The Badlands Big Sticks took on the Casper Horseheads for the third straight time Wednesday night. The Big Sticks took an early lead but were unable hold on and lost the game by a score of 10-7.

Both teams were scoreless in the first inning, but the Horseheads scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. A sacrifice fly to centerfield would allow the Horseheads to take a 1-0 lead.

The Big Sticks responded in the third inning with four runs of their own. Gabe Knowles started off the inning with a single to center field. Garrett Dupuis followed up with a single of his own to put two runners on. Anthony Tulimero would hit a third straight single to drive in the first run of the inning. With runners on second and third Ryan Walstad singled to right field to drive in both runs and add two more runs to the total. The Big Sticks were able to load up the bases with two outs in the inning and Mason Schwellenbach drew a walk to bring in Sanders and give the Big Sticks a 4-1 lead.

Two innings later in the fifth inning the Big Sticks got the bats going again. Nathan Sanders led off the inning with a single and was able to steal second to put himself in scoring position. A passed ball would later advance Sanders from second to third. Bryson Ford was able to drive in Sanders with a double to right field. A passed ball allowed Ford to move up from second to third. With two outs and Ford on third base, Gabe Knowles drove a ball over the head of the centerfielder for a triple to score a run. Dupuis followed it up with another two out hit to drive in Knowles and give the Big Sticks three runs in the inning and a 7-1 lead.

In the next inning the Horseheads were able to cut into the lead by scoring five runs. Casper was able to put together a few hits and had some help from a defensive miscue by the Big Sticks. They were able to bring the game within one run with a score of 7-6 in favor of the Big Sticks.

In the bottom of the seventh inning the Horseheads added four more runs to their total. The scoring started with a triple down the right field line to score the first two runs of the inning. Casper was able to score two more runs on a fielder’s choice and another error by the Big Sticks to give them a 10-7 lead with only two innings to play. The Big Sticks were unable to score any runs in the final two innings and dropped game three of the series by a score of 10-7.

The Big Sticks will take on the Casper Horseheads for the final time Thursday night before returning home on Friday. First pitch is set for 6:35 (MDT).