Senators Charge to Victory Against Chiefs

On July 7 at 6 p.m., the Mandan Chiefs played the Helena Senators at the BNC National Bank and Trust Field in Mandan. The Senators rushed through five innings to claim the win with a score of 18-1. The Chiefs played hard and stood their ground, but the Senators’ strong offense, aided by a steady defense, left the Chiefs looking to win their next games.

The Senators started the game at the top of the 1st with one run home before striking out. The Chiefs answered back in the bottom of the 1st. Hudson Sheldon led off with a hit to right field, landing him on second base. After two outs from fly outs to the outfield, Troy Gerhardt earned an RBI, getting Sheldon to home plate. After, Marcus Bird Horse struck out swinging, leaving the score tied 1-1.

The 2nd inning brought the Senators momentum and dampened the Chiefs’ defense. Senators James DeMers started by leading off with a grounded out hit. After a walk, Kai Richey hit to center field and landed on first, driving DeMers to third. A pop fly left one away, though the Senators had more up their sleeve. With an overthrow, Richey stole second and DeMers stole home. An RBI single from Brayden Beatty brought Richey home. After a number of scores for the Senators, a grounder to the Chiefs shortstop and throw to first base earned the Senators their third out.

While the 2nd inning brought the Senators momentum, it had the reverse effect for the Chiefs. With three quick outs, the game moved into the third inning with a score of 4-1 for the Senators.

The top of the third inning had the Chiefs recovering after the prior inning. The Chiefs did not allow the Senators to surge past them this time, with the Senators earning one run after an RBI from Walker DesRosier. No runs were scored at the bottom of the third inning for the Chiefs.

The Senators’ offense exploded in the 4th inning. This is where the Chiefs’ defense fell, and it could be felt throughout the field. A leadoff home run from the Senators’ Carter Perlinski set the tone for the rest of the inning. Through numerous RBI hits, the Senators earned 11 runs in this inning. A pitching change to Logan Seefeldt allowed the Chiefs to take back the inning and wrap things up. No runs were scored in the bottom of the 4th inning, although the Chiefs managed to have loaded bases near the end.

The top of the 5th inning drew near the end of the game, with a score of 17-1. The Chiefs continued to battle it out, with the defense standing their ground despite the inning before. An RBI from James DeMers earned the Senators’ one run, bringing the score to 18-1. In an attempt of redemption, the Chiefs battled it out in the bottom inning, though three quick outs ended the game with mercy rules. 

The Senators claimed victory with a score of 18-1. They earned 13 hits, and made 1 error. The Chiefs ended the game with 1 run, 4 hits, and 1 error. 

Despite this loss, the team continues to push forward as the season progresses. Chiefs Coach Jake Kincaid reflected on the game and his goals for the rest of the season.

“Yeah, so we chart freebies, so that's walks, hit by pitches, wild pitches, and, you know, we lost the freebie war like 25 to 12. So you take that plus the 13 hits they had, it's, you know, the formula is right there for us, so we gotta clean up the free stuff.”

He mentioned the biggest challenge being pitching, as many of his pitchers are dealing with arm troubles.

“Some of our kids are going through some arm trouble and they're not able to pitch. These are the kids that we were counting on to throw a lot of innings this summer,” Kincaid said. “So I think that's been the biggest challenge is navigating that. When we are pitching, throwing strikes has been a big challenge for us, and I think that we showed that today where we just didn't throw enough strikes.”

This season for the Chiefs introduced several new players for the team. The team has lost eight of their players from last season, which creates a more underdog feel for the team.

“We do have quite a few young kids, younger kids. We lost eight kids from last year's team. So it is a little bit of a learning process for them at the AA level. Experience-wise, we've taken a bit of a step back this year.”

Despite the challenges the Chiefs face, Kincaid sees an opportunity for the team to grow. He explained how he has already seen progress with the team.

“We've made some really good swing changes. Some kids that have had to struggle with certain pitches or types of pitches made some good changes mechanically, so I've been happy with that,” Kincaid said. “Also, I think our attitudes have gotten a little better with putting in quality work as opposed to being okay with how things are going.”

Despite the loss against the Senators, the Chiefs have won a few games since then. A win against the West Fargo Patriots on July 8 and three consecutive wins from July 11-12 may give the Chiefs the momentum to finish their season strong.

“It's real easy to just wave the white flag,” Kincaid said. “But if we show up tomorrow and are ready to get back to work, and keep moving forward, we'll be okay.”