Ryan Ladika/MDN Cadyn Schwabe (6) and Chase Keeton (left) score on a Jordan Williams single in the bottom of the first inning Wednesday night.

If you were in attendance for the Souris Valley Sabre Dogs’ dramatic 6-5 Wednesday night victory over the Canyon County Spuds at Corbett Field, one could hardly blame you for doing a double take when the team took the field in the top of the first inning.

In honor of “Sports in Jorts” night at the ballpark, the Sabre Dogs ditched their normal pants and played the entirety of the game wearing jean shorts. First baseman Beau Brewer took the festivities a step further, sporting a black Stetson-esque cowboy hat during the Spuds’ first at-bat of the night.

“I heard about this night at the start of the summer, and I was actually so excited for it,” Brewer said pregame. “I think it’s a great thing for the fans, and baseball can get a little repetitive. It adds a little spice to it. I have never done anything like this, and I am loving it.”

Looking to lead his team to a series win over Canyon County after a 12-1 blowout victory Monday night, Eric Wallington trotted out to the mound to make his second start of the season. He tossed three scoreless innings with five strikeouts to send Souris Valley to an 11-8 win over the Badlands Big Sticks in his season debut June 9.

The Spuds sent five batters to the plate to greet Wallington, scoring once on a fielder’s choice to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead. The southpaw induced a flyout to left field off the bat of Cam Grant to limit the damage to a single tally, though, and the Souris Valley offense immediately picked up its starter in the bottom of the first.

Leadoff hitter Cadyn Schwabe, hitting an eye-popping .456 entering Wednesday’s action, led off with a single, as did Chase Keeton behind him. Steven Moretto walked with one out, and Jordan Williams came through with a two-out single to push two runs across with the help of a Canyon County error.

The Spuds tied the game with another tally in the top of the second inning, when Joey Grabanski crushed a Wallington offering over the left-center field fence, but both pitching staffs clamped down with the score knotted up at two runs apiece.

Wallington, after surrendering the two runs, retired eight of the next 12 hitters he faced following the Grabanski home run. Head coach Alex Miklos turned to his bullpen for the fifth inning, and Wallington walked back to the third-base dugout with four innings of two-run ball and four strikeouts on his ledger.

Miklos called upon right-hander Kainin Morrow for his fourth appearance of the season, giving the Sulphur, Louisiana native a chance to bounce back from his last appearance when he allowed six runs in four innings of work against Badlands June 8.

He did just that and more, setting down nine of the first 11 men he faced while striking out five, his second-highest whiff total of the year.

The Sabre Dogs, able to muster just four hits in their next five innings against Canyon County starter Gary Grosjean after their two-run first, finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Grosjean issued free passes to Justin Cooper and Schwabe and Keeton immediately made him pay for his mistakes with a seeing-eye double through the left side of the infield that allowed Cooper to cross home plate with the go-ahead third run of the game.

Brewer doubled the Dogs’ lead with an RBI single, and Moretto tacked on the fifth Souris Valley run on a line drive sacrifice fly that sent Keeton home. Dalton Bowling took a late called third strike to end the inning, but Souris Valley had rallied for three runs to take a 5-2 lead heading into the eighth inning.

Morrow’s command suddenly deserted him in the top of the eighth inning, as five walks paved way for the Spuds, who sent nine men to the plate in the inning, to tie the game at five. Jackson Kirkpatrick entered the game in relief of Morrow and forced Luke Danielewicz to ground out to escape the frame, setting the stage for a dramatic bottom of the inning.

The Sabre Dogs conjured up some two-out magic, ignited by a Cullen Hannigan single. The Dogs’ catcher advanced to second base on a Spuds error on the play, and after a free pass issued to Cooper, Noah Stevens uncorked a wild pitch.

Hannigan raced home with what would later prove as the winning run, and Cooper saw a chance with the Canyon County defense napping. With no one covering home plate, Cooper tried to score as well, but was called out when Stevens laid the tag down a split-second before he touching home plate.

A furious Miklos charged out of the dugout to plead his case, but to no avail. The inning came to an end, but Souris Valley had regained the lead and needed just three more outs to secure its 12th win of the season.

Kirkpatrick, tasked with the ninth inning, allowed a leadoff walk to Zach Tallerman. Cam Grant tried to bunt him over to second, but popped out to Brewer at first. The Dogs’ first baseman wheeled around and attempted to double Tallerman off first, but the initial call again went against Souris Valley.

Miklos, now incensed, sprinted back onto the field. Following a brief discussion and a meeting between the two umpires, the call was overturned, and a crucial second out was awarded to Souris Valley.

Kirkpatrick induced a flyout off the bat of Carson Hake for the final out, securing the 6-5 win, as well as a series victory, for the Sabre Dogs.

“If they were to get me out, they would have had to make a perfect play,” Hannigan said of his aggressive scoring play on the Sabre Dogs’ broadcast postgame. “We were able to pull one out at the end.”

Souris Valley, now 12-7 on the season, will go for the three-game sweep of the Spuds Thursday night at 7:05 p.m.