run Derby competition on Monday.

The gates open at 6 p.m. both days with the action on the field starting at 7:05 p.m.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.