Cary, N.C. - Minnesota State (49-11) lived to see another day Monday afternoon at the USA Baseball National Training Complex as the Mavericks eliminated Chico State with a 6-5 victory in the second round of the NCAA Division II College Baseball World Series.
Second Round Recap: With two outs and the score tied at four in the top of the ninth, senior Matt Odegaard reached base with a single to left field which brought junior Mike Eckhart to the plate.
Down 0-1 in the count, Eckhart proceeded to send a line drive to deep right field for a triple which scored Odegaard for the go-ahead run.
Eckhart scored the Mavericks' sixth run which proved to be the winning run on an infield RBI single by senior Ben Kincaid which was just out of the reach of relief pitcher Mike Botelho.
Opening Round Recap: Minnesota State (48-11) committed five uncommon errors in its opening round loss to Southern New Hampshire as all three runs the Penmen scored were unearned. MSU led 2-0 through five innings until error plagued sixth and seventh innings gave Southern New Hampshire the 3-2 lead where the score would remain.
Next Please: Monday's win sets up a rematch with Southern New Hampshire on Wednesday afternoon as the Penmen lost their second-round game 13-7 to West Chester after defeating MSU 3-2 in the opening round.
Penmen Second-Round Action: Southern New Hampshire held a 5-4 lead after seven innings before West Chester exploaded in the eighth inning scoring four runs to take the lead.
The outburst of offense came against Southern New Hampshire's best reliever, Alex Powers, who owned a 0.33 earned run average and had allowed just 14 hits.
After a comeback attempt by the Penmen, West Chester pulled away in the final inning with a nine-run inning which sealed the victory.
Winning Streak Snapped: Before the Mavericks' 3-2 loss to Southern New Hampshire, Minnesota State had won 12 of its last 13 games including seven in a row. The team's longest winning streak this season was 11 games which lasted from April 17 through April 30.
Moving up the Charts: Senior second baseman Matt Kuchenbecker is now alone in second place with 20 doubles in a single season. Kuchenbecker was previously tied with three others in second place on the school's all-time single season list.
Who's Going to Get the Seventh?: Three Mavericks are tied for the team lead in triples as senior Pat Dockendorf, junior Lucas Skjefte and Eckhart each have six. Eckhart joined the race on Monday after connecting on a triple to right field to put the Mavericks ahead of Chico State in the ninth inning.
Putting the Tough One Behind: MSU responded positively after its five hit, five error game in the opening round against Southern New Hampshire. The Mavericks came back in the second round with strong defensive play, committing just one fielding error, while pounding out 11 hits in the victory against Chico State.
Wednesday's Game: Wednesday's NCAA Division II College Baseball World Series elimination game between Minnesota State and Southern New Hampshire is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. (EST).
The loser between Southern New Hampshire and MSU will be out of the double-elimination tournament while the winner advances to play Thursday, May 31 at 3 p.m. (EST), against Delta State who is unblemished in the tournament after wins against St. Mary's and Catawba.
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