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Sabre Dogs seize control in 9-2 win over Pioneers

Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Souris Valley's Cullen Hannigan (left) shows the baseball after tagging Western Nebraska's Trevor Mattson (right) during Friday evening's game at Corbett Field. The Sabre Dogs earned a 9-2 win over the Pioneers.

Heading into Friday evening’s game against the Western Nebraska Pioneers, the Souris Valley Sabre Dogs took the field with one goal in mind. The mission was simple — Souris Valley had a plum opportunity to snap its recent four-game losing streak.

A four-run second inning provided the antidote. The Sabre Dogs (13-13) never surrendered the lead in their 9-2 victory over the Pioneers (11-17).

“That was big-time,” Sabre Dogs head coach Corey Thompson said about the hot start. “Our bats have been struggling as of late. For us to take advantage of some walks and errors and then come up with a timely hit, that was huge for us.”

Tim Conway tacked the first run on the board with an RBI single to the outfield. Josh Solomon’s sacrifice fly boosted the margin to 2-0.

Some Western Nebraska miscues granted the Sabre Dogs two extra runs in the frame. A fielding error and a passed ball helped Souris Valley widen the gap.

In the bottom of the third inning, Cullen Hannigan sent a deep drive over the fence in left field. The solo shot gave the first-base dugout an extra jolt of energy.

“It was good to see it,” Hannigan said. “I’m not really a big power guy, so it was nice to get into one and help ignite the team in this 9-2 victory.”

Souris Valley continued to dominate the diamond in the bottom of the fourth frame. Nik Levensteins’ RBI double and Bo McClintock’s sacrifice fly granted two additional insurance runs.

Armed with ample run support, Souris Valley starting pitcher Marcelo Terrazas held Western Nebraska scoreless in seven complete innings of work. Terrazas struck out six batters, allowed five hits and issued just two walks in the outing.

“It feels like every time we roll him out at home, it’s a win,” Thompson said. “Maybe we should just keep doing that.”

After adding two more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Sabre Dogs limited Western Nebraska’s damage in the final frames. A two-run home run in the top of the ninth gave the Pioneers a fleeting moment of excitement, but the lead was insurmountable.

“Max Kendall came in and slammed the door,” Thompson said. “For him to throw up a zero right there, it pretty much solidified the dagger.”

On a night where everything clicked for Souris Valley, Hannigan felt the love from his teammates. Although a catcher’s work sometimes goes unnoticed, he engineered the victory from behind the plate.

“Our pitching staff makes it really easy,” Hannigan said. “We have a really talented pitching staff.”

For Thompson, a team triumph in Corbett Field’s friendly confines marked a breath of fresh air.

“Hopefully, we can take the next two in this series,” he said. “Then, do the same with Badlands and go on the road and try to win some games there. We haven’t done too well on the road. But, at home, we are taking care of business. It’s fun to do that.”

The teams will reconvene at 7:05 p.m. this evening.

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

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