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Crookston, Minn. – The Northern State University baseball team swept Friday's doubleheader against Minnesota Crookston, winning 9-7 and 20-9. In game one, the Wolves' offense came out swinging, racking up six extra-base hits and was highlighted by a
Drew Benson home run in the opening frame. Game two saw NSU jump out to an early lead and never look back, piling up 17 hits and another six extra-base knocks. By the end of the day, Northern State had tallied for 29 runs on 27 hits, committing just two errors across both games.
THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score Game 1: NSU 9, UMC 7
Final Score Game 2: NSU 20, UMC 9
Records: NSU 15-31 (NSIC 11-28) UMC 22-27 (NSIC 19-20)
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME 1
- Northern State struck first, as Drew Benson hit a two-run homer that scored himself and Nick Friedges in the first inning
- Jordan Hull followed in the second, scoring Nicholas Ochoa with a single to center field for a 3-0 lead
- Minnesota Crookston responded with two runs in the third to close the gap
- UMC took the lead in the fourth with three more runs to go up 5-3
- In the fifth, Nick Friedges hit a triple to score Brennan Phillips, followed by a Benson single to bring in Friedges and tie the game
- UMC regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth with one run
- Phillips knocked the second triple of the game, bringing in Kyle Konechne and Dillon Castellanos to take the lead in the top of the sixth
- UMC tied the game again in the bottom of the sixth with a run off a single
- In the seventh, Ochoa tripled to right-center to score Casey Vining and put NSU ahead
- Jonah Schmidt followed with a double to left, scoring Ochoa for a 9-7 lead
- Quentin Culbertson earned the win in 2.0 innings of relief, while Daulton Vanderloo recorded the save in 1.0 inning of work
- NSU totaled nine runs on ten hits with two errors
NORTHERN STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Nicholas Ochoa: 3-for-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 1 double, 1 triple
- Drew Benson: 2-for-3, 3 RBIs, 1 run, 1 homerun
- Brennan Phillips: 1-for-3, 2 RBIs, 1 run, 1 triple, 1 stolen base
- Nick Friedges: 1-for-3, 2 runs, 1 RBIs, 1 triple
- Dillon Castellanos: 1-for-2, 1 run
- Quentin Culbertson: 2.0 IP, Win
- Daulton Vanderloo: 1.0 IP, Save, 1 strikeout
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME 2
- Northern State got on the board in the first when Casey Vining reached on an error, allowing Brennan Phillips to score
- Nicholas Ochoa then scored on a Jordan Hull flyout to right field to put the Wolves up 2-0
- In the second, Jack Weidner hit a double, scoring Nick Friedges, Ochoa, and Phillips
- UMC responded with three runs in the bottom of the second to close the deficit
- After a scoreless third, Ochoa scored on a bases-loaded walk, followed by a Hull single that brought in Friedges for a 7-3 lead
- Weidner scored on another bases-loaded walk, and Vining crossed the plate on a passed ball
- Mateo Tashsini capped the fourth with a single up the middle that drove in Schmidt and Hull for an 11-3 lead
- UMC added a run in the bottom of the fourth
- In the fifth, Friedges doubled down the left field line, bringing in Phillips and Michael Benevides
- After two scoreless innings, Friedges singled to left, scoring Phillips, followed by Ochoa scoring on a passed ball
- Weidner followed with a single to score Friedges in the seventh
- Hull doubled down the left field line to bring in Weidner for a 17-4 lead
- Vining then scored on a fielder's choice, and Hull scored on a wild pitch
- Phillips added a double to right-center, scoring Benevides to cap the top of the seventh
- UMC scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh but couldn't close the gap
- Palmer Boyd earned the win with 3.0 innings pitched and two strikeouts against 13 batters
- NSU finished with 20 runs on 17 hits and no errors in game two
NORTHERN STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Nicholas Ochoa: 4-for-6, 4 runs, 1 double
- Brennan Phillips: 3-for-4, 4 runs, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 2 doubles
- Nick Friedges: 2-for-3, 3 runs, 3 RBIs, 1 double
- Jack Weidner: 2-forf-4, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, 1 double
- Jordan Hull: 2-for-3, 2 runs, 3 RBIs, 1 double
- Mateo Tahsini: 2-for-4, 2 RBIs, 1 walk
- Palmer Boyd: 3.0 IP, Win, 2 strikeouts
- Jake Helleloid: 3.0 IP, 3 strikeouts
UP NEXT
Northern State returns to the diamond to close out the season against Minnesota Crookston. First pitch is scheduled for Saturday, May 3 at 12 p.m. in Crookston, Minn., against the Golden Eagles.
