GRAND FORKS — Tuesday night’s American Legion doubleheader at Kraft Field between Grand Forks and Mandan opened with an 11-inning, three-hour game. The Royals failed to capitalize with runners in scoring position in a 6-5 defeat, including two bases-loaded situations in extra innings.
Zander Waind quickly made sure the Royals wouldn’t have the same problem in game two.
Waind hit a two-run double in the first inning and another in the fourth as Grand Forks secured a 7-3 win over the Chiefs to split the doubleheader.
“It felt amazing,” Waind said of his double in the first inning. “The boys were very, very angry (after game one).”
Waind also pitched all seven innings in game two, earning seven strikeouts while issuing two walks and allowing nine hits and three earned runs.
Korrie Wenzel / Grand Forks Herald
Alex Seaver had a strong showing in game one as well, finishing with 12 strikeouts and three walks. He allowed three hits and one earned run through six innings.
“(Waind) has thrown really well,” Royals head coach Nick Chine said. “He’s had a couple of snake-bit games where we have not supported him defensively, but he typically is going to keep us in the game. We had a few runs, a little bit of run support — no different than Seaver, too. We just make some plays and bang a hit or two, those guys typically are going to give us a chance to win.”
Matt Dosch, batting after Waind in the order, accounted for two RBIs. His first was an RBI single in the first inning to make it 3-0.
Grand Forks added a run on an error in the second to make it 4-0, and after Waind’s second RBI double in the fourth, Dosch hit another RBI single for a commanding 7-1 advantage.
“It’s an amazing feeling seeing your teammates succeed,” Waind said. “The band of brothers succeeded.”
In addition to Dosch and Waind, Ryne Richau contributed three hits and a team-high two runs.
Grand Forks notched 13 hits in game one, but often failed to capitalize with runners in scoring position.
Korrie Wenzel / Grand Forks Herald
Richau hit an RBI single in the third inning to give the Royals a 1-0 lead, and Waind reached first on an error but managed to send a runner home in the fourth to make it 2-0.
Mandan scored one run in the fifth inning and two in the sixth for a slight 3-2 edge, but Rilan Korynta hit a clutch RBI single to tie things up in the seventh.
Grand Forks loaded the bases with the game tied 3-3 in the eighth but failed to take advantage. The Royals had runners on first and second in the ninth, but again, they failed to find the game-winning run.
The Chiefs jumped back ahead with two runs in the 10th for a 5-3 advantage. Grand Forks managed to knot it up at 5-5, but failed to take advantage of a bases-loaded situation with one out.
Mandan’s Aiden Bogner hit an RBI single in the 11th that proved to be the game-winner. The game ended when Dosch was picked off at first base with runners on first and third.
“We had several games this year where we have had multiple opportunities in scoring position with no outs, one outs, even two outs,” Chine said. “And we just have not been able to push them across. Today in the first game, it was exactly that. Credit to them, they hung around, made the plays that they needed to and finished us off. We had our opportunities, but they took advantage of theirs and we didn’t.”
Alex Faber is a sports reporter for the Grand Forks Herald. A Michigan transplant, he graduated from Michigan State University in 2024 with a degree in journalism and minors in history and environmental studies.
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