Crookston, Minn. – The Northern State University baseball team notched their second split of the week versus Minnesota Crookston on Friday. The Wolves took game one 16-12 and fell in game two 9-6, and move to 19-22 overall and 12-16 in NSIC action. Northern remains ninth in the NSIC standings and will look to make a run in the final day of action tomorrow, as they still have a chance to jump to eighth overall.
 
Game 1
 
It was a high scoring affair in the first game of the doubleheader as the Wolves topped the Golden Eagles 16-12. With the wind blowing out the two teams combined for 27 hits, seven of which were homeruns. The lead changed hands two times, while the score was also tied on two occasions. Minnesota Crookston tied things up at ten all in the bottom of the fifth, however the Wolves fought back in the sixth and seventh to seal the four run victory.
 
Ben Allen kicked things off for the Wolves, homering to left in the top of the sixth to take the 11-10 lead. Allen again connected for a long ball in the seventh, this time a two run bomb to give the Wolves the 16-10 lead. Chris Gonzales led off the top of the seventh for NSU with a single to left field. UMC quickly loaded the bases and both Kolin Kubitz and Tyler Gripentrog were hit by a pitch. Jeff Rideout, pinching running for Gonzales, came around to score on a Jack Schmidt sacrifice fly to centerfield. Matt Stubbs added two more runs for the Wolves singling to left and scoring both Kubitz and Gripentrog. Allen rounded out the scoring with his second homerun of the game.
 
Allen led the team going 3-for-5 with three runs scored, five RBI, one triple, and two homeruns. He was followed Tyler Gripentrog, Jack Schmidt, Preston Brown and Easton Lopez with two hits apiece. Schmidt followed with two RBI and added three runs scored, while Gripentrog and Brown each notched two RBI. Kolin Kubitz, Matt Stubbs, Mikey Barreneche, Patrick Leary, and Chris Gonzales rounded out the team total of 16 hits with a single each in the win.
 
Cody Vandever started on the mound for the Wolves throwing 3.2 innings. The senior gave up seven earned runs on seven hits and struck out two in the outing. Colton Landreth and Nate Zeise entered in relief. Zeise earned his first win of the season holding the Golden Eagles scoreless in the sixth. Dillon Lee finished things off for NSU earning his third save of 2016. Lee threw two innings, giving up two earned runs on two hits.
 
Game 2
 
Minnesota Crookston scored first in the bottom of the first with one run, however the Wolves quickly answered back to take the 2-1 lead in the top of the second. Mikey Barreneche connected for his first homerun of the season with two outs in the second, sending the blast over the centerfield fence and scoring Preston Brown who has walked the previous at-bat.
 
Northern added another four runs in the fifth led off by Chris Gonzales with a single. Gonzales came around to score three at-bats later as Tyler Gripentrog connected for his third home run of the week. Jack Schmidt and Matt Stubbs followed with a walk and a ground rule double to put runners in scoring position for Ben Allen. Allen added to his NSU career day at the plate, with a two RBI double scoring both Schmidt and Stubbs to give the Wolves the 6-1 lead.
 
Crookston tied things up in the bottom half of the inning and the NSU offense was held scoreless in the final four innings of play. The Golden Eagles broke through with three runs in the eighth, which held up for the win.
 
Jack Schmidt was one of three Wolves to record multiple hits in the game with his second hit being the 72^nd of the season. The double earned Schmidt the Northern State single season record which was set by Lucas Lorenz with 71 in 2015. Mikey Barreneche and Zach Beatty were the final Wolves with multiple hits in the game, while Barreneche added a team leading two RBI. Kolin Kubitz, Tyler Gripentrog, Matt Stubbs, Ben Allen, and Chris Gonzales each tallied a hit a piece, bringing the team total to 11.
 
Dillon Lee started game two for the Wolves throwing two innings and giving up just one earned run on three hits. Marcus Manderbach entered to throw four innings for NSU. Manderbach suffered five unearned runs on six hits and struck out four. Andrew Nichols and Luke Chevalier each tallied an inning of relief for the Wolves. Chevalier suffered the loss giving up the three earned runs in the bottom of the eighth.
 
The Wolves return to action tomorrow versus the Golden Eagles in the regular season finale. First pitch between the two teams is set for 2 p.m. from Crookston.