Sean Williams/MDN Ryan Recio (17) of the Minot Hot Tots steps up to the plate during a game that occurred at Corbett Field earlier this season.

The Dakota Dust Up Rivalry split time between Bismarck and Minot on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, where the Minot Hot Tots were able to secure their first win and sweep over the Bismarck Larks during the action-packed weekend.

Picking up a 19-13 win over the Larks at home on Hunger Games Night were the Hot Tots, as they took an early lead and never looked back for their first-ever win of the rivalry on Saturday night.

It didn’t take long for the Hot Tots to unleash a relentless attack at the plate, as they managed to put up 12 runs by the end of the third inning.

RBI doubles by Drew Woodcox, Thomas Rollauer and Jake Schulz, a two-run home run from Nic Pepe, and RBI singles by Damone Hale and Nick Wrubluski highlighted the early display of power that gave the Hot Tots a 12-5 lead after the third.

From there, the Hot Tots managed to score in every inning and refused to let the Larks gain momentum by countering every rally Bismarck put together.

Schulz later connected on a solo home run in the fourth and seventh, and Ryan Recio added a two-run homer in the fifth to keep the Hot Tots ahead before they took game one by a final of 19-13.

In a game that featured a lot of action at the plate, Carson Zimmel put forth a strong effort out of the bullpen for Minot, where he tossed 2.2 innings and allowed one run on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts.

Recio went 3-for-5 with a double, home run and three RBI to lead Minot on Friday, followed by Hale who went 1-for-4 with three RBI, Schulz who went 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs and three RBI, Pepe who went 3-for-6 with a home run and two RBI, and Woodcox who went 3-for-3 with a double, two walks and two RBI.

After picking up their first win of the Dakota Dust Up Rivalry, the Hot Tots traveled to Bismarck on Sunday to wrap up the series. Following a similar pattern, the Hot Tots took an early lead and did not look back in a 9-6 win.

Gage Yost took the mound and got the win for the Hot Tots. The Minot State Beaver tossed five innings and allowed two runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

Pepe broke open the scoring on Sunday, giving the Hot Tots a 1-0 lead in the first after walking and scoring with the help of a wild pitch. The Larks countered by plating two runs in the bottom of the second to take a 2-1 lead.

This was the last lead the Larks saw, as the Hot Tots put a combined six runs on the board in the fourth and fifth innings to jump ahead, 7-2.

A pair of RBI doubles from Hale, and Max Lucas, an RBI single from Schulz, a sacrifice fly from Zach Kluvers and a later RBI single from Hale were all timely hits for the Hot Tots in the frames that saw them put themselves ahead.

Reaching their run total by the seventh inning were the Hot Tots, as Karson Evans and Schulz walked with the bases loaded to give the team a 9-2 advantage. Still, the Larks weren’t ready to go down quietly.

Putting three runs on the board in the bottom of the seventh inning, suddenly Bismarck had life again as they made it a 9-5 game heading into the ninth. While they tacked on one more run, their late effort wasn’t enough as Minot secured the sweep with a 9-6 win.

In addition to Yost, another Minot State Beaver was a key contributor on the mound. Ayden Sauerbrei tossed 1.2 innings and allowed one run on one hit with no walks and three strikeouts.

At the plate, the Hot Tots were led by Hale, Karson and Schulz who drove in two runs each, followed by Lucas who went 1-for-3 with an RBI, and Kluvers and Pepe who had one hit each.

Following a successful weekend, the Minot Hot Tots sit with a 5-9 record in the second half of the season, which places them in fourth place of the Great Plains West division.

Minot will have three consecutive home games starting tonight, when they host the St. Cloud Rox for two games and then Bismarck for the third game. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. each night.