Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Northern State baseball team hit seven home runs in its doubleheader sweep over Minnesota Duluth Friday in Redfield. The Wolves scored 14 of their 22 runs on the day via the long ball. NSU took game one 8-4 and "run-ruled" the Bulldogs in game two 14-4.

In game one, Northern (23-14, 16-10 NSIC) scored seven of its eight runs off of homers while all four of UMD's (14-21, 10-15 NSIC) came from bombs. Clayton Nutting and Matt Stubbs hit back-to-back homers to open the game in the first for Northern to take an early 2-0 lead. After the Bulldogs responded in the second with one of their own, Robbie Rocamora hit a solo shot in the fourth inning. UMD got that run back in the bottom of the fourth to make it 3-2 NSU.

Rocamora busted the game open for the Wolves in the fifth however, as he hit a grand slam to left center field that brought home Nutting, Nate Russell and Buddy Traxler and gave Northern a 7-2 edge. Duluth would get one of those runs back in the fifth but that was as close as it could get the rest of the way. Nutting drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to round-out the scoring as Tyler Gripentrog came home to score.

Cody Vandever picked up the win in the first game for NSU as he improved his record to 4-3 on the year. Vandever allowed four runs on eight hits over five innings of work while striking out six UMD batters. James Georgakas, who would start game two for the Wolves, pitched two innings of one-hit, scoreless relief.

Game two saw another three homers for the Wolves and an offensive explosion as they collected 15 hits in the victory. A Nutting two-run bomb in the first innings again got NSU on the board first before the Wolves exploded for six more runs in the third inning to open an 8-0 lead. A Traxler three-run homer was the highlight of that inning for the Wolves.

UMD cut the lead to 8-3 heading into the sixth inning before the Wolves got four more runs in the top of the inning. Nutting and Stubbs opened the inning with back-to-back doubles before Maurice Rodriguez hit a two-run home run to cap the inning. Eric O' Bryan and Rocamora each added an RBI in the seventh inning to lengthen the Wolves' commanding lead.

Georgakas pitched three innings in the start and allowed three runs on six hits. Phil Sauer picked up the win for NSU in game two as he pitched four innings, allowing one run off four hits and struck-out four.

The Wolves and Bulldogs will cap their four-game series Saturday in Aberdeen at Fossum Field. Game one will begin at approximately 4 p.m. PC and Dakota State play a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. prior to the NSU games beginning.