BISMARCK, N.D. – Kolby Kiser tossed a nine-inning six-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts, while Keenan Wenzel and Isaac Nett both belted home runs, to pace the Southwest Minnesota State baseball team to a 6-0 victory over Minnesota Crookston in the opening round of the eight-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament at the Bismarck Municipal Ballpark on Wednesday.
 
SMSU, the tournament's No. 6 seed, improves to 27-22 overall and will now play No. 2 seed Minnesota State on Thursday in Mandan, N.D., starting at 3:30 p.m. UMC, the No. 3 seed, had its nine-game winning streak snapped and drops to 34-15 overall.
 
Kiser (7-3), named All-NSIC first team on Tuesday, tossed one of the most dominating games of his career as he closed the victory throwing 131 pitches with 97 for strikes and allowed just one runner to reach third base. He walked one and hit one during the game, while avenging an 8-0 loss three weeks ago to UMC on April 13. Kiser surpassed the 200-career strikeout mark during the game, becoming just the fourth Mustang pitcher to reach the milestone.
 
Net finished the game 3 for 4 with two RBIs, while Wenzel added two hits and three RBIs. Jaxon Haase and Owen Latendresse each had two hits, while Chase McDaniel, Max Kalenberg and Jake Tauer all added one hit apiece.
 
SMSU snapped a scoreless game in the second with Kalenberg starting the inning with a single before Wenzel followed with a long two-run home run over the left field fence. Tauer dropped a bunt single before McDaniel moved Tauer into scoring position with a two-out infield single. Nett would come through in a big way drilling a double off the top of the right-center field fence to score Tauer, but McDaniel was thrown out at the plate to keep the score 3-0.
 
SMSU added to the lead in the third with Latendresse opening the frame with a single and scoring on an RBI double by Haase. A wild pitch moved Haase to third before Wenzel pushed the margin to 5-0 with a sac fly.
 
Nett came through once more in the fourth as he drilled a 3-2 pitch over the right field fence for his team leading 12^th home run of the season and extend the margin to 6-0.
 
SMSU was hitless the final four innings of the game, but the early run support was plenty for Kiser as the only runner to reach third base for the Golden Eagles came in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out triple by Jake Hjelle.
 
UMC starting pitcher Jake Osowski (9-1) suffered his first loss of the season as he allowed six runs on 12 hits with two strikeouts and one walk. He entered the game with a career record of 25-2 in four seasons.
 
SMSU and MSU played three times last weekend with the Mavericks winning two of three at Legion Field.