Tucson, Ariz. – The Northern State University baseball team improved to 5-2 from the Tucson Invitational with a victory over Valley City State. The Wolves downed the Vikings 11-4 in the sixth day of spring training action.
 
Tyler Gripentrog and Matt Stubbs led the team going 3-for-6 in the win. The duo tallied a triple each, while Gripentrog notched one run scored and Stubbs added two. Jack Schmidt, Lucas Lorenz, Ben Allen, and Mikey Barreneche tallied multiple hit games with two apiece. Easton Lopez, Ashton Williamson, Jake Samuelson, and Kolin Kubitz added a hit each in the victory, bringing the team total to 18 for the game. The Wolves also recorded six extra base hits, off the bats of Lopez (2B), Schmidt (2B), Gripentrog (3B), Stubbs (3B), Kubitz (3B), and Lorenz (HR).
 
Although the Vikings took a lead in the bottom of the first inning, Northern began to chip away in the fourth with a run off the bat of Patrick Leary. NSU kept the good vibes rolling in the fifth, with five runs led off by Tyler Gripentrog with a triple to right field. Easton Lopez stepped to the plate, scoring Gripentrog on a double to left. Matt Stubbs was up for the Wolves just two batters later, plating Lopez on a single to left for the 3-2 lead in the game. Lucas Lorenz continued the Northern rallying, blasting a three run homerun to left center.
 
The Wolves added a trio of runs in the seventh, led off with yet again another triple, but this time by senior Matt Stubbs. Lucas Lorenz and Ben Allen loaded the bases with a walk and a single in the next two at-bats. Stubbs came in to score on the next at-bat, as Valley City suffered a balk from reliever Lawler. With runners on second and third, Jake Samuelson was called upon to pinch hit. Samuelson connected for his first hit of the season, a double to left scoring both Allen and Lorenz.
 
Northern tallied a pair of runs in the eighth and ninth to seal the victory, despite a Valley City rally in the bottom of the eighth. The Wolves gave up just seven hits in the game and played solid on defense with six ground-outs, nine fly-outs, and no errors suffered.
 
Colton Boucher started the game for the Wolves throwing seven complete innings and earning his first win of the season. Boucher gave up two earned runs in the opening innings of play however settled down and gave up only two hits in the next six innings of action. The senior tallied a season high 11 strikeouts in 27 batters faced. Kris Johnson and Brock Ragatz entered in relief for the Wolves. Johnson threw to just six batters in the sixth, and gave up two earned runs on two hits. Ragatz entered to throw 1.1 scoreless innings for the Wolves.
 
Northern returns to action tomorrow against St. Cloud State and Dakota State University. Game times are set for 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. from Tucson.