Ryan Ladika/MDN Dominick Parkhurst, pictured from Souris Valley's May 25 Opening Day 16-2 win against Wheat City, struck out 11 hitters in seven innings in his first start of the season.

The Souris Valley Sabre Dogs kicked off their 2021 season with an explosive first two series against the Wheat City Whiskey Jacks and Badlands Big Sticks during the final full week of May. The squad won its series against Wheat City two games to one spanning May 25-27 before splitting a brief two-game set against the Big Sticks to wrap up the first homestand of the season.

The bats are hot

The team exploded for 16 runs in a 16-2 blowout of the Whiskey Jacks on Opening Day, beginning the season on a high note. Each member of the Sabre Dogs’ starting nine reached base safely at least once, seven of which recorded at least one hit in the winning effort.

Center fielder Cadyn Schwabe spearheaded the Sabre Dogs’ robust offense at the top of the lineup, earning three hits in his five at-bats and walking once while driving in one run and scoring three times. Schwabe was joined by third baseman Beau Brewer, first baseman Drew Miller, designated hitter Chase Keeton, left fielder Jordan Williams and right fielder Allen Grier as one of six total Sabre Dogs to throw out a multi-hit night.

In addition to the offensive firework show, the Sabre Dogs demonstrated remarkable patience at the plate. Seven members of the initial starting lineup drew at least one walk, with Miller and Williams waited out two free passes each for a total of 10 Opening Day bases on balls.

Souris Valley proceeded to score 44 more runs through its next four contests, including two more blowout victories, for a total of 60 runs in its first two series and an average of 12 runs per game. Brewer has been the hottest Sabre Dogs hitter entering the team’s June 1 contest against the Casper Horseheads, earning nine hits in his 15 at-bats, good for a .600 batting average that also marked the highest in the Expedition League.

The corner infielder had also scored eight times and drew five walks in his first four games, as well as swiping four bases in five attempts, good for second on the team.

Five other Sabre Dogs, Cullen Hannigan, Schwabe, Miller, Grier and Williams, entered the month of June hitting above .300, and the sextet had combined to slug five doubles, two triples and two home runs through the team’s first four games.

Head coach Alex Miklos has also put an emphasis on the running game early in the year, as his players have combined for 17 stolen bases in four games, highlighted by Schwabe’s six. Overall, the team has been caught stealing just four times in its 21 attempts.

Swing-and-miss stuff

The Souris Valley pitching staff has matched the impressive results its offense has produced to support it through the team’s first four games of the season. Beginning on Opening Day, former Minot State Beavers starter Dominick Parkhurst was dominant on the mound in his Sabre Dogs debut, striking out 11 Whiskey Jacks while allowing just two runs on three hits in seven innings of work.

Miklos turned to Austin Hammerle in relief to put a bow on Souris Valley’s first victory of the season, as the right-hander pitched two scoreless frames with three strikeouts and only one hit allowed.

A select few arms have struggled in their first few appearances since the Opening Day win, but the staff has more often than not provided the team with a decent chance to win.

Five of the Dogs’ nine total pitchers have contributed an ERA under 3.40 in their limited chances to date, and reliever ERA totals must be taken with a grain of salt due to the relative brevity of the majority of their appearances throughout the season. One appearance that goes sideways can skyrocket a relief pitcher’s ERA for weeks to come simply because he does not receive the chance to earn enough outs in any one appearance to quickly bring it back down.

Parkhurst’s seven-inning effort stands as the largest workload of any Dogs pitcher to this point. Hammerle has tossed six innings with four runs allowed, two earned, as well as 11 strikeouts to match Parkhurst’s mark. Shaun Hickey and Dalton LeBlanc have each contributed five frames and 15 strikeouts. Overall, the staff has excelled with command, striking out 58 hitters while walking just 25.

What’s on tap

The Sabre Dogs began a brief three-game road trip Tuesday night, their first roadie of the season, against the Casper Horseheads. The Horseheads have not experienced Souris Valley’s level of success to begin the season, dropping four straight games after a 7-4 Opening Day victory against the Western Nebraska Pioneers. At the time of print, Souris Valley held a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning.

Following the brief trip, the Sabre Dogs will return to Minot for a four-game homestand against the Spearfish Sasquatch and the Big Sticks.