> Game 1 Box
> Game 2 Box
MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State picked up two key victories on Wednesday sweeping past Bemidji State 8-5 and 12-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference baseball at Alumni Field.
SMSU, which entered the day tied for ninth in the league standings, improves to 21-25 overall, 14-16 NSIC, and keep its hopes alive for qualifying for the eight-team NSIC tournament next week in Sioux Falls, S.D.
SMSU used a pair of strong starting pitching performances in earning the sweep.
Cameron Knudsen tossed a career-high 5 2/3 innings with a career-high seven strikeouts in the opener, while
Alex Jorgensen earned his first career win with a career-best 6 1/3 innings in game two.
In game one, SMSU struck first with a three-run first inning using three hits. Following a one-out walk to
Jason Minett,
Austin Stubbs hit a ball to center field that skipped past the outfielder to the fence allowing Minett to score.
Patrick Rients then followed with a double to left-center field to make the score 2-0. Following a strikeout,
Brandan Alfson hit a clutch two-out single to score Rients pushing the margin to 3-0.
SMSU added to the lead in the second inning as
Brian Redemske belted a two-out, opposite field home run over the right field fence to make the score 4-0.
The score moved to 5-0 in the fourth as Redemske smacked a double into the left-center field gap to score
Tanner Neale all the way from first base.
BSU (10-33, 7-21 NSIC) got on the board in the top of the sixth scoring three runs on three hits to end Knudsen's day with two outs and a runner on second.
Derek Schlangen came on in relief with a runner at second and closed the inning with a ground out and keep the score at 5-3.
SMSU regained its five-run lead in the bottom of the sixth with three big insurance runs.
Tanner Neale hit an RBI single, before Stubbs would later smack a two-run double to give SMSU an 8-3 advantage.
BSU scored two runs in the seventh and had the tying run at the plate, but
Mitch Wurm closed the game with a strikeout to earn his first save of the season.
Redemske finished 2 for 4 with a double, a home run and two RBIs, while Stubbs was 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Rients and Neale also collected two hits each to pace SMSU's 11-hit attack.
Knudsen (3-0) finished the game allowing three runs on six hits, while walking one.
SMSU opened the scoring in the bottom of the second in game two. With a runner at second and two outs a throwing error by the BSU third baseman following an infield single by Neale scored
Jarred Carlson.
Cole VanderBeek followed with a run-scoring single to score Neale and make the score 2-0.
The Mustangs scored two more runs in the third on a sac fly by Jared Carlson and a two-out fielding error by the BSU second baseman.
SMSU pushed across another run in the fourth as Minett drilled a two-out RBI single to score VanderBeek extending the lead to 5-0.
Stubbs pushed the lead to 6-0 in the fifth drilling a solo home run to right-center for his team leading 13th long ball of the season.
The lead moved to 8-0 in the sixth on a RBI doubles by Neale and Redemske.
BSU scored single runs in the seventh and eighth innings before SMSU closed the game with a four-run eighth inning to end the game via run-rule. The Mustangs scored two runs on hit by pitches, another on a wild pitch, before Aflson smacked a single to left field to make the score 12-2
Jorgensen (1-6) pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on seven this with a career-high five strikeouts and two walks.
SMSU finished game two with 11 hits. Neale cracked out three hits and scored three runs, while Stubbs had two hits and scored three times.
Southwest Minnesota State concludes the regular season this Friday and Saturday with another big four-game series at Alumni Field versus Wayne State College. Friday's doubleheader begins at 1:30 p.m.
