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Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University baseball team came out swinging in game one, battling their way to a thrilling 6-5 victory, but couldn't maintain the momentum in game two, falling 11-0 to Minnesota Duluth. A standout third inning fueled the Wolves' opening win, featuring a grand slam off the bat of
Nick Friedges and a clutch, go-ahead RBI single from
Dylan Soulek. However, in game two, UMD took advantage of costly mistakes and delivered in key moments to even the series. On the day, the Wolves tallied six runs on 14 hits but were hampered by four defensive errors.
THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score Game 1: NSU 6, UMD 5
Final Score Game 2: NSU 0, MARY 11
Records: NSU 6-25 (NSIC 2-22) UMD 15-18 (NSIC 11-13)
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME 1
- Minnesota Duluth kicked off game one with a run in the top of the first to take an early lead
- After a scoreless second inning, Northern State tied it up with a single to left center by Jordan Hull, scoring Brennan Phillips
- Nick Friedges launched a grand slam over the right field fence in the third inning, bringing in Hull, Jack Weidner, and Dylan Soulek to make it 5-1
- The Bulldogs responded with four runs in the sixth inning to tie the game
- In the bottom of the sixth, Soulek found a hole in the left side for a single that scored Nicholas Ochoa, giving the Wolves the lead for good
- Braxton Kusler pitched 5.1 innings and recorded four strikeouts in 24 at-bats
- Drew Burkholder earned the win, pitching 1.2 innings in relief
- The Wolves tallied six runs on nine hits with one error in game one
NORTHERN STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Dylan Soulek: 3-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 double, 2 stolen bases
- Nick Friedges: 2-for-3, 4 RBIs, 1 run, 1 homerun
- Brennan Phillips: 1-for-4, 1 run
- Jordan Hull: 1-for-3, 1 run, 1 RBI
- Drew Benson: 1.2 IP, Win
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME 2
- Minnesota Duluth opened game two with a run in the top of the first
- Nicholas Ochoa singled in the third inning but was left stranded
- The Bulldogs extended their lead with four runs over the fourth and fifth innings
- UMD added four more runs in the sixth to lead 9-0
- Two additional runs in the top of the seventh sealed the win for UMD
- Northern State started the seventh with back-to-back singles from Dillon Castellanos and Nick Friedges, but both were stranded
- Hunter Brown took the loss, pitching 4.0 innings with three strikeouts
- The Wolves totaled five hits and committed three errors in game two
NORTHERN STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
UP NEXT
Northern State closes out the series against Minnesota Duluth tomorrow. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. at Fossum Field.
