Minot’s Ty Iverson throws the ball to first after fielding a grounder at shortstop during the second game of a doubleheader against the Bismarck Senators on Wednesday, July 1, at Jack Hoeven Park. Mike Kraft/MDN

A new month yielded familiar results for the Minot Metros, who closed out June riding high on a 10-game winning streak, capped off by a Souris River Slugfest title.

That winning streak grew by another two games and now sits at 12 following a doubleheader sweep of the Bismarck Senators on Wednesday, July 1, at Jack Hoeven Park. The Metros rallied from an early three-run deficit in the opener, with Grady Weppler once again delivering a clutch hit in a crucial moment in their 5-4 victory. Minot didn’t need a rally in the nightcap, scoring seven of the first eight runs for a 9-6 win.

“I really believe it’s just the group that we have,” Metros coach Craig Schmich said. “Like I’ve said before, they are going to fight until the very last out and they are going to keep grinding it out as a team. What we’re doing on the mound is awesome and offensively, we’re coming up with the big hits when needed. These guys just have the no-quit mentality and they are going to keep working for each other. They’ve all played together for a very long time and they know each other well. They know exactly what they need to get done and they’re baseball players. They want to play baseball. They love being around it and that’s a testament to our group and what they have accomplished.”

That fighter’s mentality was on full display in the first game, as the Metros entered the fourth inning trailing 3-0 and had been limited to two hits and three total baserunners by Bismarck starting pitcher Hayden Gietzen. Gietzen was responsible for staking the Senators out to that lead, delivering a bases-clearing double with two outs in the first inning.

Minot (19-5 overall, 5-0 Class A) got on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the fourth. Garrett Nikitenko led off the frame with a single to center and Grady Weppler reached on an error to put runners on first and third with no outs. Liam Hieb moved both runners into scoring position with a sac bunt and Henry Woodbeck drove them in with a two-run single to right.

Weppler had his biggest hit of the season the game prior when he hit a tie-breaking home run late in the Souris River Slugfest championship game against Burlington. He provided yet another big moment for the Metros in the fifth inning against Bismarck on Wednesday with the bases loaded. Weppler cleared the bases on the first pitch he saw from Gietzen, driving in Owen Sundahl, Ty Iverson and Nikitenko with a triple to center to put the Metros in front, 5-3.

“With Grady, he has a great preparation for the game,” Schmich said. “He understands what he needs to get done. They had a pitching meeting and we were able to call a timeout and I let him know that the infield was in and he just had to find a way to drive a ball in the air. Our biggest goal was to find a way to score that run to tie the game and instead he hits a triple to clear the bases and that’s just who Grady has been.”

Weppler finished 1-for-3 with 3 RBIs and a run scored.

“I was trying to go opposite field and have a two-strike approach and just drive it,” Weppler said. “I try not to overthink too much and just drive the ball.”

Weppler also picked up the win on the mound. He struck out 11 batters over five innings of work, allowing three runs on two hits. Brady Vigested recorded a six-out save, allowing one run on one hit over two innings, striking out two.

Sundahl and Woodbeck each had two hits to lead Minot’s offense.

“We’re all playing together, pitching well, not giving up too many walks and playing good defense,” Iverson said. “That’s how you do it. Our bats have been really good and our pitching has been really good, too.”

The Metros have become accustomed to coming from behind during their winning streak, but they weren’t required to do so in the finale. After a scoreless opening two innings, Minot struck for three runs in the first and tacked on four more in the fifth to grab a 7-1 lead. The Metros outscored the Senators 7-0 in the fifth inning between the two games.

“The fifth inning has been our inning all year,” Schmich said. “That’s another confidence booster for them is that if things aren’t going well offensively, they know they have time to find a way to get it done and that’s how it’s been all season.”

Iverson got the Metros offense going, driving in the first one of the game with an RBI double to plate Owen Meyer in the third. Nikitenko did the same with a double to center and Vigested came in to score off a sac fly from Weppler.

The Metros loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth. Following a strikeout, Sundahl and Brody Johnson each recorded two-run singles.

Kellen Barsness got Bismarck back to within 7-3 in the sixth with a two-run single on a pop fly to right, allowing Tristan Schulz and Lucas Farstad to score. The Metros answered with two runs of their own in the bottom half, as Iverson singled to plate Meyer, and Nikitenko drove in Iverson with a ground out to the second baseman.

The Metros recorded 11 hits and eight batters finished with at least one hit. The top three in the lineup – Meyer, Iverson and Vigested – combined to finish 6-for-12 with four RBIs and seven runs scored. Iverson, Nikitenko, Sundahl and Johnson all finished with two RBIs.

Mason Moldenhauer and Farstad both had two hits for the Senators.

The Metros have not lost a game since a 6-5 decision against Fargo Post 400 on June 13 at the Cross-River Classic. Since then, the Metros have outscored their opponents 104-35 and are the lone unbeaten team in conference play.

“For this group, I’ve told them from Day 1 that we want to win every single game no matter who we’re playing against, no matter if it’s a conference game or non-conference game or tournament game, it doesn’t matter. We’re trying to win every single game we possibly can and now that they have gotten into the swing of things and understand they can stay in the game no matter what.”

The Metros are off for the 4th of July holiday before returning to the diamond against Valley City Post 60 on Monday, July 6, at Corbett Field at 5 p.m.