Kolpin's complete game lifts Jamestown Eagles past Bismarck 5-1
Kolpin’s four-hit complete game gave Jamestown a 5-1 opener over Bismarck, but the Governors answered 9-2 to leave the Eagles with a split.
Jaxon Kolpin gave Jamestown exactly the kind of start it needed Monday, throwing a four-hit complete game as the Eagles beat Bismarck 5-1 in the opener of an American Legion doubleheader at Bismarck Municipal Stadium. The Governors answered with a 9-2 win in the second game, leaving Jamestown with a split and a clear snapshot of both its upside and the work still ahead.
Kolpin handled the full seven innings in the opener, allowing one run on four hits while striking out one and walking two over 92 pitches. His outing kept Bismarck from ever building momentum, and Jamestown backed him early by jumping in front 3-0 in the first inning.
Bennett Goehner started the first-inning surge with an RBI double, and Kale Verke followed with an RBI single as the Eagles grabbed control before the game settled in. That early cushion let Kolpin attack the zone and keep the Governors from putting together the kind of big inning that can flip a Legion doubleheader opener.
Bismarck turned the tables in game two, winning 9-2 to earn the split. For Jamestown, the road trip ended with a 5-2 overall record and a 2-1 mark in North Dakota Class AA Legion Conference play, a start that showed enough pitching to compete but not enough consistency to leave Bismarck with two wins.
The result also fit an early-season pattern for the Eagles. Jamestown had already split a doubleheader at Dickinson on June 12, winning the first game 12-8 before dropping the second 12-2. That mix of strong openers and uneven follow-through has become part of the first stretch of the schedule, and it sharpened the contrast Monday between what Jamestown can do when its pitching is sharp and what still has to be tightened before the season gets deeper.
The matchup also carried a coaching backdrop. Bismarck is led by Mike Skytland, listed in his 23rd year, while Jamestown is under first-year head coach Chad Weber. Kolpin’s complete game gave the Eagles a road win they can build on, but the split showed the standard they still have to meet if they want to turn strong starts into fuller nights against one of the league’s established programs.
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