GAME 1 BOX | GAME 2 BOX

BISMARCK, N.D. – Southwest Minnesota State swept a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader on Saturday in Bismarck, N.D., defeating the University of Mary 4-1 in game one before holding on for a 12-9 victory in game two.

The victories lift SMSU's record to 18-11 overall, 8-6 NSIC, while UMary drops to 5-27, 4-14 NSIC.  The two teams conclude the four-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.

In the opener, Ben Bartling (3-0) picked up the victory tossing six innings, allowing one run on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk.  Corby McGlauflin tossed a scoreless seventh inning to earn his third save of the season.

SMSU scored a pair of runs in the second inning to take the lead as Kyle Young started the inning with a single, before stealing second.  Following a bunt single by Jon Ellis, both runners moved into scoring position on a ground out by Chris Eichten.  Mark Hanson then gave the Mustangs the lead with a two-run single up the middle.

SMSU pushed across another run in the third on a sac fly by Adam Thygesen scoring Ben Korger, who led off the inning with a single. 

The Mustangs added their final run in the sixth as Tyler Flattum reached on a one-out single and later came around to score on an RBI single by Brian Ness.

SMSU finished game one with just six hits, but had five walks and three hit batters and finished the game stranding 11 runners on base. 

In game two, SMSU scored five first inning runs and held an 11-2 lead in the fifth inning, before UMary rallied to pull within 12-9 in the eighth.  SMSU's Dylan Shoemaker recorded the final four outs to earn the save for the Mustangs.

Ness led an 18-hit SMSU attack, tying a career-high with four hits and also scored three runs.  Jeff Watson added two hits and tied a career-high with three RBIs, while Korger, Eichten, Mead and Young also all finished with two hits apiece for the Mustangs.  It was the second time this season SMSU has finished with 18 hits in one game. 

SMSU started the scoring with a big two-out rally in the first inning scoring five runs.  With two outs and runners on first and second, Watson smacked a two-run double for the game's first runs.  Eichten then made it 3-0 with an RBI single to score.  Following a walk to Brendan Alfson put runners on first and second, Doug Mead hit a run-scoring single to make the score 4-0, before Young drove in the final run on a bunt single to make the score 5-0.

The Marauders hit a solo homer in the first, but SMSU added to the lead in the second on a RBI singles by Ness and Eichten to extend the lead to 7-1.

Watson hit another RBI single in the fourth to make the score 8-2, before SMSU added three runs in the fifth on a two-run double by Thygesen and an RBI double by Ness to push the lead to 11-2.

Mary scored single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh, to cut the margin to 11-5, before SMSU put together another two-out rally in the eighth.  Ness started the inning with a single and moved to second on a two-out single by Alfson, before Mead scored Ness with an RBI single to give SMSU a 12-5 lead.

The Marauders wouldn't go away and scored fourth more runs in the eighth to cut the SMSU lead to 12-9 with two outs.  Shoemaker then entered the game and recorded a ground out to end the inning.

Shoemaker then pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his third save of the season.

Nate Dickhausen (2-0) earned the victory pitching six innings and allowing four runs on nine hits with six strike outs and two walks.