Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

CROOKSTON, Minn. – Northern State used a 4-2 win over the host Minnesota, Crookston Golden Eagles to snap a six-game skid on Saturday afternoon.  UMC rallied for an 8-6 win in the nightcap to give both teams a Day 1 split to kick off the 4-game weekend Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference series.
 
The split moves NSU to 6-13 on the season and 1-5 in league play while the Golden Eagles are now 7-11 overall and 2-4 in the loop.
 
The Wolves started off the day with a 7-hit performance in the opener, led by a 2-for-2 performance from Jesse Gonzalez.  The remaining five hits came from five different batters in the order.
 
NSU got all the runs it needed in a 3-run third inning.  Gonzalez singled home Jack Thompson, then stole second base to set up a 2-run single from Brent Lawrence that put the Wolves up 3-2 over the Golden Eagles.  The Wolves added an insurance run in the fourth after capitalizing on a lead-off double from Robbie Rocamora.
 
That would be all NSU starter Nathan Nietfeld would need to pick up the win, his second of the season.  The junior lowered his ERA to 3.55 on the season with the complete-game outing, racking up eight strike-outs to increase his team lead to 27 on the year.  Nietfeld scattered five Golden Eagle hits over his seven innings in the win.
 
NSU nearly pulled off the sweep, using a 3-run seventh to pull into a 6-6 tie with the Golden Eagles.  The Wolves put together three hits and took advantage of one Golden Eagle error and a wild pitch to push the tying run across the plate.
 
UMC, however, responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning, plating two unearned runs following a Northern State fielding error.  The Golden Eagles' Joe Miller came on for the eighth and ninth innings in relief to shut down the NSU line-up and preserve the win.  Miller allowed just one base runner in his two complete innings, that coming on a UMC fielding miscue.
 
Gonzalez again came-up big for the Wolves, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored.  Rocamora went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored, while Lawrence drove in a pair with his 1-for-4 effort.
 
The two teams will be back at it on Sunday to close out the series.  First pitch is slated for noon.