Dickinson falls out of postseason after 9-6 loss to Mandan
May 26—SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA — The Dickinson High School Midgets attempted a late comeback over Mandan on Saturday, May 25, but the 4-run outburst in the sixth inning proved to be insufficient as DHS fell out of the 2024 postseason after the 9-6 loss. The Midgets had previously beaten rivals Jamestown, 11-2, on Friday, May 24 and dropped into the loser's bracket on Thursday with a 4-3 loss to Williston, but will now have to watch the Division A State Tournament from the stands on their home field later this week at Dakota Community Bank and Trust Ballpark.
Mandan raced to a 5-1 lead by the bottom of the second inning on Saturday, and DHS managed only 1 more run through the fourth inning before the 4-run comeback attempt in the bottom of the sixth frame. Kyler Kudrna absorbed the loss on just 1.1 innings of work, but surrendered only 3 earned-runs while giving up 5 hits and allowing zero walks and the staff — which included Kevin Olsson and Nick Sobolik — combined for 5 Ks along the way.
Senior first-baseman Kaeden Krieg went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and a stolen-base and senior shortstop Jace Kovash had a multi-hit day at 2-of-5 with a double, a run and 2 RBI. Junior second-baseman Camden Kubas was the only other multi-hitter for DHS on a 2-for-3 outing with a run and an RBI.
In the Friday, May 24 barnburner, Dickinson posted a 5-0 lead by the end of the second frame and walked-away with the 11-2 victory after 5 more during the fourth and another insurance-run in the fifth, as Kovash tossed a complete-game stunner that saw only 2 earned-runs and a pair of walks on 7 scattered hits with a pair of strikeouts for the senior righthander. Kovash also helped his cause at the plate with a double and an RBI in a 1-for-1 effort.
Jamestown actually outhit DHS, 7-6, and no Midget had a multi-hit game in the loser's-out contest, but senior right-fielder Jeremiah Jilek went 1-for-4 with a 3-run homer and designated-hitter Colin Tschetter drove in 2 more during a 1-for-3 performance, while Krieg ended up with an RBI triple and 2 runs and a steal.
The first round of the 2024 WDA playoffs wasn't kind to the Midgets as Williston jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the top of the third inning. But DHS responded with 3 runs in the bottom of the third as Kubas walked and was singled into scoring position by Kovash, while junior third-baseman Jack Price drove Kubas in on a single to center and closed the gap to 3-1. Jilek ripped a shot to right that saw Kovash and Price come across the plate and tie the game at 3-3, but Dickinson couldn't capitalize on the momentum.
Williston scored the deciding-run in the top of the final frame and the home-team couldn't respond, as the Midgets dropped the contest, 4-3 despite a 2-for-4 outing for Kovash that featured a run and a solid 2-of-2 day for Jilek with a pair of RBI. Kubas stole a pair of bases while Tschetter, Price and Easum joined him in the theft, but Dickinson couldn't string the hits together to work their way past Williston in the end.
For more information about Midget baseball, please keep reading The Dickinson Press and/or visit their website at
https://www.dickinson.k12.nd.us/schools/dhs/athletics/index
. For more information about baseball in North Dakota, you find it at
https://ndhsaanow.com/tournaments/baseball
.
