Leo Pina went 4-for-4 with three runs batted in and two home runs and the RedHawks crushed 14 hits to beat the Chicago Dogs 9-4 in front of 2,204 fans on Friday night at Impact Field in Game 1 of the best-of-five North Division Championship Series at Impact Field in Rosemont, Ill. Kevin Krause and Jordan George each had a home run, and Correlle Prime picked up three hits for the RedHawks.

Bret Helton picked up the win for Fargo-Moorhead after limiting the Dogs to two runs on six hits over five innings pitched. Luke Lind, Joe Jones, and Alex DuBord pitched in relief to close out the Dogs over the final four innings.

Fargo-Moorhead takes a 1-0 lead in the NDCS with the win and can make Monday night’s Game 3 at Newman Outdoor Field an elimination game for Chicago with a win on Saturday night in Game 2. Game 2 of the NDCS is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday night at Impact Field.

Boxscore

By Chad Ekren, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks