The Minot High boys baseball team was in Mandan on Friday and earned a split against the Braves in doubleheader competition.

Minot dropped the first game 5-3 in a seven-inning affair. With the game tied at 2-2 in the top half of the seventh, an RBI single by Hunter Ruzicka drove home Chase Burke for the go-ahead run. Unfortunately for the Magi, they took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh only to surrender three runs in the final frame.

The Magicians were able to bounce back in the second game as they defeated the Braves 4-3 in eight innings. Minot jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first thanks to a two-run single from Calvin Baker followed by an RBI base hit from Ruzicka to drive in Baker.

Mandan evened things up with a three-run inning in the fifth. With both teams deadlocked at 3-3 after seven, the game went into extra innings. Then in the eighth, Ruzicka came through once again with another RBI hit to give the Magi a 4-3 advantage. In the bottom half of the inning, Minot pitcher Tyler Buchanan struck out two Mandan batters and left one base runner stranded at third to preserve the victory.

After the doubleheader split, Minot’s overall season record now stands at 14-6. Up next, the Magicians plan to host Bismarck St. Mary’s on Tuesday starting at 5 p.m.