Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

FAYETTE, Iowa – Keenan Wenzel drilled a two-out walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to give SMSU a dramatic 3-2 victory in game one and help the Mustangs to a big doubleheader sweep over Upper Iowa on Sunday afternoon at Robertson Woods Field. SMSU cracked out 16 hits in cruising to a 15-2 victory in game two and earn the series victory.
 
The series was scheduled to be played in Marshall but was moved due to poor weather. SMSU will go for the series sweep on Monday with a game time starting at 12 p.m.
 
After starting NSIC play 0-5, SMSU has won six of seven and is now 6-6 in league play and 14-8 overall. UIU, which earned a doubleheader split with St. Cloud State earlier in the week, drops to 10-12 overall, 6-5 NSIC.
 
In the opener, Wenzel connected on a 0-1 pitch from UIU's Sam Marhefke to give the Mustangs their first walk-off win of the season and their first via a home run since last season when Isaac Nett hit a ninth inning long ball versus Minnesota Crookston.
 
Both teams were limited to four hits in the opener but did combine to walk 15 times.
 
UIU scored two runs in the top of the first inning off SMSU starting pitcher Ryan Chmielewski, taking advantage of three walks and collecting two hits.
 
SMSU scored a single run in the second without the benefit of a hit as Caleb Gardow lofted a sac fly that scored Max Kalenberg, who started the inning with a walk.
 
SMSU would leave two runners on in the second and one each in the third and fourth innings, before tying the game in the fifth. Chase McDaniel worked a walk to open the inning before scoring from third base on a one-out double by Nett.
 
UIU had chances to regain the lead in both the sixth and seventh innings but left two runners on base in both frames. In the sixth, the Peacocks had two runners in scoring position with one out, but SMSU reliever Kobe Lovell coaxed a ground out and pop out to end the inning. In the seventh, UIU put two runners on base with no outs, but SMSU pitcher Brady Brosz threw out the lead runner at third on a sac bunt attempt. Following a foul pop out for the second out, UIU appeared to take the lead with a hit down the left field line, but SMSU's Robbie Smith made a diving catch to keep the game tied at 2-2.
 
The Peacocks finished the game stranding 11 runners on base.
 
Haase, Wenzel, Nett and Owen Latendresse collected hits for the Mustangs in game one.
 
Brosz (1-0) earned the win in relief as he tossed two scoreless innings with one strikeout and two walks. Chmielewski pitched the first five innings and allowed two runs on three hits, while walking six and striking out seven.
 
In game two, it was all Mustangs as Haase jump-started the offense with a one-out sole home run in the first inning. SMSU would then put together a trio of four-run innings in the game to complete the twinbill sweep.
 
In the second inning, Smith started the scoring with a run-scoring single before Haase delivered a two-run single. Nett would close the inning with another RBI single to make the score 5-0.
 
McDaniel started the fourth inning with a bunt single and would score two batters later on an RBI base hit by Nett. Kalenberg pushed across a run with sac fly before Peyton Nash ripped a run-scoring single to extend the lead to 8-0. Wenzel would make the score 9-0 later in the frame with another sac fly.
 
The Mustangs put the game away with another big frame in the fifth with Jackson Bates hitting a one-out pinch hit double and scoring on a Kalenberg RBI single. Nett would score moments later on a balk before Nash and Matt Seykora delivered RBI singles to push the lead to 13-0.
 
The final two runs for the Mustangs came in the sixth as McDaniel belted a two-run homer over the center field fence.
 
The run support was plenty for SMSU starter Ansen Dulas (2-1) who fired five shutout innings allowing just two hits while striking out six and hitting one batter. Theo Giedd tossed one inning in relief and allowed two runs, while Mitchell Bouwman allowed two walks with a strikeout while recording the final three outs.
 
Nash tied a career-high with three hits and finished with two RBIs, while Haase also had three hits, drove in three runs and scored twice. McDaniel, Nett and Smith all closed the game with two hits apiece.