Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Renville County's Brock Depute (26) and Corbin Hall (11) celebrate after scoring a run in the fourth inning of Thursday evening's first game against the Minot Expos in Lansford. The Muskrats earned a 19-2 win in the contest.

LANSFORD — Although the summer baseball season just began, the Renville County Muskrats’ bats are in midseason form.

The Muskrats (4-0) earned a 19-2 victory in the first game of Thursday evening’s doubleheader against the Minot Expos (1-3). In the nightcap, Renville County seized a dramatic 7-6 win.

“They’ve done a lot of work for over a month now,” Renville County head coach Bart Savelkoul said about the Muskrats. “There’s a lot of leadership and a lot of people taking it upon themselves to practice and get better. That’s the biggest thing we’re learning.”

Renville County started the day by doing damage in the even-numbered innings. After the Expos drew first blood in the second inning, the Muskrats countered with six runs.

Bryden Santos ignited the rally with a 2-RBI single. The Muskrats loaded the bases with no outs, and Gannon Hall and Corbin Hall also knocked inruns with hits in the frame.

Kaleb Bellew’s solo home run in the fourth inning helped the Expos cut the margin to 6-2. Then, the Muskrats exploded for 13 runs in the bottom of the fourth.

“We’ve got a pretty good hitting crew,” Savelkoul said. “We kind of lean on that. If our pitchers or defense get us into trouble, we’re hoping our bats can get us back into it.”

Playing aggressively, Renville County stole bases and drove the ball to all parts of the field. The Muskrats received contributions throughout the lineup and widened the gap.

The sticks continued to click throughout the inning, but the game was called before the fifth frame began. Henry Savelkoul captured the win on the mound for the Muskrats.

“Everybody always knows that they have another chance,” he said. “We keep a good mindset about it. We don’t get down on ourselves.”

For the second straight game, the Expos struck first. Passed balls allowed Minot runners to cross home plate unscathed.

The visitors enjoyed an early 2-0 advantage, but Renville County’s Brock Depute struck back with a clean drive to the outfield. Depute’s hit knotted the score at 2-2 before the Muskrats clawed across another run.

“We get down, we don’t care,” Bart Savelkoul said. “We just keep on battling and try to find our way back.”

Neither team scored in the second inning, but the Expos plated three more runs in the third. Depute entered the game as a relief pitcher and stopped Minot’s scoring streak.

In the fourth inning, Corbin Hall brought a run home with an outfield hit and came home on a two-out balk. With the score tied at 5-5 in the fifth, Minot’s Corey Hooker came home from third base after escaping a rundown.

Renville County scored a run in the same fashion, and the game ended with a 7-6 final score after a bases-loaded walk to Henry Savelkoul.

“I wasn’t going to try to be too aggressive or try to be a hero and roll over and cause an out,” he said.

Despite the losses, the second game helped Expos head coach Grant Dowty feel optimistic about his team’s future.

“We’re going to be deadly very soon,” Dowty said. “We’ve just got to give it time. That’s it.”

The Expos host Garrison at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 8. Renville County will travel to Surrey for another doubleheader starting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9.

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.