Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

MARSHALL, Minn. – On a windy day in Marshall, pitching dominated as Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota, Crookston split a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader on Saturday with SMSU winning 3-0 in game one, before UMC earned a 5-2 victory in game two.

With the wind blowing straight in from centerfield, pitching and defense was going to be the story of the day and it proved to be true on Saturday.  SMSU entered the doubleheader batting .417 as a team while averaging 13.6 hits and 10.8 runs per game.  On Saturday, SMSU scored a total of five runs and were held to just nine hits.

The win in game two snapped UMC's 15-game losing streak and also snapped UMC's 18-game losing streak to SMSU.  UMC's previous win over SMSU came in 2004.

In game one, SMSU redshirt freshman left-hander Chris Koep, making his first career NSIC start, tossed a four-hit shutout with four strikeouts and two walks as he tossed 94 pitches with 61 for strikes.  It was SMSU's third shutout as a team in the last five games.

UMC loaded the bases with one out in the top of the first inning but Koep coaxed a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.

Neither team could muster up much offense for the first four innings as Koep and UMC starter Paul Krebs kept both team's bats quite until SMSU finally broke through in the fifth inning.

Doug Stearns lead off the fifth inning with walk and was lifted for pinch runner Josh Wendland.  Wendland was quickly retired at second base on a failed sac bunt by Josh Nolan.  Jake Munsch then singled to left field to move Nolan to second base before Derick Swenson smashed a RBI double to left center field to score Nolan and give SMSU a 1-0 lead and put runners on second and third base.  SMSU couldn't add to the lead as Greg Laughlin grounded out and Matt Bauer flied out to end the inning to keep the score 1-0.

Koep pitched a perfect inning in the sixth to keep SMSU in the lead and the offense added some insurance in the bottom half of the inning as Derek West walked to lead off the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch.  After strikeout and a walk, West took off for third on a wild pitch and the catcher's throw attempting to throw out West sailed into left field to score West and give SMSU a 2-0 lead.  Munsch then capped the inning with an RBI single to score Andy Williamson and push the lead to 3-0.

Koep then retired the UMC side in order in the seventh to seal the victory.  Koep retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced in the game with the only batter reaching base on a bunt single. 

SMSU had just four hits in the opener with Munsch pacing the offense with two singles.  Paul Krebs led UMC with three hits.

In game two, UMC used a big second inning taking advantage of an infield single, three walks and one big hit.  Mustang starter Derek Bjoraker allowed a lead off infield single before walking three straight batters giving UMC a 1-0 lead.  SMSU reliever Mark Bendzick came on in relief and gave up a two-run double to Devin Croal to push the UMC lead to 3-0.  Facing second and third base with no outs in the inning, Bendzick then recorded a strikeout and two ground outs to end the threat and keep the score 3-0.

The run support was plenty though for Golden Eagle starter Lincoln Messner, who held the SMSU offense to just three hits in the first four innings. 

Trailing 4-0 in the fifth inning, SMSU mounted a rally taking advantage of two UMC errors.  With one out, Stearns walked and was followed by a hit by pitch to Nolan.  Munsch then hit into a fielder's choice for the second out, but the throw from the UMC second baseman was wild at first allowing Stearns to score SMSU's first run.  Swenson then reached on another UMC error to put runners on second and third with two outs, but Laughlin grounded out to end the inning and keep the score at 4-1.

SMSU cut into the lead in the sixth inning as Kinney lead off with a single off of UMC reliever Steve Schroer and advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Bauer then hit a ball up the middle that looked like it may reach centerfield, but the second baseman dove for the ball and it caromed off his glove to the shortstop Kayle Lewellen, who fired to first in time to retire Bauer.  West then hit an infield single to first base that scored Kinney and make the score 4-2 in favor of UMC.  SMSU put runners on the first and second with two outs later in the inning, but a ground out to shortstop ended the threat.

UMC added an insurance run in the top of the seventh and the Mustang offense was able to muster just one base runner in the bottom of the seventh as UMC snapped it's losing streak.

Bjoraker suffered the loss for SMSU, pitching one-plus inning allowing two hits, three walks and three runs.  Bendzick tossed a solid six innings giving up just one earned run and six hits while recording five strikeouts.

West led SMSU with two of the team's five hits.

SMSU, 15-4 overall, 5-3 NSIC, will continue conference play on Wednesday, April 15, with a doubleheader at Bemidji State.