Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University baseball team recorded a spilt with Southwest Minnesota State, in the opening doubleheader from Fossum Field. The Wolves took game one with a score of 11-7 before falling in game two, 6-9. With the conference spilt, Northern moves to 10-13 overall and 4-8 in Northern Sun Conference play.
Game One Northern was on the board first in their opening ups of the game, as
Riley Shintaffer singled to score
Tyler Gripentrog who had doubled earlier in the inning. The Mustangs answered back in the second with two runs of their own to take the 2-1 lead.
Alex Cornwell and
Lucas Lorenz combined for three long balls in the second and third innings, to capture and extend the Northern lead, 8-4. Cornwell hit a solo shot in the second to tie the game up at two all. The tie score did not last long, as SMSU answered back with two runs in the third. After Tyler Gripentrok reached on an error with one out in the third, Lorenz added the Wolves second homer of the game. Two Northern singles and one Southwest error, resulted in the Wolves second run of the inning and a first-and-second situation for Cornwell. The senior knocked is second homerun of the game, and the Wolves were up by four.
Southwest fought back, to bring the score within one in the fourth, however the Wolves added three more runs in the final innings of play to secure the victory. Lorenz scored off a
Buddy Traxler single in the fourth, while
Mark Abrahamson and
Riley Shintaffer hit back-to-back homeruns in the sixth.
Colton Boucher tallied his third win of the season, throwing seven innings for the Wolves. The right-hander allowed seven hits, and struck out seven in the win.
Marcus Manderbach threw the seventh for the Wolves, striking out one Mustang batter.
Game Two It was a back and forth battle between the Wolves in Mustangs in game two, as each team scored in four of the nine innings of play. Northern five errors however made the difference in the game, as the Wolves fell to the Mustangs 6-9.
Down 5-1 in the early innings of play, NSU began to chip away at the SMSU lead.
Alex Cornwell continued his hot day at the plate with a two-out triple to right in the fifth. Cornwell came around to score in the next at-bat, off an
Eric O'Bryan single to the shortstop.
Northern added a pair of runs in the sixth to cut the Mustang led to five.
Buddy Traxler led off the innings with a single to left, followed by a
Robert Fahlin double down the left field line. Both Traxler and Fahlin scored off an O'Bryan sacrifice fly to second and a Gripentrog double to right.
Phil Sauer entered the game for Northern in the seventh, holding the Mustangs to one run, while striking out six. With the game in grasp, Cornwell started the two out rally in the bottom of the ninth with a double to left.
Eric O'Bryan matched the senior with a double of his own to center, scoring Cornwell on the pay. O'Bryan came around to score off an error by the SMSU shortstop, and the Wolves were within three. The NSU rally however was cut off when Lorenz flew out, with a deep ball to center.
Cody Johns suffered his fourth loss of the season in the game, giving up six earned runs on 12 hits. Johns tallied four strikeouts in his six innings of work.
Northern returns to Fossum Field, tomorrow for a pair of conference match-up with the Mustangs. Game times are set for 4 and 6:30 p.m. between the two teams.
