Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MONTICELLO, Ark. --- Top-ranked Minnesota State knocked off previously-unbeaten Arkansas-Monticello in UAM's home opener and MSU's season opener as the two teams played to a series split in non-conference action Sunday afternoon at Weevils Field.
 
No. 1 MSU now sits 1-1 on the year, while the Boll Weevils move to 5-1 overall. The Purple and Gold claimed a 4-3 victory in game one before dropping an 8-5 decision in the second affair.
 
The Mavericks pieced together their first three hits of the season in the top of fourth inning of the first game to race out to a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Taylor Branstad (Apple Valley, Minn.) plated both runs with a two-out single up the middle to score juniors Connor McCallum (Shoreview, Minn.) and Nolan Johnson (Bloomington, Minn.).  Minnesota State flexed its muscle again in the fifth inning when Johnson and senior Stetson Olson (Renton, Wash.) crushed back-to-back RBI doubles extending the advantage to 4-0.
 
All-American senior Jason Hoppe (Rice, Minn.) displayed mid-season form for MSU striking out 11 Boll Weevils and allowing just five hits in 7.1 innings of work. Hoppe breezed through the first seven innings before a pair of walks that bookended two UAM singles and scored one run signaled the end of his day in the bottom of the eighth. Senior Chris Williams (Omaha, Neb.) came on in relief and allowed two additional UAM runs to score via wild pitches - both charged to Hoppe - but used a strikeout and a foul out to hold the Maverick lead at 4-3. Williams shut the door in the bottom of the ninth to earn his first save of the season and the first MSU victory of the year.
 
Senior Kade Garlington (1-1) took the loss for UAM surrendering four earned runs and six hits in four innings pitched, while Hoppe (1-0) picked up his first victory of the season.
 
Game two saw MSU jump in front 1-0 in the top of the first inning when Johnson drove in senior Todd Standish (Brookings, S.D.) who reached on a leadoff single and advanced to second on a bunt. However, the Boll Weevils answered right back in their half of the inning as sophomore Travis Steinke doubled to deep centerfield with the bases loaded and two outs giving UAM its first lead of the day, 3-1.
 
Minnesota State knotted the game at 3-3 with two unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning. Senior Mike Andries (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) plated Johnson from third with a ground ball to the right side, before Branstad used an infield single to drive in Olson from 90 feet away. Arkansas-Monticello answered right back in the bottom half though, using RBI singles from seniors D'Marco Poindexter and Ben Agredano and a sacrifice fly from junior Austin Braddock to reclaim the lead at 6-3.
 
The Boll Weevils tacked on another run with a Poindexter RBI single in the fifth and a double steal in the sixth to produce an 8-3 cushion. MSU rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh with a RBI double from Standish and a sacrifice fly from sophomore Jon Heiderscheit (Lansing, Iowa), but UAM denied the comeback cementing the 8-5 final.
 
Sophomore Josh Matheson (Circle Pines, Minn.) allowed four hits and three earned runs with three strikeouts in a pair of innings in his first start of the season. Senior T.J. Larson (Prior Lake, Minn.) took the loss giving up four hits and three earned runs while fanning four in two innings. Junior Logan Johnson (1-0) collected the win for UAM tossing 6.1 innings with five runs - three earned - and a pair of strikeouts.
 
For the day, Johnson paced the Mavericks offensively going three-for-six with three runs, two RBI and a double. Branstad went three-of-seven with three RBI and a run, while Standish ended three-of-eight with a double, RBI and run scored.
 
Minnesota State heads south again next weekend where it will play a doubleheader at Northeastern State (Okla.) next Saturday at 12 p.m. and a twinbill at Southwest Baptist (Mo.) next Sunday also at 12 p.m.