Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

BEMIDJI, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State won a pair of one-run games to sweep a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader from Bemidji State on Wednesday at the BSU baseball field.
 
SMSU won the opener 8-7 in 11 innings and then held on for a 9-8 victory in game two.
 
SMSU improves to 8-31 overall, 6-18 NSIC, while BSU concludes it season with an overall record of 14-36 and 11-23 in NSIC play.
 
In the opener, Jayden Fleck hit a two-out, two-run single in the top of the 11th to snap a 6-6 tie and lift SMSU to the victory. In game two, Derek Branson drove in a career-high five runs and cracked three hits to pace the Mustang offense.
 
In game one, with one out in the 11th, Branson was hit by a pitch and was followed by a single from Shane Sellner and a walk from Kyle Graves to load the bases. After a foul pop out for the second out, Fleck came through with a single up the middle to put the Mustangs in front and earn the victory.
 
Fleck finished the game 3 for 4 with a career-high four RBIs, while Cole VanderBeek was 3 for 5 with a run scored. SMSU finished the game with 12 hits.
 
Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, SMSU pushed across four runs to take its first lead of the game. A walk to Shane Sellner, a single by Kyle Graves and a BSU fielding error loaded the bases with no outs. Jayden Fleck gave SMSU the lead with a two-run single, before Josh Cook later laid down a one-out sac bunt to score Tanner Picht. Kody Larson capped the scoring with an RBI single to score Cole VanderBeek.
 
BSU scored a run in the fourth to make the score 4-2, but SMSU answered with a run of its own in the fifth. Derek Branson started the rally with a double and later scored on a sac fly by Graves.
 
The Beavers scored two in the fifth and one in the sixth to tie the game at 5-5 and send the game into extra innings.
 
Picht gave SMSU a 6-5 lead in the 10th, belting his team-leading ninth home run of the season. But the lead didn't last for long, as BSU's Scott Litchy drilled a solo home run to tie the game at 6-6. The Beavers later loaded the bases with one out, but a ground out and fly out ended the threat to keep the game tied.
 
With SMSU holding the two-run lead in the 11th, BSU nearly tied the game in the home half of the inning. With two outs, three straight singles scored a run and put runners on the corners for the Beavers. Ryan Rumpca then hit a ball that appeared to be heading to right field for the game-tying RBI single, but the ball hit the runner at first base to end the game.
 
Cole Petersen made the start on the mound for SMSU and tossed 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits. He struck out two and walked two batters.
 
Travis McGlauflin (1-2)—the third of three relief pitchers for SMSU—picked up the victory, tossing four innings, allowing two run on seven hits.
 
In game two, Sellner started the scoring for the Mustangs with an RBI single to score Picht in the top of the first.
 
BSU scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, but SMSU answered right back with a three-run second inning. A single, hit by pitch and a two-out fielding error loaded the bases, before Branson ripped a bases-clearing triple to right-center field to give SMSU a 4-2 advantage.
 
Branson made the score 5-2 in the fourth with a run-scoring single to score Larson, who reached via a one-out double.
 
BSU regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs on just two hits, taking advantage of an SMSU error, to build a 7-5 lead.
 
The lead didn't last for long as the Mustangs went back out on top in the sixth. Jared Tschetter singled to start the frame and moved to second on a walk to Tanner Luebke. Branson and Picht followed with back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game at 7-7. With the bases loaded and two outs, Fleck worked a 10-pitch at bat, including fouling off four 3-2 pitches, before hitting a ball that was misplayed by the BSU second baseman to allow a pair runs to score and give SMSU a 9-7 lead.
 
BSU scored a run in the seventh and had the tying run at second with just one out, but SMSU relief pitcher Shawn Williams, who worked the final 2 2/3 innings, coaxed a fly out and strikeout to close out the victory.
 
Williams (1-2) picked up his first career victory, allowing a run and one hit, with four strikeouts and two walks.
 
Justin Clark started for the Mustangs and lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs (four earned) on seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
 
Branson finished the nightcap 3 for 5 with a career-high five RBIs and a run scored, with Picht adding two hits and two runs scored.
 
SMSU closed game two with 11 hits and now had recorded double figure hits in a season-high five straight games.
 
Southwest Minnesota State will close out the season with a four-game home-and-home series versus Augustana University on Friday and Saturday. Friday's doubleheader in Sioux Falls, S.D., begins at 3 p.m., while Saturday's doubleheader in Marshall starts at 1:30 p.m.
 
SMSU will look to play spoiler this weekend as Augustana begins the weekend fighting for the NSIC regular season championship and is ranked No. 5 in this week's NCAA Central Region rankings.