BOX SCORE

TUCSON, Ariz. – Brandan Alfson led a season-high 16-hit Southwest Minnesota State attack with three hits and four RBIs to lead the Mustangs to a 14-9 victory over Northern State in non-conference play on Sunday at the Tucson Invitational.

Jimmy Callahan (1-0) picked up the victory for SMSU (4-4) tossing the first 5 1/3 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Ryan Ecalbarger tossed two solid innings of relief, allowing one unearned run with five strikeouts.

Sam Haas also had a big day at the plate for the Mustangs going 3 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. Ben Korger, Patrick Rients, Jordon Kontz and Austin Stubbs all collected two hits for SMSU.

SMSU jumped on the board early as Korger drilled a double to start the game off the wall in left-center and came around to score on a ground out by Kontz. Stubbs singled with two outs and scored moments later when Alfson's fly ball to center was misplayed due the wind and sun for a double and a 2-0 SMSU lead.

NSU (1-2) countered with a run in the bottom of the first, but SMSU gained the two-run lead back in the top of the second as Tanner Neale drilled a solo homer – the first of his career – over the left field wall to make the score 3-1.

SMSU extended the lead with a big third inning pushing across four runs on four hits. Kontz and Rients started the frame with singles and a hit by pitch to Stubbs loaded the bases. Alfson then ripped a two-run double to make the score 5-1. Haas made it 6-1 with an RBI single, before Elliott Serbus laid down perfect sac bunt to score another run and extend the lead to 7-1.

The Mustangs made the score 8-1 in the sixth on a lead-off triple by Korger, who scored one batter later on a run-scoring double by Rients.

The Wolves wouldn't go away and scored six runs in the sixth, taking advantage of four walks, two SMSU errors and two hits to trim the lead to 8-7.

SMSU had a big answer in the top of the seventh with Haas stroking a one-out triple and then scoring on a single by Serbus to make the score 9-7. SMSU later loaded the bases and Rients pushed across another run with an RBI fielder's choice to give SMSU a 10-7 lead.

NSU pushed across an unearned run in the home half of the seventh, but SMSU added to the lead in the eighth using a hit by pitch and three walks, including one to Jon Ellis with the bases loaded, to make it 11-8.

SMSU added insurance runs in the ninth with an RBI single by Alfson, a bases loaded hit by pitch by Engels and a sac fly by Derek Branson.

SMSU and NSU will meet again tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. CDT.