Winter Haven, Fla. — The Minnesota State baseball team, #10 in the nation, dropped a nonconference battle to ninth-rated Grand Valley State Sunday, 7-5.

After three scoreless innings, MSU scored the opening run of the game in the fourth, but GVS responded by manufacturing two runs in the bottom of the fourth, and two more in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead after five innings.

In the top of the sixth, MSU knotted things up at 4-4 with RBI hits from junior infielder Matt Kuchenbecker (sacrifice fly), senior outfielder Aaron Berner (single) and freshman outfield Scott Linder (single).

That would be as close as MSU would get, with Grad Valley State adding three more runs and the Mavericks tallying one more in the reminder of the contest, giving GVS the, 7-5, win.

At the plate, Kuchenbecker went 1-for-2 with two RBI, while senior outfield Danny Miller and senior catcher Steven Helget each tagged two hits to pace the Mavericks.

MSU threw four pitchers in the contest. Junior Ben Kincaid got the start and tossed five innings, giving up three hits and four runs (1 earned), walking one and striking out three.

The Mavericks finished with nine hits to GVS’s seven.

The Mavericks, 2-3 overall, will face take-on St. Leo in St. Leo, Fla. Tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m. (EST).

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