Mystics' fast start eliminates Comets from FC Baseball tournament

May 1, 2026

DICKINSON, N.D. - Sixth-seed Bismarck State (N.D.) scored seven runs in the first inning and never gave back control Friday morning, defeating fifth-seed Mayville State (N.D.) 14-6 in a neutral-site game at Dakota Community Bank & Trust Ballpark during the 2026 Frontier Conference Baseball Postseason Tournament's elimination game.

The early outburst set the tone. the Mystics (21-26 overall record) finished with 14 runs on 17 hits and took advantage of Mayville State's five errors, building a lead that stretched across several innings. The biggest blow in that opening frame came from Cole Shirley, who drove a four-run homer to right field as part of the seven-run first. Shirley finished 3 for 4 with four RBIs and a walk, while Kaeden Wilcox went 4 for 6 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Mayville State chipped away but never got close enough to seriously threaten. The Comets got on the board in the third, then Kevin Conway delivered a solo home run in the fifth to make it 7-2.

BSC answered again in the sixth, when Pacey Phillips reached after being hit by a pitch and later scored following an error, and Karsen Haney added an RBI single to push the margin to 9-3.

Phillips kept the pressure on in the seventh with an RBI single to right, and Bryson Mohs added a two-run homer to left in the eighth. The home run was scored as unearned, but it still widened the gap to 12-3. Bismarck State added two more runs in the ninth on RBI singles from Tate Herrmann and Haney, capping a steady offensive day that included 11 RBIs, four walks and just three strikeouts.

Mayville State produced 12 hits of its own and showed some late life. Conway homered again in the ninth, giving him two solo shots and a 3-for-5 day with two RBIs. Later in the inning, Marshall Judisch lined a two-run double as part of a three-run rally, but Bismarck State had already built too much separation. The Comets left 14 runners on base, a number that underscored how often it created chances without fully cashing in.

Pacey Phillips finished 3 for 5 with two runs and an RBI for Bismarck State, and the team kept adding on after the first inning with two runs in the sixth, one in the seventh, two in the eighth and two more in the ninth.

The Mystics continue their postseason action Saturday morning at 11 a.m. (MT) against the winner of Dakota State (S.D.)-Dickinson State (N.D.) game.

MSU finished their 2025-26 season at 23-24 overall record.