Box Score

FT. MYERS, FLA.: Ashland University (Ohio) smacked out 17 hits and took advantage of three Southwest Minnesota State errors to earn a 13-7 victory on Monday in Ft. Myers, Fla.

The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for SMSU and drops its overall record to 5-4. 

Ashland jumped to a 4-0 first inning lead and built a 7-1 lead after three and a half innings before Southwest Minnesota State rallied to make a game of it. 

In the bottom of the fourth inning junior Josh Nolan belted a two-run homer over the right centerfield wall to cut the Eagles lead to 7-3.  Ashland scored a single run in the fifth before SMSU rallied back with two runs in the bottom half of the fifth on a two-run triple by Nolan scoring Jake Munsch and Lex Reinke.

Both teams scored single runs in the sixth inning to make the score 9-6 heading into the seventh before Ashland put the game away with four runs in the final three innings.

Nolan led SMSU with three hits and four RBI while Andrew Kinney, Derick Swenson and Munsch all added two hits.  Kinney also finished with two RBI.

Kinney started on the mound for SMSU and suffered the loss tossing four innings allowing six earned runs on nine hits. 

SMSU will have tomorrow off before returning to action on Wednesday, Mar. 12 with a rematch against Ashland.  The two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. CDT.