CARY, N.C. --- The Minnesota State baseball squad, rated eleventh nationally, ended its season with a 6-2 loss to the # 13 Franklin Pierce Ravens in an elimination game at the USA Baseball Training Complex Tuesday afternoon.
Each team entered the game with one loss. The Mavericks fell to Southern Indiana, 8-6, while Franklin Pierce dropped their opener to Kutztown, 2-1. The game marked the 13th NCAA Division II College Baseball World Series game MSU has participated in and the program owns a 3-10 record in World Series competition.
On the hill for the Mavericks was senior righthanded pitcher Pat Lenton who made his 16th start of the season. Lenton entered the game with a 9-3 record, 3.31 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 92.1 innings pitched. The Ravens started senior righty Mike Adams who entered the game with a 6-1 record on the year, a 2.79 ERA and 39 punch outs in 58 innings pitched.
The Mavericks jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second inning. Junior outfielder Danny Miller singled to center and reached second on a failed pickoff attempt. Sophomore first baseman Matt Odegaard then slapped a sacrifice bunt down, advancing Miller to third, followed up by sophomore designated hitter Pat Dockendorf grounding out to short, plating Miller.
In the fourth, with one out, MSU tallied back-to-back singles from Miller and junior outfielder Aaron Berner. Odegaard flew out to right for the second out, but Dockendorf singled up the middle, earning his second RBI of the contest, sending Miller home for his second run scored of the contest.
The Ravens knotted things up at two apiece in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run homer to left from junior third baseman Derek Ingui.
FPU took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning after scoring three runs, putting the Ravens up 5-2. Ingui and junior designated hitter Eric Pearson each hit RBI singles, while freshman outfielder Nick LaCroix hit a sacrifice fly to left.
The Ravens added another run in the seventh with a RBI double from senior outfielder Phil Hendricks, making the final, 6-2.
Senior third baseman Kosuke Hattori set a new MSU program mark for career at bats, 683, after his second at bat in the third inning.
Miller finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate, with two runs scored, while finishing the season with a seven-game hitting streak.
Lenton finishes the season with a 9-4 record, he pitched five innings, giving up five runs (all earned) off of seven hits, walking one and strikingout three. Lenton finishes his career at MSU with 23 wins (T-4th all-time at MSU), including 223 strikeouts (5th all-time at MSU) in 226 innings pitched (5th all-time at MSU).
MSU tallied six hits, with one error and left six runners on, while the FPU finished with 11 hits, two errors and five runners left on base.
"It was a typical game for us, we battled back after getting down, said MSU head coach Matt Magers. "I think that two-run homerun was a big hit for them. We had some oppurtunities early in the game, but we couldn't get that two-out hit that we needed. Franklin Pierce is a good team, they are well coached and we tip our hat to them. I thought Pat Lenton gave us a good chance, he only had one walk and gave us a chance to win. He had a great career at MSU."
Minnesota State ends its record-breaking season with a 44-16 record, while Franklin Pierce (42-16-1) advances to face the loser of Kutztown and Southern Indiana at 7:00 p.m. (EST) tomorrow.
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