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Bemidji, Minn. – The Northern State University baseball team came out strong on day one of their series against Bemidji State, earning a sweep with wins of 5-3 and 8-6. The Wolves set the tone early in game one, powered by
Nick Friedges' three-run blast in the third inning. In game two, NSU staged a thrilling late-game comeback, capped by a go-ahead grand slam from
Dillon Castellanos in the top of the ninth. Despite six errors on the day, the Wolves totaled 13 runs on 16 hits to secure the doubleheader sweep.
THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score Game 1: NSU 5, BSU 3
Final Score Game 2: NSU 8, BSU 6
Records: NSU 10-26 (NSIC 6-23) BSU 4-32 (NSIC 3-26)
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME 1
- Northern State opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly by Nick Friedges that brought in Brennan Phillips in the top of the first
- A wild pitch allowed Dillon Castellanos to score, extending the Wolves' lead to 2-0 in the first inning
- Bemidji State responded with two runs in the bottom of the second to tie the game
- In the third inning, Friedges launched a three-run homer over the right-field fence, scoring Castellanos and Michael Benevides to retake the lead
- After four scoreless innings, the Beavers added one run in the bottom of the seventh
- Braxton Kusler earned the win, pitching 6.0 innings with six strikeouts against 27 batters
- Daulton Vanderloo recorded the save, pitching 0.2 innings with one strikeout
- NSU tallied five runs on six hits with two errors in game one
NORTHERN STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Brennan Phillips: 2-for-4, 1 run, 1 double
- Dillon Castellanos: 2-for-3, 2 runs, 1 double, 3 stolen bases
- Nick Friedges: 1-for-2, 4 RBIs, 1 run, 1 homerun, 1 walk, 1 stolen base
- Braxton Kusler: 6.0 IP, Win, 6 strikeouts
- Daulton Vanderloo: 0.2 IP, save, 1 strikeout
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME 2
- Bemidji State struck first with one run in the first inning
- After a scoreless second, the Beavers extended their lead with a two-run homer in the third
- BSU added three more runs in the fifth to take a 6-0 lead
- Northern State began its comeback in the seventh with a solo home run by Nick Friedges
- In the eighth, Dillon Castellanos hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring AJ Mendez to make it 6-2
- In the ninth inning, Jack Weidner scored on an RBI single by Mendez
- Brennan Phillips followed with a single to center that scored Dylan Soulek, cutting the lead to 6-4
- Castellanos then crushed a grand slam, bringing in Phillips, Kyle Konechne, and Nicholas Ochoa to take the lead
- Christian Mundt recorded the win in 0.1 innings pitched, while Daulton Vanderloo earned the save with 1.0 inning and one strikeout
- NSU scored eight runs on ten hits with four errors in game two
NORTHERN STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- AJ Mendez: 3-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 double
- Jack Weidner: 2-for-4, 1 run, 1 double
- Dillon Castellanos: 1-for-4, 5 RBIs, 1 run, 1 homerun
- Nick Friedges: 1-for-4, 1 homerun
- Christian Mundt: 0.1 IP, Win
- Daulton Vanderloo: 1.0 IP, Save, 1 strikeout
UP NEXT
Northern State closes out the series against Bemidji State tomorrow. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, in Bemidji, Minn., against the Beavers.
