Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

DULUTH, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State baseball team had its five-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday afternoon dropping a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games at the hands of Minnesota Duluth, 10-7 and 8-6, at Wade Stadium. 
 
SMSU, which entered the day having won six of its previous seven games, falls to 14-26 overall, 7-21 NSIC. UMD, which is battling for a spot in the eight-team NSIC Tournament, improves to 20-22 overall, 14-15 NSIC.
 
In the opener, SMSU's Robbie Smith led off the game with a double to right center and with two outs, Isaac Nett sent a two-run shot over the right-center wall for his team-leading sixth home run on the season to put the Mustangs ahead 2-0.
 
With SMSU leading 2-1 in the bottom of the third, UMD countered with a big two-out rally to build a six-run advantage. Three singles opened the inning, loading the bases with nobody out. After a double play brought in the tying run, the Bulldogs would erupt as six more runs crossed the plate on two hits, four walks, a hit by pitch, and two wild pitches to catapult UMD to an 8-2 lead. 
 
The Mustang offense answered the adversity to make it a one-run ballgame in the top of the fourth. Nett started the rally with a hit by pitch and was followed by a walk to Max Kalenberg and a dropped fly ball by the left fielder to load the bases. Andy Andresen singled to left to score the inning's first run, while Kip Gronholz hit a sac fly to push across the second run. Following a strikeout, Smith ripped a three-run homer over the left field wall to make the score 8-7.
 
The Bulldogs added two insurance runs in the fifth on three hits and a walk extending the lead to 10-7.
 
UMD outhit SMSU 13-7, with Smith and Nett leading the charge offensively for the Mustangs with two hits each.
 
Sam Nascak (1-1), making his second career start in place of injured Owen Latendresse, suffered the loss, allowing eight runs on nine hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. Brady Petron walked a pair and had two wild pitches before retiring the final out of the third inning. Brady Brosz came on to finish the game and gave up a pair of earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out four in a career-high three innings.
 
In game two, UMD broke a scoreless game in the fourth scoring three runs on a two-run home run and an RBI single to take a 3-0 advantage.   
 
SMSU answered back in the fourth with a McDaniel sacrifice fly and a Kalenberg RBI single to cut the deficit to 3-2, but the Bulldogs tacked on three more runs on a two-run single and a passed ball in the home half of the fourth to grow their lead to 6-2. 
 
The Mustangs wouldn't go down quietly, as another McDaniel sacrifice fly and a Jaxon Haase RBI single closed the gap to 6-4 in the sixth, but once again UMD had an answer and built its lead back to four at 8-4 with a two-run sixth.
 
SMSU mounted a rally in the eighth, as a pair of one-out singles by Gronholz and Smith, followed by a walk to McDaniel loaded the bases. Haase reached on a fielder's choice, bringing in Gronholz and narrowing the gap to 8-5. Following a Nett infield single to load the bases, Kalenberg coaxed a bases loaded walk to make the score 8-6, but that was as close as the Mustangs would come as a fly ball ended the inning.
 
UMD closer Alex Watterman came on and earned his seventh save of the season retiring SMSU in order in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts. 
 
Theo Giedd (0-4) started on the mound for SMSU and surrendered six runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks in four innings. Craig Lasley allowed two earned runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings, while Kobe Lovell tossed a solid 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball with a pair of strikeouts.
 
SMSU outhit UMD 15-12 in the nightcap with Haase picking up a career-high four hits, while Smith collected three hits. Nett and Gronholz each recorded two-hit games, with Gronholz scoring three runs and driving in two.
 
The Mustangs conclude the regular season this weekend, traveling to Aberdeen, S.D., for a series with Northern State beginning with a doubleheader on Friday at 1:30 p.m.