MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State baseball team used a pair of walk-off victories on Saturday to sweep a doubleheader over Concordia-St. Paul at Legion Field and take three of four in the weekend series.
SMSU won the opener 3-2 in nine innings with a two-out bases loaded walk to
Jaxon Haase, while in game two
Jake Tauer smacked a bases loaded RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to give the Mustangs a 6-5 win.
The victories pushes SMSU's record to 17-11 overall, 11-8 NSIC, while CSP drops to 16-13, 8-12 NSIC.
In game one, SMSU starting pitcher
Ryan Chmielewski fired a career-high eight innings, allowing two unearned runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
Bennett Knapper (1-1) tossed a shutout top of the ninth to earn his first career Mustang victory.
Keenan Wenzel started the extra-inning game-winning rally with a one-out single
Owen Latendresse following with a one-out double to put a pair of runners in scoring position. After
Max Kalenberg was walked intentionally to load the bases,
Peyton Nash hit into a fielder's choice forcing Wenzel out at the plate. Haase stepped to the plate and after fouling off the first pitch, watched four straight balls to give SMSU the victory.
The Mustangs cracked out 10 hits in the game and left 14 runners on base.
CSP opened the scoring in the game taking advantage of an SMSU error to score a pair of unearned runs in the second inning.
SMSU cut the deficit in half with
Isaac Nett scoring on a two-out throwing error by the CSP shortstop. The Mustangs tied the game one inning later taking advantage of another Golden Bears mistake. Tauer drilled a two-out double to left-center and later scored on a wild pitch as
Chase McDaniel struck out with two outs but was able to reach first.
SMSU would leave two runners on the fourth, one in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh, before finally coming through in the ninth.
Wenzel and McDaniel had the only multi-hit games for SMSU with both closing with two.
In game two, CSP struck for two unearned runs in the first, but SMSU answered with a run in the home half of the inning. McDaniel stroked a leadoff double with Nett following up with a bunt single. Latendress would hit into a fielder's choice to plate McDaniel and cut the CSP advantage to 2-1.
CSP expanded the lead to 4-1 in the third and then loaded the bases with one out in the fourth to chase SMSU starter
Ansen Dulas.
Kobe Lovell entered the game and his one pitch was one of the biggest of the game inducing a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat and keep the game 4-1.
SMSU answered in a big way in the home half of the fourth using the long ball. With one out Kalenberg walked and moments later Wenzel drilled a two-run home run over the left field wall to make the score 4-3. After a ground out,
Caleb Gardow tied the game with a solo home sailing over the left-center field fence.
CSP quickly regained the lead in the top of the fifth as Bennett McCollow drilled a leadoff home run off SMSU relief pitcher
Shay Endres.
SMSU left two runners on base in the fifth, but were able to tie the game in the sixth on a pair of CSP miscues. With two outs, McDaniel reached base on an error by the third baseman. Nett would single to right-center field on a 1-2 pitch sending McDaniel to third base, but on the play the right fielder bobbled the ball allowing McDaniel to sprint home and tie the game at 5-5.
CSP started the top of the seventh with a walk to put the go-ahead runner on base, but Knapper entered the game and retired two of three batters as the Golden Bears put runners on the corners with two outs.
Noah Cekalla (1-0) came into pitch for the Mustangs and struck out the lone batter he faced to keep the game tied and set up the game winning rally.
Kalenberg started the seventh with a walk but was retired at second on a fielder's choice by Wenzel. Nash came through with a clutch single to right-center on a 3-2 pitch and send Wenzel to third base. Nash moved to second on a wild pitch before Gardow was intentionally walked to load the bases. Tauer then stepped to the plate and on the first pitch from reliever Andrew Boeser, drilled the game-winning to single to score Wenzel.
The Mustangs closed game two with 13 hits with McDaniel pacing the squad going 3 for 4 with two runs scored. Tauer, Haase and Nett all added two hits, while Kalenberg, Wenzel and Gardow had one each.
SMSU continues NSIC play on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Wayne State starting at 1:30 p.m.
https://xom/SMSUBaseball/status/177675326726073590
