Photo GallerySioux Falls, S.D. – After dropping game one to No. 1 St. Cloud State, the Northern State University baseball team bounced back for a night win over Wayne State. The Wolves fell to the Huskies 5-7 in a hard fought game one, and defeated the Wildcats 6-5 in game two of the day. The win marks the first in NCAA DII postseason history for the NSU Wolves baseball program. With the split, Northern moves to 26-25 overall this season.
Game One St. Cloud State got out to an early lead in game one, scoring four runs in the second and third innings. Northern answered back with a pair of runs in the fourth and seventh, to cut the SCSU lead to three.
Riley Shintaffer led off the fourth for the Wolves with a double down the right field line. Shintaffer came around to score just two at-bats later on an
Alex Cornwell fielder's choice to the first basemen.
The Wolves struck again in the sixth, as
Tyler Gripentrog walked to start the inning. Gripentrog scored with two outs, as
Jack Schmidt doubled to right center. Schmidt had an outstanding game for the Wolves going 4-for-4 with four runs batted in. The redshirt freshmen knocked his third homerun of the season, a three run jack in the eight to bring the Wolves within two.
Northern ultimately fell in the game, and NSU starter
Cody Johns suffered the loss.
Nate Zeise and
Andrew Nichols entered in relief for the Wolves, as Nichols threw 1.2 innings of shut-out baseball.
Game Two With the season on the line, the Wolves came out hot in game two racking up five runs off five hits in the second and third innings of play. Northern added one run in the top of the ninth which proved to be the decisive game winner.
Clayton Nutting led off the ninth with his third double of the game, a high hopper up the middle. Nutting scored on an errant throw by the Wayne State catcher attempting to throw out
Eric O'Bryan on a sacrifice bunt. Nutting led the Wolves in the win going 3-for-4 with a run batted in and run scored.
NSU starter
Colton Boucher threw a complete eight innings giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. The junior struck out four in the game, three of which coming with runners on base. The win moves Boucher to 7-3 on the year.
Marcus Manderbach entered in relief for the Wolves and struggled to keep the Wildcat bats at bay. Wayne State was down to their final three outs, and mustered three runs of four hits on Manderbach. The lefty settled down and threw a strike-out looking and fly ball to end the game.
Northern will face the loser of the 2 p.m. match-up versus Augustana College and Minnesota State. First pitch with the Wolves and Vikings/Mavericks in set for 7 p.m. with the field location
