MANKATO, Minn. -- For the third time in four games this season, the Minnesota State (3-1) baseball team put double-digit runs on the board when they took down Bethany Lutheran (0-3) 11-4 at ISG Field, Saturday.
Led by junior Mitch Frederick, who went 2-for-2 with a double and a home run for two RBI and two runs scored, and senior Ross Indlecoffer, who went 1-for-2 with a home run and a hit by pitch, the Mavericks upended the Vikings 6-3, Saturday. Senior centerfielder Joey Werner also pounced on the Vikings with a 2-for-5 showing that featured a run scored, three RBI and a stolen base.
With two outs in the second, Indlecoffer and Frederick hit back-to-back solo home runs to leftfield to start off the scoring. MSU carried a 2-0 lead into the bottom half of the inning until Brody Curtiss hit a solo home run in response to cut the deficit in half, 2-1.
In the third inning, Werner scored to put the Mavericks back up by two, 3-1. With one out, the senior centerfielder got on base with a bunt single. He later scored on a balk after stealing second and advancing to third on an error. After two innings, the Mavericks we're back out to a two-run lead, 3-1.
Werner kept his hot bat going in the fourth with a pair of RBI added to his game resume after hitting a sacrifice fly deep enough to right field to score Mikey Gottschalk, who came in to pinch run, and Frederick. The Mavericks held a 5-1 lead through four innings of baseball at ISG Field.
In the fifth, Frederick doubled to center to score Indlecoffer. The Vikings responded in the bottom half with a pair of runs to make it 6-3.
It was Werner again who extended the lead in the eighth, this time with an RBI triple that scored Adam Schneider and made it a four-run lead before BLC got one of its own back in the bottom half. Through eight innings, the score was 7-4 Mavericks.
The ninth inning saw MSU pad its lead with a fielder's choice RBI from Ty Denzer and pair of RBI doubles from Carter Elliott and Nathan Berg. The final score was 11-4 after a perfect bottom half of the ninth pitched by senior right-hander Hunter Even.
MSU's starting pitcher was Jon Ludwig, the right-handed senior pitched four complete innings while allowing two hits and a run. After striking out 15 of 26 batters he faced in his first outing of the season (Feb. 27 @ UMSL), Ludwig retired nine of 14 Viking batters he faced on strikes. Earning the win for MSU was Trevor Divinski (1-0). Divinski pitched the fifth inning where he inherited a 5-1 lead. He allowed a pair of runs on a hit, walked one and struck out the side.
For the Vikings, Adam Fjerstad made the start and went one inning to strikeout two BLC batters and surrender a hit. In relief of Fjerstad, Matt Wood (0-2) was handed the loss. Wood allowed MSU's first two runs on two hits in the second inning.
Next up, Minnesota State plays host to Bemidji State for a three-game series March 20-21 at Bowyer Field to begin Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.
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