Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
FAYETTE, Iowa – Southwest Minnesota State earned a split of a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader on Saturday scoring five runs in the top of the ninth inning to earn a 7-3 victory over Upper Iowa in game two on Saturday in Fayette, Iowa. Upper Iowa picked up a 3-1 victory in the opener.
The two teams will conclude the four-game series on Sunday starting at 12 p.m. in Fayette. SMSU is 18-5 overall, 8-4 NSIC with the split while UIU is now 16-19 overall, 10-8 NSIC.
In the nightcap, SMSU starting pitcher Jared Pick carried a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning before the Peacocks rallied with a single run to tie the game and send to extra innings.
Pick retired five straight UIU hitters heading into the seventh inning but walked the lead off batter on four straight pitches. Mustang reliever Tyler Paulson then entered the game and struck out the first batter he faced for the inning's first out. But UIU was able to tie the game just one batter later on a T.J. Johnson double to center field, but Johnson was thrown out at third base trying to stretch the hit into a triple for the second out. UIU wasn't done though and put together back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second before Paulson ended the inning on a ground ball to shortstop.
The Peacocks took advantage of an SMSU error in the bottom of the eighth putting runners on second and third with two outs, but again Paulson was able to get out of the jam with another ground out.
The Mustang offense, which was held to just three runs in the first 15 innings of the day, finally broke through with the game-winning rally in the ninth.
With one out in the ninth, Josh Nolan singled through the left side and moved to second on a walk by Andy Williamson. Both runners moved up one base on a wild pitch, before Matt Seehusen came through with a clutch RBI single to score Nolan and give SMSU a 3-2 lead. Derick Swenson then followed with a bunt single to score Williamson and advance Seehusen to third after no UIU player covered third base. Greg Laughlin then laid down a perfect sac bunt to score Seehusen and push the SMSU lead to 5-2. Andrew Kinney then capped the inning one batter later with a two-run home run over the right-center field wall making the score 7-2 and the Mustangs never looked back.
It was SMSU's first extra inning game of the season.
SMSU took an early 2-0 lead scoring single runs in the first two innings. Kinney delivered a run-scoring single to score Swenson in the first, before Laughlin connected with an RBI single with two outs in the second to score Matt Bauer.
Pick started for SMSU and allowed a solo home run in the second for UIU's only run in the game's first six innings. Pick tossed 77 pitches and finished allowing three hits, two runs, while walking two and striking out one. Paulson earned the win with three innings, his longest in an SMSU uniform, allowing three hits, one unearned run while striking out two and walking one.
Kinney finished with two hits and three RBI, while Williamson and Seehusen each added two hits and one run scored.
In the opener, UIU starter Brian Solemsaas held the Mustang offense in check for 6.2 innings, allowing just one single. Trailing 3-0 in the seventh with two out, SMSU put together a rally putting the tying run in scoring position. Bauer led the rally with a single and one batter later advanced to second on a walk by Derek West. Bauer then came around to score on a double by Scott Rambow and putting runners on second and third base. Solemsaas ended the threat striking out Doug Stearns and earning his third straight victory.
Mustang starter Brad Haag started the game strong, allowing just one run in the game's first three innings, retiring nine of 12 batters from the first inning until one out in the fourth. But with one out, Haag hit a batter and allowed a double putting runners on second and third base. Haag then struck out the next Peacock hitter for the second out, but a walk, a two-run single and another walk ended Haag's day as UIU built a 3-0 lead. Aaron Rocheleau entered the game with the bases loaded in the fourth but ended anymore damage with a line-out.
The three runs though were plenty for Solemsaas who finished the game throwing 95 pitches, including 63 for strikes.
Bauer, Rambow and Nolan picked up the only hits for SMSU in the opener.
