5SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - On a brisk, windy Monday afternoon, the Southwest Minnesota State baseball squad (15-16, 5-14 NSIC) were swept in a doubleheader NSIC series by the Northern State Wolves. The Mustangs dropped game one 9-5 and game two 6-5.
GAME ONE
Jameson Quinn started the game for SMSU pitching just 1 1/3 innings allowing three earned runs. While Quinn did not allow a hit in his start, he walked five batters. Lincoln Vasgaard (0-2) was credited with the loss pitching three innings while allowing three earned runs. Austin Dent, Ryan Dalager and Carson Bougher also pitched a combined two innings.
Five different Mustang batters had hits in the first game. Connor Davis led SMSU with three RBIs while Jared Cortez and Josh Berreth had one RBI each.
Berreth kicked things off with an RBI single in the second inning, which allowed Davis to score from second base.
The Wolves answered in the bottom half of the second, scoring two runs on walks with the bases loaded, and a fielder's choice.
Cortez and Davis combined for a pair of RBIs in the third inning to tie the game at 3-3.
Northern State did the most damage in the fifth inning, scoring six runs on six hits. The runs included Dalton Kesti capitalizing on a Mustangs wild pitch, and NSU's Casey Vinning adding a pinch-hit 2-run single.
Davis added a two-out 2-run single in the seventh inning to close the gap on the Wolves, however the damage was already done, and NSU sealed the win the next at-bat.
Carson Zimmel (2-4) pitched the first six innings for the Wolves allowing three earned runs on four hits with seven strikeouts. Drew Benson and Easton Rerick led NSU with two hits while Vining and Andrew Niaves had two RBIs.
GAME TWO
Cody Wichmann started for SMSU pitching 5 2/3 innings allowing five earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts. Dylan Webb (2-1) pitched the remainder of the game and was credited with a loss allowing one earned run on five hits.
Jared Cortez, Connor Davis, and Josh Berreth led the Mustangs with two hits each. All three had at least one RBI, while Davis had two. Cortez and Davis each had doubles.
The Mustangs started strong offensively, gaining a 5-0 advantage by the fourth inning. Davis had a sacrifice fly for the first run of the game in the top of the first, before Davis again delivered with a base hit up the middle, which resulted in two more runs on the board for SMSU.
Berreth would send home Davis with an RBI single in the same inning, while Cortez hit a double to right-center, which gave the Mustangs the 5-0 lead.
Matteo Tahsini scored NSU's first run of the game in the fourth inning off a Mustangs wild pitch.
Drew Benson would add another run for the Wolves in the sixth inning, before Dylan Soulek pulled a bases-clearing double down the left-field line, tying the game 5-5.
Dillon Castellanos would walk it off in the ninth for Northern State with a single through the right side.
Hyunwoo Kim started the game for NSU pitching 5 1/3 innings allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits and four strikeouts. Ethan Price (2-0) was credited with a win pitching 2 2/3 hitless innings striking out three batters. Dalton Kesti led the Wolves with five hits.
SMSU travels back to Sioux Falls on Wednesday for an NSIC doubleheader against the USF Cougars beginning at 1:30 p.m.
