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TUCSON, Ariz. – Mitch Wurm tossed a career-high eight shutout innings, allowing just four hits and trying a career-high with eight strikeouts to lead Southwest Minnesota State to a 7-3 victory over Bemidji State at the Tucson Invitational on Saturday morning.

SMSU concluded its 12-game opening-season Arizona trip with a 5-7 record, including winning four of its last five.

Patrick Rients led an 11-hit SMSU offense going 3 for 5 with two doubles and four RBIs, while Brandan Alfson and Josh Cook both collected two hits.

SMSU opened the game's scoring in the bottom of the first as Rients hit a one-out double and later came around to score on a sac fly from Shane Sellner.

The Mustangs added to the lead in the second as Josh Cook led off with a single and scored three batters later on a double to left-center field by Brian Redemske. Rients knocked in the third run for SMSU with a ground out to score Sutton Masat and make the score 3-0.

SMSU pushed across another run in the fifth as Austin Stubbs smashed a one-out triple and one batter later scored on a throwing error by the BSU catcher following a strikeout. SMSU would later in the inning load the bases with one out, but a fly out and pop out ended the threat.

Rients came through in both the sixth and seventh inning to put the game away. In the sixth, he delivered an RBI single and then smacked a two-run double in the seventh to extend the lead to 7-0.

BSU (3-12) scored three unearned runs in the ninth off of SMSU reliever Travis McGlauflin.

Southwest Minnesota State is scheduled to return to action on March 28-29 with a four-game series versus Minot State in Marshall to open Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. There is the possibility non-conference games could be added next weekend due to the good weather in the Upper Midwest. An official announcement will be made on Monday.