Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
BISMARCK, N.D. – Southwest Minnesota State held on for an 8-7 victory over the University of Mary in game two of a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader on Saturday and in the process gave Mustang head coach
Paul Blanchard his 347th career victory tying Jim Denevan for the most victories in school history.
UMary scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to earn a 6-5 victory in the opener.
SMSU, ranked fifth in the NCAA Central Region, not only picked up an important region victory in game two, but the win also secured a spot in next week's NSIC Tournament in St. Cloud, Minn.
SMSU is 25-10 overall, 15-9 NSIC, while Mary is now 10-30 overall, 7-13 NSIC. The two teams conclude the series tomorrow starting at 12 p.m.
In game two, SMSU jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and held an 8-3 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh and saw the Marauders put the tying run on base but SMSU's Tyler Paulsen ended the game with a strikeout.
SMSU scored three first innings runs as
Matt Bauer drove in the first run with an RBI double to score
Derick Swenson and was followed by an RBI single by
Derek West to score
Andrew Kinney.
Doug Stearns hit a sac fly for the inning's final run to give SMSU and starting pitcher
Jared Pick a 3-0 lead.
Pick allowed just one base runner in the first two innings and the SMSU offense finally broke through in the third inning scoring four runs to take a 7-0 lead. West drove in the first two runs smacking a two-run single, before Bauer scored on a wild pitch.
Scott Rambow closed the inning with an RBI single to push the lead to 7-0.
UMary closed the gap to 8-3 scoring two runs in the third and a single run in the sixth, before SMSU answered with a solo home run by Kinney to extend the lead to 8-3, before Mary put together one final rally.
Pick allowed a walk, a single and a hit batter to load the bases in the UMary seventh inning. After a ground out score the inning's first run, Mustang reliever
Nate Dickhausen entered the game and gave up an RBI ground out and a run-scoring double to make the score 8-6. Paulson came on to close the game out and gave up an RBI single but ended the game to earn his fourth save on a called third strike.
Pick pitched the first 6.1 innings to earn the victory allowing seven base hits, six runs and one walk while recording eight strikeouts.
The Mustang offense finished with eight hits, led by Kinney's 3 for 3 effort and three runs scored. Bauer and West also each collected two hits in the victory.
In game one, a five-run fourth inning was the difference as UMary pulled out the 6-5 victory.
SMSU scored the game's first run as
Greg Laughlin hit a one-out double and scored on an RBI single by West.
The Mary offense was held to just one base runner of off SMSU starter
Adam Schrader through the game's first three innings, but scored five runs on three hits and two SMSU errors to take a 5-1 lead.
SMSU climbed back into the game and eventually tied the score putting together two-run rallies in both the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, West smacked a run-scoring double and Bauer hit an RBI ground out to trim the lead to 5-3. In the sixth inning,
Andy Williamson doubled with one out and
Matt Seehusen followed with a walk. Swenson doubled to right field to score Williamson and make the score 5-4. Laughlin then tied the game at 5-5 with a sac fly, but that was as close as SMSU would come as Kinney popped to third base to end the threat.
With the score tied in the seventh, West lead off the inning with a double, but Bauer and
Jake Munsch both struck out looking and
Josh Nolan grounded out to end the inning and keep the game tied.
In the home half of the inning, Mary scored an unearned run with a two-out walk-off single to take the 6-5 victory.
Paulson suffered the loss allowing the unearned run in the seventh while pitching the last 1.1 innings. Scharder struck out seven UMary batters and allowed five hits and five runs.
SMSU finished with 11 hits with West going 3-for-4 with two RBI and Swenson, Laughlin and Williamson all adding two hits.
