Royals Rally Late, Outlast Jamestown in Nine-Inning Battle

JAMESTOWN — The Valley City Post 60 Royals opened the 2026 Legion baseball season with a little bit of everything Wednesday night: early trouble, a steady comeback, late-game pressure, and one final answer when the game was on the line.

In a nine-inning battle against the Jamestown Post 14 Eagles, the Royals came away with a 13-10 win, using a three-run ninth inning and a gutsy finish on the mound to seal the victory.

Jamestown controlled the early part of the game, building a 5-1 lead after three innings. Valley City’s first run came in the second when Leighton Hendrickson delivered an RBI single to score James Schwehr, tying the game briefly at 1-1. The Eagles answered with runs in the second and third, taking advantage of traffic on the bases and pushing the Royals into an early hole.

But Valley City kept chipping away.

The Royals scored once in the fourth, then added another in the fifth when Jack Samuelson doubled to bring home Trevor Fetsch, cutting the deficit to 5-3. Jamestown added one more in the bottom of the fifth, but Valley City’s offense began to find rhythm in the sixth.

With two runners in scoring position, Bryson Heck came through with a two-run single to center, scoring Hendrickson and Luke Praska to pull the Royals within one at 6-5.

Then came the seventh inning, where Valley City finally broke through.

Schwehr scored on a Jamestown miscue to tie the game at 6-6. Later in the inning, Heck delivered again, driving in Hendrickson to give the Royals their first lead of the night. Corbyn Powell followed with a two-run single, scoring Praska and Heck, and suddenly Valley City had turned a four-run deficit into a 9-6 advantage.

Jamestown refused to go away. The Eagles scored once in the seventh, then rallied for three runs in the eighth to tie the game at 10-10.

That set up the biggest inning of the night.

In the top of the ninth, Heck led off with a walk, Fetsch moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, and Powell walked. Samuelson then singled to load the bases before Schwehr delivered the swing of the game — a two-run double to center field that scored Heck and Powell, putting Valley City back in front 12-10.

Parker Roelfsema added another key run with an RBI single, scoring Samuelson and giving the Royals a 13-10 cushion heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Jamestown made one final push, loading the bases with one out. But Heck slammed the door, striking out the final two batters to finish off the win for Valley City.

It was not a perfect opener, but it was a strong one. The Royals showed some early-summer toughness, answered multiple Jamestown rallies, and found a way to win a game that could have easily slipped away.

Valley City now turns its attention to a big weekend at home as the Royals host the 2026 Bridge City Classic Tournament at Charlie Brown Field. The tournament runs Friday through Sunday, with the championship game scheduled for Sunday, June 7.

The Royals are scheduled to open tournament play Friday night at 7:30 p.m. against Oakes Post 36.

Stat Pack

Final Score: Valley City Post 60 Royals 13, Jamestown Post 14 Eagles 10
Game Length: 9 innings
Valley City Runs by Inning: 0-1-0-1-1-2-4-1-3 — 13
Jamestown Runs by Inning: 1-1-3-0-1-0-1-3-0 — 10

Key Valley City Performers:
James Schwehr: 3 hits, double, 2 RBI, multiple runs scored
Bryson Heck: 2 hits, 3 RBI, scored twice, closed the game on the mound
Parker Roelfsema: 2 hits, RBI
Jack Samuelson: 2 hits, double, RBI
Corbyn Powell: 2-run single in the seventh
Leighton Hendrickson: RBI single, multiple runs scored