ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Minnesota State won the first of four scheduled games this weekend at Missouri - St. Louis 11-1 to open the 81st season of Maverick baseball on a winning note.
Led by right-handed senior pitcher Jon Ludwig, the Mavericks shut down the Tritons to win by 10 runs. Ludwig struck out 15 of 26 batters he faced in the opening-day start while allowing one run. Senior infielder Mitch Frederick led the way offensively with a 1-for-4 day that featured a double, three RBI and two runs scored.
After senior infielder Teddy Petersen launched the Mavericks' first extra-base hit of the season down the right-field line and later advanced to third on a passed ball, senior outfielder Joey Werner drove him in with a sacrifice fly to center field. The score was 1-0 MSU after three frames at UMSL Baseball field.
The Mavericks scored two more runs in the fifth. Junior infielder Ross Indlecoffer recorded his first hit with MSU in the form of a leadoff solo home run to left field. Then, Petersen made it 3-0 with an RBI single that scored Frederick.
In the sixth with the bases loaded, Frederick grounded into a fielder's choice while increasing the Mavericks lead to 4-0 when Nick Altermatt came in to score on the ball that was hit up the middle. The Tritons responded with their first pair of hits in the bottom half of the inning. Mitchel Betcher supplied the second hit that drove in Carson Holin and shrunk the deficit to 4-1.
In the seventh, junior outfielder Cam Kline got around on a pitch for MSU's second home run of the game. It was the eighth home run of his career and came with Werner on base for a two-run shot that made it 6-1.
Indlecoffer scored a second time for MSU in the eighth by jogging from third to home on a passed ball that made it 7-1.
MSU scored four more times in the ninth when Altermatt scored on a passed ball before Frederick doubled to right-center to score two more. Sophomore Jack Friedges rounded out the four-run ninth with a pinch-hit double to left to score Frederick. After the top of the ninth, the score was 11-1 Mavericks. That's where it ultimately stood after sophomore right-hander Jack Brown came in to hang a perfect 1-2-3 ninth inning on the Tritons which secured the win.
The winning pitcher was MSU's Ludwig (1-0). The Plymouth, Minn., native went seven complete innings in his first start of the season while allowing one run on three hits and striking out 15 UMSL batters and surrendering no walks. Right-handed junior pitcher Brendan Knoll pitched a one-hit eighth inning before Brown took over to start the ninth and shut the door.
For the Tritons, Nick Torres, now 0-1 this season, worked into the fifth inning while allowing four runs on six hits. He also struck out four and walked one.
Tomorrow, the Mavericks and Tritons rematch with a doubleheader scheduled for noon and 2:00 p.m. at UMSL Baseball Field.
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