Valley City’s Jack Samuelson tags out Minot’s Grady Weppler on a fielder’s choice during a doubleheader on Monday, July 6, at Corbett Field. Mike Kraft/MDN

All good things come to an end eventually and such was the case as it related to the Minot Metros’ 12-game winning streak – the longest such streak for the team in recent memory.

Defending West Region regular season and tournament champion Valley City handed the Metros their first loss since mid-June as well as their first pair of conference setbacks on Monday, July 6, at Corbett Field. The Royals claimed the opener, 7-1, before crushing the Metros in the finale, 18-4, to take sole possession of first place in the conference standings.

Minot and Valley City entered Monday’s doubleheader as the top two teams in the West Region, with the Metros nursing a one-game lead over the Royals. Valley City now has the inside track on the No. 1 seed for the upcoming tournament with six conference games remaining for both teams.

“We knew that was going to be for No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the West Region Tournament for the most part, so we knew this was going to be a battle,” Valley City coach Chase Carpenter said. “It was a battle every single game we played them last year. We knew coming in we needed to play our best game.”

It took two batters before the Royals found themselves in front on the scoreboard as Jack Samuelson launched the first pitch he saw from Minot starting pitcher Brody Johnson over the fence in left. It was Samuelson’s second home run of the season and only hit of the opening contest. He walked twice and scored a pair of runs.

The Royals (13-6 overall, 7-1 West Region) plated two more runs in the second to grab a 3-0 lead. Corbyn Powell delivered a two run-single with two outs, scoring Bryson Heck and Trevor Fetsch. Valley City produced four of its seven runs with two outs.

“They came up with the two-out hits and we didn’t,” Metros coach Craig Schmich said. “We had guys on every single inning and we found ways to get guys into scoring position, but we didn’t come up with the big hit when we needed to. That’s been the difference-maker for us all season and with that 12-game winning streak that we were on, we came up with the big hits and that’s how we kept producing wins.”

Minot had eight baserunners, but was held to its lowest scoring output of the season. Its previous low was two runs against both the West Fargo Rattlers and the Mandan A’s, going 1-1 in those instances. The Metros were averaging 8.5 runs per game.

The Metros (19-7, 6-2) loaded the bases in the third inning with no outs after a pair of singles from Owen Meyer and Ty Iverson, coupled with Owen Sundahl getting hit with a pitch. But Minot was unable to capitalize, as Heck threw out Meyer at the plate trying to tag and score from third after a fly out from Brady Vigested to center field. Garrett Nikitenko flew out to left to end the inning.

“We’ve been defending pretty well for the most part the last part of the year,” Carpenter said. “We’ve had some hiccups here and there, but we’ve kind of honed down that side of things. They know getting down to the end of the year that defense is going to be key to win a lot of games. Our hitting is always going to be there, so if we can defend and throw strikes, we’re going to be just fine.”

The Royals tacked on another run in the fourth off an RBI single from Powell and two more in the sixth. Andrew Sykora sent a fly ball to left, allowing Heck to score from second and Parker Roelfsema got enough on a drive to center to allow Samuelson to tag and score from third. Powell added his fourth RBI of the contest in the seventh on a single up the middle to plate Trevor Fetsch.

Powell led the Royals’ offense with a 3-for-5 performance in the leadoff position in the order. Powell and Samuelson had five of the team’s seven RBIs as the top two in the lineup.

“We’ve kind of known it and we knew it coming into the season that Valley City was going to be a good team,” Schmich said. “They have a bunch of 17, 18, 19 year olds on their team with a lot of seniors and a lot of guys who graduated from high school last year that came back and had a good junior group as well. We knew it was going to be a challenge and losing a ballgame like that, it was still a competitive game.”

Sundahl scored the lone run for the Metros by himself in the fifth. He singled to center and came around to score as a result of a three-base error by the center fielder.

The Metros finished with six hits. Grady Weppler doubled to lead off the sixth inning for Minot’s only extra-base hit.

James Schwehr picked up the win on the mound for the Royals. He went all seven innings, allowing one run on six hits, striking out five and walking two.

In the nightcap, the Royals once again found themselves playing with the lead just two batters into the game. Powell walked to begin the inning and came around to score on a triple to center by Samuelson.

The first six batters for Valley City reached base safely, two via errors, which also produced another run. Roelfsema and Schwehr each followed with RBI singles before the Royals flipped over their lineup and Powell tripled and Samuelson doubled in runs in their second at-bats.

By the time the first half-inning was over, the Metros had already surrendered eight runs, more than they had given up in 21 games this season.

The second inning got even more carried away, with the Royals pouring it on to the tune of nine more runs and a 17-0 lead. Valley City recorded seven hits in the second and five in the first, accounting for all but one of its 13 hits in the game.

The Royals had five extra-base hits. Heck, Powell and Samuelson all tripled and Samuelson also doubled along with Hendrickson.

All nine Valley City starters recorded at least one hit, one RBI and one run scored. Samuelson, Roelfsema, Schwehr and Heck all had a pair of hits. Sykora and Roelfsema each had three RBIs.

Powell and Samuelson finished the nightcap a combined 3-for-6 with four RBIs and four runs scored and completed the doubleheader 7-for-13 with nine RBIs and six runs scored.

“That’s why we have them at the beginning of the order to start things for us,” Carpenter said. “If we can get on the scoreboard right away, our confidence shoots up and our pitchers are able to throw strikes.

Valley City’s pitching staff of Heck and Cole Bullinger limited the Metros to three hits.

The Metros took advantage of a couple errors by the Royals in the second to register all four of their runs. Back-to-back errors at third base on at-bats by Johnson and Cole Deaver allowed Nikitenko and Grady Weppler to score. Meyer grounded out to the pitcher’s mound to plate another and Sundahl doubled home Henrik Evanoff.

The 18-4 loss was the most runs the Metros have allowed in a game this season and only the first time they have surrendered 10 runs or more. It’s the second-largest scoring output for the Royals, having recorded 22 against the Bismarck Senators.

The Metros host the Watford City Walleye for a doubleheader on Wednesday, July 8, beginning at 2 p.m. at Jack Hoeven Park.