Adam Papin/MDN Minot first baseman Ethan Habetler makes a diving effort to tag out Bismarck Larks’ shortstop Benjamin Rosengard during the Hot Tots’ home finale last night.

A sellout crowd packed Corbett Field last night to watch the Hot Tot’s in their home finale, and Dakota Dust-Up Rivalry provided plenty of excitement. Ultimately, the Bismarck Larks spoiled the festivities with a 7-6 win.

The Hot Tots and Bismarck Larks traded blows all night, with Minot striking first in the bottom of the second inning behind runs by Gavin Daniel and Cayden Hansen.

Bismarck tied the game with two runs in the third inning, but Jonah Shields and Sam Holthaus both turned stolen bases into runs in the bottom half of the inning to give the Hot Tots a 4-2 lead. The two teams traded runs with each other until the eighth inning. Bismarck added two in the fourth and six innings, and Minot scored two in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 6-6 apiece.

In the eighth inning, Larks’ shortstop Benjamin Rosengard hit a bases-loaded single to center field, scoring first baseman Luke Saunders to give Bismarck the one-run lead. The Larks held Minot scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings to hang on for the one-run victory.

Grant Faris got the start for the Hot Tots. Faris went four innings, giving up four runs (one earned) on two hits. He struck out five and walked two. Ayden Sauerbrei, Gavin Nalu and Cam Kaufman all pitched in relief.

Prior to the game, coaches and players reflected on their time in Minot.

“I can tell you there’s a lot of pride in this town and for a team that plays hard, they’re gritty,” said head coach Mitch Gallagher. “They [the fans] want to see a winning team. I’ve definitely learned what Minot as a community wants out of the Hot Tots, and we look forward to delivering that in the future.”

Gallagher also praised the players who stayed in Minot for the whole season. “I have tremendous respect for the guys that are able to show up day one and stick through it,” he said. “There’s nothing easy about when we hit the road, and we have a nine-hour bus ride, getting back at seven in the morning and we get a game that night. And to keep doing that through an entire summer of 72 games.”

“The amount of respect I have for guys like Paxton Miller, Grant Faris and Gavin Nalu, who have been here pretty much since the start and stayed until the bitter end.”

Gavin Nalu, a sophomore out of Stanford University, reflected on his time in Minot. “I’m from Southern California, but honestly, Minot still reminded me of my hometown. Nice people everywhere,” said Nalu. “The fan experience seems really cool. I liked it. Then, there are also a lot of fun memories with this group of guys. I think a good amount of people I’ll talk to after the summer and for a very long time.”

The support of the community during the inaugural season didn’t go unnoticed by the Hot Tots’ front office. General manager Monica Blake cited selling out seven games, but also noted the community involvement extended beyond the Corbett Field grounds.

“We sold out a total of seven games this year, and that was coming in after not having sold out Corbett Field since the 90s,” said Blake. “The support from the community has been tremendous, and we couldn’t do what we do without the support. I just want to say thank you to anyone that came out to see a Hot Tots game.”

The Hot Tots will close out the regular season tonight in Bismarck. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m.