MANDAN, N.D. – The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team moved back into the win column on Sunday sweeping a road doubleheader over the University of Mary at the Mandan Municipal Ballpark.
 
SMSU, which improves to 17-10 overall, 9-8 NSIC, won the opener 5-3 and pulled away late to earn a 14-3, 10-run rule victory in seven innings in game two. The Mustangs finished the two games with 25 combined hits, while solid pitching limited the Marauders to 13 hits.
 
SMSU, which has won nine of its last 12 games, will go for its third NSIC series sweep of the season on Monday with a single nine-inning game starting at 11 a.m.
 
The Mustangs jumped out to an early lead in game one as Jaxon Haase belted a one-out solo home run over the left field fence in the top of the first. SMSU moved the lead to 2-0 in the second behind singles from Max Kalenberg, Peyton Nash and a two-out clutch RBI single by Robbie Smith.
 
The lead moved to 5-0 in the third with Haase delivering a run-scoring and later scoring on a fielder's choice by Nash. Isaac Nett scored the final run of the frame coming across on a wild pitch.
 
UMary's Noah Hull belted a three-run homer off SMSU starter Ryan Chmielewski in the third to cut the deficit to 5-3.
 
Chmielewski would maintain the lead for the Mustangs as he pitched into the seventh inning before the Marauders (14-20 overall, 7-12 NSIC) mounted a comeback attempt. Chmielewski was relieved following a lead-off walk to start the final inning. Kobe Lovell came on and recorded one out, before Brady Brosz entered the game, and following a wild pitch, retired the only batter he faced for the second out. Theo Giedd was the third relief pitcher and after walking the first hitter he faced to bring the tying run to the plate, Giedd was able to work out of the jam and secure his first career save with a strikeout.
 
Chmielewski (2-1) pitched six-plus innings and allowed three runs on five hits with six strikeouts, three walks and one hit by pitch.
 
Haase led the offense in the opener going 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Smith finished with two hits and one RBI.
 
In game two, the Mustangs once again got out to an early lead scoring three first inning runs and eventually building a five-run lead. Chase McDaniel started the first inning rally with a bunt single and was followed with singles by Haase and Owen Latendresse to load the bases. Nett came through with a two-run double before Keenan Wenzel reached on an error by the UMary shortstop with two outs to plate another run and make the score 3-0.
 
In the second, Brady Petron walked to begin the inning and would later reach third on a bunt single by McDaniel. Haase pushed across the first run with a sac bunt before Latendresse delivered a two-out run-scoring single to extend the margin to 5-0.
 
UMary put together a three-run rally off of five hits in the fourth to cut the deficit to 5-3 before SMSU put the game away with a pair of big innings.
 
Petron once again started the rally with a single, moved to second on a bunt single by Smith before scoring on an RBI single by McDaniel. Two runs would score on a wild pitch before Nett hammered a two-run homer to cap the big inning and make the score 10-3.
 
SMSU would put the game away in the seventh plating four runs on four hits to win via run-rule. Latendresse drove in the first two runs with a single, before Max Kalenberg hit an RBI single and Wenzel delivered a two-run single to push the margin to 14-3.
 
The support was plenty for SMSU starter Ansen Dulas (3-1), who tossed a complete game eight-hitter with one strikeout and no walks.
 
The Mustang offense cracked out 16 hits in the nightcap with McDaniel scoring four runs, while collecting four hits and one RBI. Wenzel and Latendresse both added three hits with Nett collecting two hits and four RBIs.