Royals Gain Momentum in Road Sweep

The Royals baseball team traveled to Bottineau for a two-game series against the Dakota College at Bottineau Jacks and came away with an impressive sweep.

In game one, the Royals' bats came alive early, scoring four runs in the top of the second inning. Dane Hagler, Trason Beck, and Beau Brodina each drew walks, while Gabe McKinney, Logan Dearborn, and Dayton Christensen added singles to fuel the rally. The Royals pushed another run across in the third when Carson Beaudin reached after being hit by a pitch.

The offense exploded in the fourth inning, as the Royals plated nine runs on six walks, four singles, and two doubles from Beaudin and Jax Yakiwchuk, building a commanding 14–0 lead. The Jacks responded with four runs in the bottom half of the inning and added three more in the fifth to make it 14–7.

The Royals added insurance in the sixth with a two-RBI triple from Yakiwchuk, extending the lead to 16–7. In the bottom of the seventh, the Jacks mounted a late rally, scoring four runs and loading the bases with no outs after five consecutive walks to cut the deficit to 16–11. The Royals turned to Kade Maryniuk, who struck out two batters to help secure the 16–13 victory.

Lucas Lyons led the offense, going 4-for-6 with two runs scored, while Yakiwchuk finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run.

Game two proved just as exciting. The Royals jumped out to a 3–0 lead in the first inning behind three singles and added another run in the third on a McKinney double and an RBI single from Yakiwchuk. The Jacks answered with two runs in the bottom of the third to make it 4–2.

The Royals extended their lead to 6–2 in the fourth with consecutive singles from Christensen, Brodina, and McKinney. The score held until the sixth inning, when the Jacks surged ahead with six runs to take an 8–6 lead.

Needing a late comeback, the Royals delivered in the top of the seventh. After a single and three straight walks, McKinney drove in two runs with a clutch single to give the Royals the lead. In the bottom of the inning, Vinny Fiorentino closed the door with a strikeout, groundout, and flyout to secure the 9–8 win and complete the sweep.

McKinney had a strong performance in game two, going 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs, and two runs scored.

The Royals return to action Saturday as they host the Jacks in the final conference series of the season.