DICKINSON, N.D. — The Mayville State baseball team headed west to take on the Dickinson State Blue Hawks on Wednesday for a non-conference double header. The Comets got the split, winning game one but falling in game two.
"Anytime you can get a win, it's always a good day. I'm proud of the guys for finding a way to win in game one because winning is hard, but we should be sitting at 4-0, not 2-2," said head coach Billy Tomblin. "Both loses this fall came from the same thing, a lack of consistency, leadership and accountability. For this team to be special, those three things are required, if we only accomplish one or even two of those, we will remain a mediocre team - that just doesn't sit well with me."
Game 1: W 8-7
The Comets struck first in the opening inning when Robert Gurney drove in Tyler Kleinjan with a single, but Dickinson State answered right back with a solo home run in the bottom half. The Blue Hawks added two more runs in the second, one coming on a Comet error, to take a 3–1 advantage.
Mayville chipped away in the fourth with a solo shot off the bat of Cameron Goff, but Dickinson stole home to make it 4–2.
The turning point came in the sixth inning. Goff opened the frame with a double, setting the table for Hugh Montgomery, who blasted a three-run homer to put the Comets on top. Moments later, Jalen Denton added a two-run shot, capping a six-run rally that flipped the scoreboard in Mayville's favor, 8–4.
Dickinson State refused to go quietly, mounting a comeback in the seventh after they singled in one run followed by a two-run single to trim the deficit to just one. With the tying run aboard, Mayville's bullpen clamped down and kept the Blue Hawks off the board the rest of the way.
Goff led the offensive charge with a standout performance, going 3-for-4 with a double, triple, home run, and two RBIs. Denton and Montgomery each drove in three, with their homers proving crucial in the decisive sixth inning.
On the mound, Garret Lundmark earned the win with four innings of work, allowing just one earned run and striking out five. Kyler Droog closed the door in the ninth to collect the save.
Game 2: L 9-12
The Comets saw an early lead slip away as Dickinson State stormed back with a six-run sixth inning to hand the Comets a 12–9 loss in the second game of their doubleheader.
The Comets came out swinging, scoring four runs in the top of the first. Robert Gurney singled in Kevin Conway, Jalen Denton added an RBI single, and Juan Villarreal drove in another before a daring double steal allowed Denton to swipe home. That quick burst put Mayville in command, 4–0.
Dickinson answered immediately in the bottom half with a two-run homer and by the end of the second inning, the Blue Hawks had surged ahead 6–4 due to a string of run-scoring hits.
Mayville continued to apply pressure as Villarreal's sacrifice fly and a pair of Dickinson errors pushed the Comets back on top, and Marshall Judisch delivered a two-run double in the fifth to stretch the margin to 9–6.
Dickinson opened the bottom of the 6th with a solo shot and after an RBI single, the Blue Hawks blasted a grand slam that cleared the bases and flipped the score to 12–9.
Judisch's two-run double highlighted the Comets' offense, while Gurney and Denton each chipped in with RBI knocks. On the mound, starter Aleks Koppel was charged with six runs in two innings, and Jack Wold took the loss in relief.
"We need more consistency from all aspects of the game, we need better leadership from the coaching staff and players and we need more accountability player to player, coach to coach, coach to player and player to coach," added Tomblin. "The mistakes you see when we play right now fall under one of those three categories. The positive is those are all choices we make, we can make the choice to be more consistent, we can make the choice to be a better leader and we can make the choice to hold ourselves and others accountable."
The split left Mayville State at 2–2 on the season. The Comets will head to Valley City State on October 1st for a single game at Charlie Brown Memorial Field for their final road game of the fall season. For full schedule details visit: https://msucomets.com/sports/baseball/schedule
"We have a week off now before we play again, so we have some choices we, as a team, need to make," added Tomblin. "I still believe this team could be very, very sepcial and as long as the players and coaches are willing to roll up their sleeves, put the feelings aside and start preparing like a championship team - great things are coming."
