Box Score DAVENPORT, Fla.--- The Minnesota State baseball program dropped its fourth loss of the season on Monday to the Northwood University Timberwolves.

With the loss, the Mavericks move to 5-4 in 2016 and are scheduled to play four more games throughout their duration of their trip to Florida.

Northwood University struck first with three runs in the top of the first inning.  Connor Foley got things going with a two-out walk with Nick Black singling through the left side and Daniel Pulver following with a single up the middle to score Foley. Grant Bridgewater then doubled to left to score both Pulver and Black to go up 3-0 for the Timberwolves.  Minnesota State countered with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning with an Eric Peterson lead-off double. Senior Taylor Branstad jumped on a pitch to single up the middle to score Peterson from second.  Sophomore Dylan Dresel then homered to left, knotting things up at 3-3.

The Timberwolves took a 6-3 lead in the top of the third with three straight single by Foley, Black, and Pulver combined with a Maverick error, plating Foley. Black then scored on a wild pitch and Pulver advancing to second.  Bridgewater then came to the plate and singled to right advancing Pulver to third and finally reaching home on a fielder's choice to second base.  MSU tacked on one in the bottom of the third when Branstad led off with single up the middle followed by a Dresel single through the left side. Sophomore Josh Wenzel reached on a fielder's choice to third base scoring Branstad to cut the Timberwolves lead to two.

Northwood tallied one run in the top of the fourth when Cody Kuzniczci reached on a Maverick error and advanced to second on the play.  Kuzniczci then scored on a Black single through the left side to put NU up 7-4.

The Mavericks crept within one, scoring two in the bottom half of the inning when freshman Jordan Hart led off with single to center field and advanced to third on senior Chase Lonetti's double to right. Hart then touched home after senior Kyle Toth shot a sacrifice-fly to center as Lonetti advanced to third and cashed in on another sacrifice fly by Peterson to make it a 7-6 game.

In the top of the fifth inning, NU added on four more runs off of four singles, a sacrifice fly to left, along with a hit by pitch and a walk, forcing Minnesota State to look to their bullpen and relieve starting pitcher, sophomore Brody Rodning with senior Peter Gaustad. The Mavericks were not done, however, as Dresel blasted his second homer over the left field wall to make things interesting at 11-7 in the bottom half of the inning.

Minnesota State stayed within one as they tallied three more runs in the bottom of the sixth frame. Lonetti got things going with a one-out hit by pitch and advancing on a wild pitch. Lonetti was plated by a Toth double to left followed by a Peterson infield single. Toth made is way home when Branstad came up with a double to right while Peterson touched the plate on a Dresel sac fly to left afterwards.

NU added one in the top of the seventh with Foley singling to left and eventually scoring on a Bridgewater single through the left side while MSU pulled within one again scoring a run in the bottom half of the seventh. Sophomore Luke Waldek led off with double to center field and scored later on a single to center field from Hart to make it 12-11.

The Timberwolves added four more in the bottom of the eighth inning for insurance, closing the game's scoring at 16-11.

Offensively, MSU was out hit by a clip of 19-15, led by Branstad (3-5, 2B) and Dresel (3-4, 2HR), while Toth (2B) and Wenzel extended their hit streaks to six games each.

Rodning (1-1) took his first loss of the year throwing four innings, giving up nine earned runs on 12 Timberwolves hits while striking out five. 

Minnesota State will resume play Tuesday with two games.  The Mavericks will match up against Walsh University at 11:00 a.m. EST., and against West Chester University at 1:30 p.m. in Winter Haven, Fla.