TUCSON, Ariz. – Southwest Minnesota State recorded a season-high 16 hits, including eight extra-base hits, but it wasn't enough as Minot State took advantage of an SMSU error to hold on for a 13-11 victory on Tuesday in Tucson, Ariz.

SMSU (3-8-1) has lost all five games during its trip to Tucson and is winless in its last seven games.  Minot State improves to 6-2 overall.

Brian Ness led the SMSU offense finishing 3 for 5, including belting a home run and double with three RBIs and two runs scored.  Ryan Engels collected a career-high three hits and scored three runs, while Kyle Young, Jarred Carlson and Steven Kremer all finished with two hits apiece. 

SMSU started the game's scoring in the top of the first on a RBI double by Young to score Engels.

The Beavers, which swept SMSU on Sunday, scored two runs in the first, before SMSU answered to take the lead in the second inning on a run-scoring single by Ben Korger and an RBI double by Engels making the score 3-2 in favor of SMSU.

MISU quickly regained the lead with a four-run second inning to make the score 6-3, but SMSU answered in the third with a homer by Ness and a two-out RBI double by Kremer cut the deficit to 6-5.

MISU extended the lead to 8-5 in the fourth, but SMSU trimmed the lead again in the fifth following a lead-off double by Ness and an RBI single by Young.

Following another run by the Beavers in the fifth to make the score 9-6, SMSU pulled to within 9-8 in the top of the sixth with a two-out, two-run single by Ness.

The game remained 9-8 in favor of MISU into the bottom of the seventh, but a two-out dropped fly ball by SMSU proved costly, as the Beavers followed the error with four hits to score four runs and push the lead to 13-8.

SMSU wouldn't go away and pushed across three runs in the eighth, using a two-run triple by Carlson and a RBI single by Jon Ellis to make the score 13-11, but that was as close as the Mustang would come.

Mustang starter Colton Smit (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing six runs on seven hits in 1.2 innings.  Brandan Alfson - the third of four SMSU pitchers - tossed 3.1 innings, allowing one earned run.

Southwest Minnesota State continues play tomorrow with a nine-inning non-conference game versus Bemidji State starting at 4 p.m. CDT.