Marshall, Minn. – Minnesota State, ranked 11th in the nation, swept the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs in Marshall, Minn. Friday, winning game one 11-4 and game two 2-1.
The win extended MSU’s winning streak to 19 games, which ties the program record. The two previous seasons in which the baseball program won 19 straight games occurred in 1970 and 2007.
In game one, the Mustangs jumped out to an early 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning off of an RBI single from sophomore infielder Tyler Flattum. However, MSU didn’t wait long to knot things up in the second when junior infielder Pat Dockendorf, who previously singled, scored on an ground out from senior outfielder Aaron Berner.
The two teams exchanged runs in the third to keep the ball game tied up, but Minnesota State rattled off a pair in the fourth and five in the fifth.
Dockendorf scoring on a wild pitch and senior catcher Steven Helget hitting a sacrifice fly to center field, plating senior outfielder/pitcher Danny Miller who singled earlier gave the Mavericks their two in the fourth.
The five-run fifth saw Berner, Helget and senior infielder Zach Rowles hit RBI singles, and sophomore designated hitter Lucas Skjefte and junior infielder Matt Kuchenbecker walk with the bases loaded to give MSU the 9-2 lead.
SMSU cut the Minnesota State’s lead to 9-4 after a two-run bottom half of the fifth courtesy of sophomore infielder Brian Ness who hit a two-run single.
The Mavericks added two more in the seventh Rowles scored on a wild pitch and Kuchenbecker tagged an RBI single.
Kuchenbecker led the Mavericks in game one going 2-for-4 with a team-best three RBI. MSU out hit the Mustangs 11-9.
Freshman Bryce Bellin picked up win number five of the season, going five innings, giving up four runs (three unearned) with two walks and three strikeouts.
In game two, the Mavericks and Mustangs exchanged runs in the first with the MSU scoring on a Dockendorf RBI single and the Mustangs senior outfielder Tyler Fayden grounded out, allowing sophomore infielder Mark Hansen to score.
After the first inning, neither pitcher gave up a run sending the two teams to extra innings.
Berner hit an RBI single in the top of the tenth inning, sending Dockendorf in to score, and the mustangs were unable to answer, giving the Mavericks the 2-1 win.
Berner led the team at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one RBI. MSU finished with 11 hits to SMSU’s four.
Senior righty Luke Putz improved to 5-1 on the season, giving up one run on four hits in nine innings pitched. Putz walked two and fanned five.
The Mavericks (31-8, 23-3 NSIC) will host the back end of the home-and-home series Sunday at MSU Baseball Complex. First pitch is slated for 1:30 p.m.
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