James Jackson/MDN Reed Butz of the Souris Valley Sabre Dogs delivers a strong performance at Corbett Field on Tuesday night in a 5-2 win.

Following their first off day of the season, the Souris Valley Sabre Dogs were back in action on Tuesday night as they began a quick two-game home series against the Pierre Trappers.

The Sabre Dogs have gotten off to a hot start, as they enter the week with an 8-1 record, which is good for first place in the Expedition League. The Pierre Trappers are sitting in second place, with a record of 4-6.

A high-powered offensive attack has aided the Sabre Dogs in their excellent opening run of the season, with the team piling up ten or more runs on the scoreboard four times to start the year. Tonight, the bats were a little more on the quiet side, but that didn’t stop the Sabre Dogs from securing a 5-2 victory over the Trappers.

Sabre Dogs starting pitcher Reed Butz ran into a little trouble in the top of the first when Hunter Bedneck sent a line drive to left field for a leadoff double and advanced to third with no outs. Butz would walk the next batter, however, he would settle in and escape the jam via three consecutive strikeouts to silence the early threat.

Outfielder Luis Pelayo of the Sabre Dogs got the night started with a leadoff single. The Sabre Dogs would quickly show that their threat would be more than that, as Hunter Delanoy drove Pelayo home on a double.

The Sabre Dogs would then put pressure on the Trappers, forcing them to make plays as they brought home two more runs on a throwing error to third and on an infield single, giving themselves a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

Butz would continue his dominance on the mound, racking up at least two strikeouts in each inning through his first four. The Trappers, however, would break their scoreless streak in the fourth by plating a run that was generated by two singles, trimming the Sabre Dogs lead to 3-1.

After an early showing for the Sabre Dogs, the bats went quiet for a few innings until Hunter Delanoy once again found himself in the mix of a run scoring opportunity in the fifth inning. Delanoy singled with one out and advanced to third on a Ben Newbert double.

Delanoy would then come home on a groundout by Jake Barlow. The Sabre Dogs wouldn’t stop there, as Cody Muncy drove home Newbert on a single, making it a 5-1 game in the fifth inning.

Right-hander Tyler Elliot relieved Butz in the top of the seventh inning, where he continued the theme of strong pitching by striking out the first two batters he faced. An error and a walk put two runners on for the Trappers, but once again, they would be silenced and kept off the scoreboard.

The Trappers would come knocking on the door again in the top of the eighth by loading the bases with one out, looking to have a more successful go around with this opportunity. The Sabre Dogs pitching staff rose to the occasion again by slamming the door shut and keeping it a 5-1 game.

Even though it wasn’t their typical offensive outburst, the Sabre Dogs still did plenty at the plate to take an early lead and go on cruise control through the remainder of the game in a 5-2 win over the Trappers.

With the five runs the Sabre Dogs collected, they paired that with 11 hits, one error, and an overall strong pitching staff performance to continue their Expedition League dominance through the first month of the season.

The Sabre Dogs now improve to 9-1 and will host the Pierre Trappers tonight at Corbett Field, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m.