Royals Go Down to the Wire in Fargo

The Royals baseball team continued their Mon-Dak road trip with a stop in Fargo to take on the North Dakota State College Wildcats in their home opener.

Game one of the two-game series began with the Wildcats jumping out to a 3–0 lead through the first two innings. The Royals answered in the top of the third, collecting four singles and capitalizing on an NDSCS error to tie the game at 3–3.

The Wildcats responded with a run in both the fourth and fifth innings to take a 5–3 lead into the sixth. In the top of the sixth, the Royals rallied as they drew two walks before Rory Manns delivered a two-run double. A later single brought Manns home, giving the Royals a 6–5 lead.

NDSCS tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, and both teams remained scoreless through the seventh and eighth innings. In the top of the ninth, Vinny Fiorentino led off with a single and eventually scored on a pair of sacrifices, putting the Royals ahead 7–6.

The Wildcats answered in the bottom half with back-to-back singles, and a costly error later in the inning allowed them to walk it off for an 8–7 victory. Fiorentino led the Royals offensively, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Ashton Rinas was strong in relief, pitching 2.1 innings while allowing just two hits and one earned run.

In game two, both starting pitchers were sharp early, holding each lineup scoreless through the first three innings. The Royals broke through in the fourth inning, scoring three runs behind singles from Fiorentino, Dane Hagler, and Logan Dearborn.

The Wildcats cut the lead to 3–2 in the fifth, and the score held until the bottom of the seventh. There, NDSCS strung together a pair of early singles before delivering a walk-off hit later in the inning to secure a 4–3 win and complete the sweep.

Hunter Remmick turned in a solid outing for the Royals, pitching 5.1 innings while allowing just two unearned runs. Tyler Olson contributed at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.

The Royals will continue Mon-Dak conference play as they travel west to face Dawson Community College on Sunday and Monday for another four-game series.