Schindler delivered a clutch bases-clearing double in the bottom of the sixth inning to rally the Vistas past visiting Mandan 6-4 in the opener of a doubleheader and he and Burke drove in seven more runs in Minot’s 11-1 victory in the finale to complete the sweep of the Chiefs on Tuesday.

The Vistas (13-8) returned home following a four-day trip to Nebraska to compete in the Creighton Prep Tournament, where they finished 2-4. Paired with a sweep at the hands of Fargo Post 2 on the road, Minot had lost six of its last eight. But the Vistas returned to their winning ways, with Schindler and Burke setting the pace.

“It was a long haul to Nebraska and it felt like everything took forever down there,” Schindler said. “But it showed we can play with a lot of teams. We played the state champs in Nebraska and the state runners-up and we played with them decently well and I feel like if we can play with those guys, we can play with anyone in our state.”

Minot wasted little time getting the offense going in Game 1, with Braden Nelson and Burke delivering a pair of RBI singles to give the Vistas a 2-0 lead after the opening inning. But the Chiefs (5-11) fought back, plating a run in both the second and third to tie the game. Burke responded to put the Vistas back in front, crushing a home run over the left-field wall in the bottom of the third.

An RBI single by Mandan’s Dylan Gierke and a Minot balk gave the Chiefs the lead through five innings. That’s when Schindler came through with the heroics. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, Schindler roped a three-run double into left to put Minot in front for good as the Vistas shut down the Chiefs in the seventh to come away with the victory.

“Big lefty came in and I don’t hit lefties very well,” Schindler said. “I was thinking about putting something the other way and I got my pitch and I just hit it the other way.”

Schindler didn’t wait until the final innings of Game 2 to provide an offensive spark, instead getting the Vistas on the board in the second inning. With two outs in the inning, Schindler drove in Carson Deaver and Oliver Deschamp and Burke followed with a two-run single of his own to plate Gannon Hedberg and Schindler. Brody Mueller capped off the five-run frame with an RBI single to center to score Tre Stewart.

“Our bats were just more productive in big spots in Game 2,” Vistas coach Pat Arntson said. “They gave us some free stuff, but then our bats had those big swings in the big moments to change the score a lot quicker.”

Schindler added another RBI to his six-run night with a single in the third and Burke produced two more runs in the fifth on his third hit of Game 2. Schindler and Burke combined to go 5-for-8 with seven RBIs and four runs scored in the nightcap.

“Second game we just scored when we had the opportunity to,” Burke said. “The first game we kind of left some runners on base. The second game we took care of those opportunities.”

Levi Balas ended the game early with a pinch-hit two-run single with the bases loaded in the fifth to enact the 10-run mercy rule and complete the sweep.

“The last week or week-and-a-half has been brutal in terms of the level of competition,” Vistas coach Pat Arntson said. “Us sitting right there at .500 in the league, this was a big one to try and get on the right side of it and stay out of the bottom and save some pitching. It was good to be back home and get two wins.”

While the season still has a ways to go, the importance of a series sweep of Mandan and getting back to their winning ways isn’t lost on the VIstas.

“This game means a lot to us,” Burke said. “It gives us momentum going throughout the season. In the middle of the season it’s always tough. We’ve got people that are tired and sore. Getting those two wins is big and we will carry that momentum going into our next games.”

Braden Nelson picked up the win on the mound for the Vistas in Game 2, tossing 4 2-3 innings. He allowed one run on five hits, striking out three and walking four.

The Vistas head right back on the road starting tonight with a doubleheader against West Fargo beginning at 5:30 p.m.