WAHPETON - Hitting is contagious, and right now the Mandan Chiefs offense is pretty sick.

For the fourth straight game the Chiefs topped the 15-run mark, this time blasting the Bismarck Governors 18-9 in the first round of the Class A Legion baseball state tournament.

"Our approach the last couple weeks has been to score in every inning," Mandan coach Ryne Jungling said.

The Chiefs (28-26) failed to do that against the Governors. But by any other measure, Mandan's offense is in high gear. In their last four games, Mandan has scored 73 runs.

Against Bismarck, the No. 3 seed, the Chiefs rapped out 24 hits, 10 of them for extra bases. Mandan batted around twice and were up 7-0 on Bismarck starter Brady Wolf before the Govs could get on the board.

"We were ready to hit," said third baseman Steve Pletan, who had three doubles and a homer.

The Chiefs grabbed the lead with a run in the first. Jared Quast picked up the first of his four RBIs, driving in Jason Mellmer with a single.

The Chiefs broke it open in the third, sending 11 men to the plate en route to scoring six runs. Jared Muth and Mellmer led off the inning with back-to-back doubles. Then after a ground out, Quast blasted a two-bagger, making it 3-0.

The hits kept coming. After a walk to Keller, Pletan drilled his second double of the day, scoring Quast. Jacob Friesz then drew a walk and Brent Stoltz delivered a two-run single, making it 6-0. The Chiefs wrapped up the inning with a double-steal, Sam Salveson - who reached on a fielder's choice - scoring the run.

"I think (Wolf) had trouble throwing his curveball for a strike today, and we took advantage of that," Pletan said. "We got on him early, and that helped."

Mandan's leadoff hitters reached safely seven times.

"Almost every inning somebody's on base," Jungling said. "They're pitching from the stretch, and pitchers are definitely not as comfortable from the stretch. That was definitely big for us."

The Governors got on the board on Taylor Isakson's two-run double in the third, and the teams traded single runs in the fourth. Mandan tacked on another in the fifth.

But aided by a couple of errors, the Governors pulled to within 9-8 with a five-spot in the fifth. Matt Chuppe knocked in one run with a double. Erik Peterson's sac fly with the bases loaded produced two more, thanks to a throwing error. Hunter Johnson also knocked one in with a single.

"You play a nine-inning game, it's a game of swings," Pletan said.

And the swing returned to Mandan's favor in the seventh. Reid Jungling hit a two-run homer, and Pletan later followed it up with a three-run jack, making it 14-8. The Chiefs salted the game away with four more in the ninth.

Mellmer, Pletan and Stoltz each had four hits for the Chiefs, while Quast and Pletan both drove in four runs.

"You have to give Mandan credit," Bismarck coach Mike Skytland said. "We put the ball over the plate, and they hit it."

Mandan plays seventh-seeded West Fargo in a winners' bracket game at 5 p.m. Bismarck takes on No. 2 Williston in a loser-out game at 11 a.m.

"Obviously you want to be in the winners' bracket, but there a lot of different ways to win this tournament," Skytland said.

Mandan 106 110 504 - 18 24 5

Bismarck 002 150 010 - 9 13 2

Reid Jungling and Jason Mellmer; Brady Wolf, Kevin Sanford (5), Jon Herold (7) and Taylor Isakson. W - Jungling. L - Wolf. HR - M Jungling, Steve Pletan.

Highlights: M - Jared Muth 2-for-4, double, 3 R. Mellmer 4-for-6, 2 doubles, 4 R. Jungling 3-for-6, homer, 2 R, 2 RBIs. Jared Quast 3-for-7, 2 doubles, 2 R, 4 RBIs. Matt Keller 3-for-6, 2 RBIs. Pletan 4-for-6, homer, 2 doubles, 2 R, 4 RBIs. Brent Stoltz 4-for-6, 2 RBIs. B - Tyler Peterson 2-for-5, 2 R. Hunter Johnson 3-for-4, double, 2 R. Isakson 2-for-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs. Matt Chuppe double, 2 R.

Records: M 28-26; B 28-17.

West Fargo 11, Williston 4

Seventh-seeded West Fargo jumped all over fourth-seeded Williston and never led up, pulling off the upset in the opener.

Spencer Flaten finished 4-for-4 at the plate for West Fargo with a home run, double and five runs scored. Jared Rober went 4-for-6 with another long ball.

Matt Straham pitched into the seventh to pick up the win for West Fargo.

Derrick Linghor scored two runs for the Keybirds.

WF 011 013 032 - 11 16 2

Williston 000 000 202 - 4 5 2

Matt Straham, Tyler Gronbeck (7) and Jonny Schroder; Eric Olson, Jeff Skadeland (6), Shawn Egge (8) and Doug Richter. W - Straham. L - Olson. HR: WF - Spencer Flaten, Jared Rober

Highlights: WF - Flaten 4-for-4, HR, 2B, 5 R; Rober 4-for-6, HR; Eric Benson 2-4; Cole Mapes 2B; Kolby Schmidt 2B; Strahan 62/3 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 11 K. W - Egge 1-for-3; Richter 1-for-3, R; Derrick Linghor 1-for-3, 2R; Austin Grunstad 1-for-4.

Fargo 6, Minot 3

Eric Jagim of Fargo fanned 15 batters and Jacob Nystrom picked up the win over Minot.

Jagim threw 61/3 innings and scattered five hits. Nystrom entered in the seventh inning to earn the victory.

Michael Jones went deep for fifth-seeded Fargo and had two runs batted in. Kyle Kingsley went 2-for-4 with a double.

Clay Kallias picked up the loss. Ryan Bollinger went deep for No. 4-seed Minot.

Fargo 002 000 022 - 6 6 0

Minot 100 000 200 - 3 7 3

Eric Jagim, Jacob Nystrom (7) and Michael Jones. Clay Kallias, D.J. Allard (9), Alex Fornshell (9) and Ben Kramer. W - Nystrom; L - Kallias. HR - F, Jones. M,: Ryan Bollinger.

Highlights: F Jagim 61/3 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 15 K; Kyle Kingsley 2-for-4, 2B, run scored; Jones 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs; Matt Achter 1-for-5, 2B; M Kallias 8 IP, 4 R, 4 H, 6 K; Cole Krueger 2-for-5, run scored; Ryan Bollinger 1-5, HR, 3 RBIs.

Dickinson vs. Wahpeton

Top-seeded Dickinson and No. 8-seed Wahpeton game was in progress when the Tribune went to press.