TUCSON, Ariz. – The Southwest Minnesota State baseball team racked up 15 hits, including belting three home runs, in earning a 14-4 eight-inning victory over Park University-Gilbert (Ariz.) on Monday afternoon at the Kino Sports Complex.
 
Henry Hammrich drilled a pair of home runs, including a grand slam, while Jared Cortez finished with three hits, including a three-run home run—his first collegiate long ball—to pace the Mustang offense. Evan Behn also had a strong day for SMSU (5-3) with three hits and an RBI.
 
The run support was plenty for Mustang starting pitcher Shay Endres (1-0), who fired six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Jerod Cyrus recorded two strikeouts in one shutout inning, while Cole Frisbie retired all three batters he faced in his first collegiate appearance.
 
SMSU used a big two-out rally in the first to plate four runs and take an early lead. Chuck Hackett and Tyler Froland laced singles before Behn gave the Mustangs a 1-0 lead with an RBI single. Cortez followed with a 3-run home run to push the lead to 4-0.
 
Endres allowed just one base runner to reach in the first 3 1/3 innings, but the Bucs (9-14) finally broke through in the fourth with four runs on four hits to tie the game at 4-4.
 
The game did not stay tied for long as SMSU regained the lead in the home half of the fourth. Caleb Gardow worked a walk to start the inning and moved to third on a ground-rule double by Nathan Wheeler. Following a sac fly by Levi Lampert to score one run, Hammrich drilled a two-run shot over the left field wall making the score 7-4.
 
The Mustangs added to the lead in the fifth plating six runs on three hits. With one out, Cortez sprinted for a double and scored on a run-scoring single by Owen Latendresse. Another run came across on a bases loaded hit by pitch to Lampert, before Hammrich launched a grand slam over the left field fence to extend the lead to 13-4.
 
SMSU ended the game in the bottom of the eighth with Cortez collecting a base hit before scoring on a two-out RBI single by Brock Woitalla.
 
Nathan Wheeler also had a multi-hit game for the Mustangs with two hits while scoring a pair of runs.
 
SMSU returns to the diamond on Tuesday for a non-conference game versus Winona State starting at 2:30 p.m. CDT. Due to possible rain later in the day, the game time was moved up one hour.