Photo GalleryAberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University baseball team split with Concordia-St. Paul in mid-week NSIC action. The Wolves took game one 1-0 and fell in game two 4-5 in ten innings of play. Northern moves to 16-16 overall and 10-10 in league play.
Game One NSU ace
Colton Boucher threw a complete game shut-out for his fifth win of the season. Boucher gave up six hits, while striking out five in the win. The Golden Bears threatened in first and third with runners in scoring position, however Boucher worked his way out of the jam to throw a pair of double plays.
Jack Schmidt powered the Wolves offense with a homerun down the left field line in the fifth for the lone run of the game.
Tyler Gripentrog and
Lucas Lorenz tallied the teams two other hits in the game.
Game Two The Golden Bears answered back early in game two with a pair of runs in the first and second, off NSU starter
Cody Johns. Johns threw three innings for the Wolves giving up two earned runs and four hits.
Northern tied the game at two a piece in the bottom of the fourth, led off by
Tyler Gripentrog. The centerfielder tripled to left center, and came around to score off a
Lucas Lorenz single through the left side. Lorenz was plated by
Alex Cornwell on a single down the right field line, and the Wolves were back in the game.
Just two innings later, NSU captured the lead with Gripentrog and Lorenz leading off the inning yet again. The pair tallied back-to-back singles to right field, and combined for stolen bases off the CU defense. With runners in scoring position,
Mark Abrahamson singled to right scoring Gripentrog from third.
Riley Shintaffer and
Lucas Lorenz teamed up to execute a textbook suicide squeeze, and the Wolves were up 4-2.
Concordia tied it up in the top of the eighth, off NSU relief pitcher
Shawn Powers, forcing the two teams to extra innings. The Golden Bears pushed across an earned run in the tenth, to take the lead and put the game in the hands of the Wolves.
Gripentrog led off the tenth for the Wolves, connecting for a single to right. Concordia attempted to pick Gripentrog off first, throwing the ball into foul territory, as he advanced to third. The Wolves however were unable to put the ball in play and fell to the Golden Bears.
Next up for Northern is a road series with Minot State University this Saturday and Sunday. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. Sunday in Minot.
