Box Score           Mankato, Minn. – Fifth-ranked Minnesota State showed why it was the top seed in the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament Sunday afternoon with the host Mavericks downing St. Cloud State 5-4 in the championship round of the tournament to earn a spot in the eight-team NCAA Division II World Series.
 
The Mavericks went undefeated in the six-team tournament held in Mankato the last four days, winning all four of its games.
 
SCSU jumped ahead early in today's game courtesy of the long ball as Brian Hansen’s two-run home run to right center drove in the first runs of the afternoon giving St. Cloud State a 2-0 lead.
 
Minnesota State responded the following inning, tying the score at two, as junior Lucas Skjefte drew a bases-loaded walk before freshman Nolan Johnson scored the Mavericks’ second run on a wild pitch by St. Cloud State starting pitcher Logan Birr.
 
The Mavericks took their first lead of the afternoon in the third inning as senior Jeremy Sudbeck hit a sacrifice fly to right center which brought in senior Matt Odegaard, who doubled to lead off the inning.
 
However, the Huskies matched the Mavericks’ production in the bottom of the third with Sean Borman’s single up the middle scoring Michael Jurgella, knotting the score at three.
 
Sophomore Cory Glieden extended MSU's lead back to one in the fourth inning as he took third base on a wild pitch before advancing home on a throwing error by the catcher to givie MSU a 4-3 lead.
 
The back-and-forth game would continue in the fifth inning as the Huskies tied the game at four runs apiece courtesy of an RBI double to left center by Joey Benke which scored Garrett Fischer who led off the inning with a double.
 
St. Cloud State threatened with runners on the corners and two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but relief pitcher sophomore Bryce Bellin got pinch hitter Joey Althoff to fly out and keep the score tied to set up another last-inning victory for MSU.
 
MSU loaded the bases in the top of the ninth as seniors Matt Kuchenbecker and Pat Dockendorf were each walked before Odegaard was hit by a pitch.  The Mavericks scored the go-ahead run with the next at-bat as junior Mike Eckhart recorded a sacrifice fly to score Kuchenbecker to make the score 5-4.
 
MSU was able to preserve the lead in the bottom of the ninth as junior relief pitcher Mahlon Zimmermann retired the Huskies’ final three batters with just three pitches en route to earning his third save of the season.
 
Bellin earned the win on the mound after allowing no runs on just one hit in three innings of relief work for starting pitcher senior Ben Kincaid.  Kincaid lasted five innings after allowing four earned runs on five hits.
 
The win gives Minnesota State a spot in the NCAA Division II Baseball College World Series which marks the sixth appearance in school history. MSU will be making its second trip to the championship in the last three years.
 
The Mavericks were led at the plate by Odegaard, Sudbeck and Johnson who each recorded two hits while Odegaard, who hit .467 (7-for-15) in MSU's four games, was named the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
 
Odegaard was joined on the Central Region All-Tournament Team by Dockendorf, Kincaid and sophomore starting pitcher Tyler Ockuly.
 
The NCAA Division II College Baseball World Series runs May 26 through June 2 and is held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.  Minnesota State will play the winner of the East regional May 26th in its first game.

NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team
C - Mike Jurgella, SCSU
1b - Matt Odegaard, MSU
2b - Max Ditty, SCSU
3b - Pat Dockendorf, MSU
SS - Cody Hastings, Regis
OF - Garrett Fischer, SCSU
OF - Brian Hansen, SCSU
OF - Luis Saenz, NMHU
DH/UT - Ben Kincaid, MSU
P - Tyler Ockluly, MSU
P - Scott Leiser, SCSU
Tourney MVP - Matt Odegaard, MSU