COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA. – The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team closed out its four-game opening season series with St. Cloud State suffering pair of losses at Doc Ross Field on the campus of Iowa Western Community College.
SCSU, which defeated SMSU twice on Sunday, earned 3-1 and 14-2 victories on Monday to complete the four-game sweep.
In the opener, SCSU (5-5, 4-0 NSIC) struck for three runs on a walk and three hits in the top of the first inning off SMSU starter
Ryan Chmielewski.
SMSU put together a rally in the second loading the bases behind a single by
Jaxon Haase, a walk to
Max Kalenberg and a bunt single by
Jake Tauer. After two shallow fly outs, SCSU starting pitcher Peyton VanBeck, was called for a balk to plate SMSU's lone run. The inning ended moments later with two runners in scoring position on a ground out.
Chmielewski was solid after the first inning, finishing the game tossing 6 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
Owen Latendresse recorded the final two outs with a pair of strikeouts.
Haase had two of SMSU's four hits with Tauer and
Brady Petron each finishing with two hits.
VanBeck tossed a four-hit complete for the Huskies with two strikeouts and two walks.
In game two, SCSU pushed across a run in the first and four more in the third to end the day for SMSU starting pitcher
Ansen Dulas after 2 1/3 innings.
SMSU cut the deficit to 5-2 in the fifth as
Caleb Gardow followed a two-out single by
Keenan Wenzel with a two-run home run for first round-tripper of the season.
SCSU answered back in a big way in the top of the sixth scoring five runs and then put the game away with four more runs in the seventh to win the game via 10-run rule.
The Mustangs were limited to five hits with Gardow leading the way with two, while
Chase McDaniel, Haase and Wenzel each had one hit. Kalenberg was hitless in game two and failed to reach base ending his 32-game streak of reaching base dating back to the final 29 games last season.
Dulas suffered the loss allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts.
Kobe Lovell followed and fired 2 1/3 innings giving up two runs on one hit with two strikeouts.
SMSU (0-4, 0-4 NSIC) will look for its first win next weekend with a four-game NSIC series versus Minnesota Duluth. The four games are scheduled to be played in Topeka, Kan., but could be adjusted due to weather conditions.
