Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ABERDEEN, S.D. - Northern State senior pitcher Nathan Nietfeld continued his run of solid starts and got the run support to back up a complete-game outing on senior day, as the Wolves rode seven strong innings from Nietfeld to a 5-4 victory over Minnesota-Duluth in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader.  The Bulldogs rallied for an 11-9 win in the nightcap to leave both teams with a split on the day.

Nietfeld and the Wolves controled the game early on before getting clutch at bats from senior Brent Lawrence in the late innings of Game 1. After UMD scored a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning, Lawrence came through with a one-out, 2-RBI single in the bottom half of the inning to put NSU back up by a two-run margin.  He came through again in the bottom of the sixth, plating Clayton Nutting from third with a sacrifice fly for what would prove to be the winning run.

The Bulldogs put together a two-out rally in the top of the seventh, stringing together three straight hits and two runs before Nietfeld worked his way out of the jam with a ground ball to preserve the victory.

Cameron Lehner and Trevor Sporrer had multi-hit performances in the game for the Wolves.  Lehner went 3-for4 with a run scored, while Sporrer knocked out two hits, scored a run and drove in another.  Casey Bohms ended his Game 1 effort with a 1-for-1 line, but drove in NSU's first run of the game, scored another after drawing a walk, and laid down a sacrifice bunt just ahead of Lawrence's sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Game 2 proved to be a high-scoring affair, thanks in part to cool, blustery weather conditions that gave way to light drizzle in the late going.  Both teams also committed five errors apiece, resulting in a combined 10 unearned runs.

Northern State led briefly following a three-run third inning that gave the Wolves a 3-2 lead, but the Bulldogs responded with two in the fourth and four in the fifth to regain the lead.  

NSU cut it to an 8-7 Bulldog lead in the bottom of the fifth on three straight singles from Nutting, Bohms and Lawrence, but another three-run inning from UMD in the sixth gave the Bulldogs some cushion.  The Wolves added two more in the seventh, but left the bases full and managed just one hit and one baserunner the rest of the way.

Lawrence continued his hot streak, going 3-for-6 from the plate in the finale.  Robbie Rocamora had two hits and three RBIs, while Bohms had two hits, scored twice and was hit by a pitch twice.

Northern State ends its season at 15-27 overall and 8-20 in NSIC play.  UMD moves to 14-24 on the season and 14-10 in the loop and awaits the NSIC tournament selection announcement.