Alex Eisen/MDN Garrison/Max base runner Gunner Jacobs slides back in safely behind Minot Metros first baseman Landyn Almy in a summer baseball game played Thursday at Corbett Field.

There was no music or a functioning scoreboard at first, but no problem.

Summer baseball at Corbett Field opened with a no-frills doubleheader as the Minot Metros hosted the Garrison/Max Titans. Despite some technical difficulties behind the scenes that were eventually fixed, being back on the diamond was the only thing that truly mattered.

“The boys were excited to get out here and play,” Garrison/Max head coach Luke Gehring said. “They have been cooped up the last couple of months. It was our first game of the season. The energy was high. They were attentive. They were focused. They showed up ready to play. It was awesome.”

The season-opener contest approached three hours of game time with Garrison/Max winning an eight-inning marathon match, 9-7. The nightcap went to the road team as well, 11-4, as the Titans completed the sweep.

“Not the results we wanted, but the kids played hard,” Metros head coach Dalton Cooper said. “We saw some good things and some things we have to work on, but it was good to get back out here.”

Metros Game 1 starting pitcher Tyler Johnson struggled with his command early on and let Garrison/Max build up a 3-0 lead out of the gates. Gunner Jacobs dropped in an RBI single and then a groundout brought in the other two runs.

Johnson lasted two innings before Tyler Budeau stepped in. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the third inning before the Metros got on the now-working scoreboard for the first time with an RBI double by Jonas Bubach in the bottom half.

The Titans increased their lead to 5-1 with a bases-loaded walk and an RBI single by Gage Gehring in the fourth inning. But four runs in the bottom of the fourth by Metros squared the first contest back up.

The clutch hit came from Hunter Ruzicka off of relief pitcher Bennett Kamp. Ruzicka roped a bases-clearing triple down the left line for three runs and then came home on a sacrifice fly by Morgan Nygaard, 5-5.

“It was a game of ups and downs for sure,” Luke Gehring said. “We knew coming in that they would be rusty and we would be rusty. The team that would pull away, in the end, would be the team that focused and played good baseball.”

Seth Roedocker broke the deadlock with a two-out, two-run RBI single to left to give the Titans the lead back, 7-5, in the top of the sixth inning.

The Metros answered right back with its own two-out rally in the bottom half, as Eli Nissen powered a ball into the right field corner for a two-run triple. The score was tied up at 7-7 going to the seventh.

“Having that never die attitude was good to see,” Cooper said. “That’s something we can continue to build on throughout the year.”

The fifth hit of the game for Titans slugger Jacobs led off the top of the seventh. He narrowly stole second base but was left stranded there. Metros pitcher Carter Mowbray escaped with a flyout and a groundout.

Jacobs then went to the mound to pitch the bottom half. After getting the first two outs with ease, Landen Halseth doubled to right center field. Jacobs nearly picked off Halseth for the third out. But, instead, it had to be a little more dramatic to force extra innings.

Halseth was tagged out on a bang-bang play at home plate off a ground ball that found the shortstop.

“That was an awesome play,” Luke Gehring said. “We have been practicing relays and stuff like that for the past week, so it was good to see them put it to use here on the field.”

Garrison/Max took that momentum into the eighth inning with the first five batters reaching base, including a bases-loaded walk to Roedocker, 8-7.

Jacobs walked later on as well for another run. The Titans left the bases loaded, but had a two-run cushion going to the bottom half. That was enough. The Metros only managed to muster one base runner before bowing out and heading to Game 2.

“It’s good to be back,” Jacobs said. “It was a long battle. The Metros are a good team, but I had to stay mentally in there because I had to go up there and keep getting hits for my team.”

The Metros kicked off the second game with a triple from Morgan Nygaard. But a flyout double play straight back to the Titans starting pitcher Roedocker ended that threat and the first inning.

Once again, Garrison/Max struck first. Ty Iglehart, who didn’t get an at-bat in Game 1, singled through the left side for the first run. An ensuing fielder’s choice and throwing error added two more runs in the second inning.

Another triple from Nygaard plated a run and cut the Metros’ deficit down to 3-1 going to the fourth. Garrison/Max batted around for four runs in the next half inning to stretch the lead out to 7-1.

“We were confident, coming off a big win,” Luke Gehring said. “We were riding that momentum wave from Game 1.”

Roedocker was grooving on the mound, figuratively and literally. After allowing one run on two triples through three innings, Roedocker was dancing around to the “Cupid Shuffle” during his warm-up pitches.

Tyler Johnson ended the impromptu dance party with a two-run inside the park home run. The ball landed behind the outfielder and rolled out to the 410-foot sign in dead center.

Later in the fourth inning, an RBI single by Ruzicka knocked Roedocker off the bump for Dawson Wimer. The Metros, however, left the bases loaded and trailed 7-4 going to the fifth inning.

Jacobs, going an absurd 8-for-8 in the doubleheader, slapped an RBI single to left field to have the Metros doubled up at 8-4. Three more runs were then tacked on for good measure, 11-4.

“I told coach before the game like, ‘This is going to be really bad. I feel like I’m not even going to get a hit tonight,'” Jacobs said. “The ball just went my way, I guess. I don’t know.”

The Minot Metros return to Corbett Field at 5 p.m. this evening against Mandan.

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