Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Rapid City, S.D. --- Eleventh-ranked Minnesota State cruised to a 10-1 victory in game one but could not complete the sweep as it fell to Northern State, 7-5, in the second game of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play Friday afternoon at Fitzgerald Stadium.
 
In the first game, Minnesota State claimed a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after a leadoff homerun from junior Parker Sullivan and a three-run round-tripper from sophomore Connor McCallum. A solo shot from sophomore Taylor Branstad in the second make it a five-run cushion before NSU added an unearned run in the top of the fourth.
 
However, the Mavericks responded with four runs in their half of the inning behind a bases-loaded walk to sophomore Nolan Johnson and an RBI single off the bat of McCallum. A solo homerun from junior Todd Standish in the fifth inning provided more than enough run support for senior righthander Harvey Martin, who recorded 11 strikeouts and scattered four hits without allowing a walk or an earned run to improve to 3-0 on the year.
 
Game two proved to be a see-saw affair as MSU struck first once again when Johnson plated Sullivan - who reached on a leadoff double - with an RBI single, but the Wolves knotted the contest at 1-1 with an unearned run in the top of the fourth. NSU scored three times in the fifth - keyed off a two-run double from sophomore Buddy Traxler - but the Mavericks cut the lead to one an inning later with a two-run double from senior Tony Vocca.
 
In the seventh inning, sophomore Maurice Rodriguez hit a two-run blast to give NSU a 6-3 advantage, but once again MSU had an answer as Johnson clubbed a solo homerun and Vocca added an RBI single to pull the Mavericks within one.
 
It did not prove to be enough, however, as the Wolves pushed across an additional run in the eighth inning to complete the 7-5 final. Sophomore righthander Jason Hoppe (4-1) fanned nine hitters in 4.2 innings of work but surrendered eight hits, three earned runs and two walks in suffering his first loss of the season.
 
McCallum had an outstanding day at the plate finishing five-of-six with four RBI, two runs a double and a homerun, while Sullivan ended three-of-eight with three runs, an RBI and a homerun.
 
The Mavericks (16-5, 5-1 NSIC) and Wolves will wrap-up the four-game set tomorrow with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 11:30 MT in Rapid City.