Valley City got a complete game effort from Ethan Miller, who only allowed two earned runs on the day. However, a seventh-inning bloop RBI single by the Spartans would be the difference as they outlasted the Hi-Liners to claim a 3-2 victory.

Both teams got phenomenal efforts from their starting pitchers as Miller and Fargo North’s Colby Hanson traded zeroes through five innings. Miller would utilize the defense behind him to work out of trouble as he limited the Spartans to only two walks through the first five frames. Hanson, meanwhile, singlehandedly wreaked havoc on the Valley City bats, striking out nine batters and not allowing a hit until the fourth inning.

In the top of the sixth, the Spartans would get the leadoff man on after a ball got through the glove of Hi-Liner first baseman Andrew Sykora allowing the runner to advance to second base. A bunt single by Hanson would put runners on the corners with no outs. A balk by Miller would bring in the first run of the ball game and a double by Charlie Kahlbrener would make it a 2-0 ball game. Another single by North would again see runners at the corners with no outs. But Miller was able to limit the damage to just those two runs, after a strike out, a sacrifice bunt, and a fly out to right field.

The Spartans would remove the cruising Hanson to insert Kahlbrener into the game on the mound who promptly two of the first four batters he faced. With two runners on and two outs Sykora hit what looked like a routine ground ball to third, but a Spartans fielding error would bring in one Valley City runner while allowing the other to go to third. Another came soon later, as a wild pitch would plate the tying run to tie the game a 2-2. After another walk Kahlbrener would be pulled for Jonah DeJong who struck out Carver Pederson to end the sixth.

Miller would head back out for the seventh inning and would force a quick pop out for the first out. However, Miller would hit the next two batters and a deep fly ball by Kahlbrener would advance the lead runner to third setting the table for DeJong. The Spartans three hole hitter would come through for his squad, muscling a ball off the plate into shallow right field to take a 3-2 lead.

DeJong would head back out trying to pick up the win facing the top three hitters of the Valley City lineup. DeJong would make quick work of Miller, and Jack Samuelson striking them out in quick succession, and a quick groundout by Corbyn Powell would seal the 3-2 win for Fargo North.

The next game for Valley City will be Friday May 5th at 5:00 PM, when the Hi-Liners take only the Shanley Deacons at Charlie Brown Memorial Baseball Field.